Tomato Chutney

A friend gave me this recipe for tomato chutney a few years ago, and I've been waiting all summer to get enough tomatoes to make a big batch.  I canned mine, but it will keep up to 2 months in the fridge.  I used Roma tomatoes and hot peppers from the garden.  The dried cranberries came from Nutsonline - my new source for nuts.  Usually dried cranberries look like raisins, just a little bigger.  These were plump and huge - Bella loved them! 

Here are the ingredients just before I turned the stove on.  The recipe is so simple - everything goes into the pan, bring to a boil, and simmer 45 minutes.  The only hard part (and it's not really hard, just time-consuming) is peeling & seeding the tomatoes.



 

Here's what is looks like after cooking, in the pan and then in jars.  I tripled the recipe, and it filled 7 pint jars, and 6 1/2 pints, plus a little extra for the fridge.  I processed my jars for 10 minutes.



 So...what do you do with chutney?  Here are 2 ideas -

• Chutney Mozzarella Burgers: mix 1/2 c chutney with 1 lb ground beef.  Shape into 4 or 5 balls.  Stick your thumb into the ball, fill indentation with shredded mozzarella, then reshape into a patty. 

Chutney Chicken Sandwich: take your favorite bread, spread with chutney, top with your favorite cheese and grilled chicken or turkey. 

 



Tomato Chutney

• 3 c tomatoes, peeled, seeded, & chopped


• 1 c chopped red bell pepper


• 1 c chopped red onion


• 1/2 c dried cranberries


• 1/2 c cider vinegar


• 1/4 c sugar


• 1/4 c brown sugar


• 2 T minced garlic


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp mustard seed


• 1/4 tsp cinnamon


• 1/4 tsp cumin


• 1/4 tsp allspice


• 3-4 jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped (or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper)

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes, or until thickened, stirring frequently.  Water bath process 10 minutes for pint jars, or cool & store in the fridge up to 2 months.