Thursday, October 27, 2011

Too Many Green Tomatoes? Make Chutney



There’s something about the very word “chutney” that I’ve always thought exotic.  I suppose that’s because it was something foreign to me as a child.  We had Welch’s grape jelly (in Flintstone glasses or maybe Tom and Jerry) or we had pickle relish.  Chutney kind of mixes those together.

I do vaguely recall Christmas gift packages my parents would receive, filled with cheese, meat, crackers and a jar of something with “MajorGrey” emblazoned on it.  Since then I’ve seen jars of all kinds of chutney, including the Major, in gourmet food shops. But still I kept my distance.  It was unfamiliar.

So why make chutney?  Why now?

  1. I’ll eat anything.  (Just ask Mr. Rosemary.)
  2. I love to experiment. (Ditto.)
  3. I had a whole bunch of green tomatoes still sitting on the vine.  With a heavy frost sure to hit any day now, I needed to do something.
Enter Martha.  I often turn to one of my big bible-type cookbooks when I have a need to make an indefinable something with a particular something.  I found this Green Tomato Chutney recipe in the huge The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, The Original Classics.  That’s the orange one. I have the blue one, too; that’s the New Classics version.  And I do consult them often.

So I had all the ingredients, I knew the chutney would keep a long time and I had visions of, not sugarplums, but pretty jars of my homemade chutney as charming Christmas gifts.

This particular recipe was pretty time-consuming, though.  And I found that paring green tomatoes is a whole lot harder than with ripe tomatoes.    

My verdict?  It’s pretty good.  And I didn't waste the tomatoes.  I’ve been eating it on my morning toast, on top of a smear of mascarpone cheese.  My neighbor Dick stopped by soon after I finished making the chutney and I made him taste it.  He’s a great guinea pig.  He just took the cracker I offered  without even asking what it was and immediately declared, “Tastes like mincemeat.”  A spot on description.
Chutneys are just a condiment, and as varied as any salsa or relish.  Usually, it’s a sweet-sour mix of fruit and vegetable combinations with vinegar and sugar, cooked well down. Next time, I’d use apple instead of raisins.  (Mr. Rosemary's comment:  "I relish relish; I don't 'chutney' chutney.")

But my visions of Christmas presents of chutney?  Sorry, but not gonna happen.

Green Tomato Chutney
from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, The Original Classics

1 large bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped
4 pounds green tomatoes
2 yellow onion (1 pound), finely diced
1 ½ cup white vinegar
1 ½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup golden raisins

1. Cover and bring a large stock pot of water to a boil. Tie mint in a piece of cheesecloth.  Set aside.  Prepare an ice water bath. Set aside
2. Using a paring knife, remove the core and score the end of each tomato with a shallow “x”.  Blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30 seconds.  With a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to the ice bath.  Using a paring knife, peel off the skin and discard. Cut the tomatoes into ¾ inch chunks and set aside.
3.  Combine the onions, vinegar, mint bundle, sugar, salt, raisins and 1 cup water in a low-sided 6-quart saucepan.  Cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
4.  Add the tomatoes and reduce to a simmer.  Cook, stirring frequently until the tomatoes are tender, about 1 hour.
5.  Increase the heat to high and continue cooking stirring frequently until almost all the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and discard the mint bundle.
6.  Transfer the chutney immediately to a large bowl over the ice bath to chill. Chutney can be stored, refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 weeks.
Makes 6 half-pint jars.

15 comments:

  1. I make green tomato ketchup with my green tomatoes(Chow Chow). I love chutney; never would had thought of making my own; like you I always considered it exotic; good for you. It is fun to experiment on our kithchens,
    Rita

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  2. I am "green" with envy! I have had several talks with farmers as well as grocers around here and a "green" tomato is impossible to find.
    Chutney is a great way to use up all those tomatoes. Glad you ventured into unfamiliar territory. Now, please pass the toast and the chutney-yum!

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  3. Sounds delicious despite being a labor of love. Your pics are looking great!

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  4. Good choice for the tomatoes Rosemary.I have never made chutnet but the days of having my own garden are gone.

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  5. Like you, I love the sound of chutney, but I have never made it before. I want to try. Thank you for sharing yourself...and your delicious recipes, again and again! I hope you are having a wonderful Thursday. It is always a joy to visit here!

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  6. Ilove having shutney with my cheese plates.

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  7. Hi this is Nicole from Colie’s Kitchen I just discovered your blog and wanted to drop by and say hi. I am now a new follower. I would love to have you stop by Colie’s Kitchen if you get a chance. www.colieskitchen.com

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  8. Rosemary-Your green tomato chutney, is awesome, and so versatile. What a great idea to use green tomatoes for, other than fried green tomatoes!
    Thanks for sharing your great recipe:DDD

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  9. Wow - this is incredible! Being a Southerner - I'm naturally inclined to like green tomatoes and the idea of making it into a chutney is fantastic! I bet your friends will LOVE getting this!

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  10. Oh my goodness - you are a life saver!!! my husband just walked through the door with a bucket load of green tomatoes (snow tomorrow!!!) and thanks to you I now know what to do with them!!
    Mary oxoxo

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  11. No Christmas chutney?! That's too bad ;)

    This dish looks amazing, very flavorful and delish!

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  12. You go, girl! Venturing into unexplored cooking territory :) I've never made jam nor chutney...you're an inspiration~

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  13. So, all I need to know is where were you three weeks ago when I had green tomatoes overtaking my world? Hmphf! (Yes, this looks good.)

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  14. What a fabulous idea! I loooove chutney. Beautiful photos!

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