As the largest exporter of South African apples and pears, Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing is always on the look out for ways to reduce waste. A chutney is an excellent dish to use up both surplus fruit and all those jars you’ve been saving in the cupboard. And, what’s more, it is a cost efficient home-made gift.
Making chutney is a doddle and far easier than you think. Here are two recipes but, the truth is, a chutney relish is a very forgiving dish, so as long as you stick to the ratios for apples to vinegar and sugar you’ll have a delicious outcome.
Chef Luke Dale-Roberts’ Malay spiced 5 apple and raisin chutney
Serves 8-12
10 assorted Tru-Cape apples (peeled and diced)
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp ginger powder
4 star anise
8 cloves
1 thumb ginger finely diced
150 ml white wine vinegar
250 ml white wine
200 gr brown sugar
130 gr raisins
Peel and dice all apples to .5 cm dice
Mix all the spices with the apples
Put wine, vinegar and sugar in a saucepan and boil to light syrup
Add apples and spices to syrup and stir well
Cook slowly for 1.5-2 hrs or until thickened
Cool, jar and store refrigerated until needed
Chef Jenny Kay’s spiced apple, pear and cranberry chutney. Makes about 750ml
This chutney is ideal for a cheese board and is also perfect to serve alongside cold meats.
A bottle of this chutney also makes a great hostess gift
15ml olive oil
3 medium size onions, chopped
5 Tru-Cape Abate Fetel pears, peeled, cored and diced
3 Tru-Cape Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
3cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
250ml dried cranberries
330ml bottle of cider
125ml white wine vinegar
60ml lemon juice
300g light brown sugar
125ml apple juice
2 whole star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
Heat the olive oil in a large pot and gently fry the onions for about five minutes until softened but not coloured.
Add all the remaining ingredients and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes until the fruit is soft but not mushy and the mixture has thickened. Remember that the mixture will thicken on cooling.
If the mixture thickens too quickly before the fruit is soft add more apple juice.
Remove from the heat and spoon into sterilised jars and seal while hot.
