Here in the Pacific northwest, it’s easy for home cooks to run into the delightful problem of having more apples than we know how to manage. What comes out of this is lots of new cooking adventures and lots of new apple-based foods like apple cider vinegar, apple pie, hard apple cider and now, here for your pleasure, apple chutney.
One of my favorite kitchen companions is a book called Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning, which is put together by a home gardening and cooking magazine in France called Terre Vivante. The authors of the recipes are French-dwelling home cooks, and some of the recipes are traditional ones, passed down through the generations via oral tradition and informal apprenticeships. I’ve happily found that many of the recipes in the book are lower in sugar than contemporary home preserving recipes, which adds to my admiration for the book.
The recipe included here is adapted from the one for apple chutney provided in Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning, and results in a tart, spiced chutney, that is excellent as a condiment on grilled meats, in egg tacos, in a party spread with a soft cheese, or on sandwiches. This chutney also makes a fabulous wintertime gift especially when it’s packaged with thoughtful personalized labels.
For this project, I used 12-ounce tall clear glass jars and adorned them with the Vintage Chalkboard style in green in the circle and large oval label shapes (sizes 12 and 07).
- 2 lbs apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 lb onions, chopped
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- mustard, cloves, ginger, pepper, cayenne, to taste
[/url]- In a large pot, heat the apples and onions until they become soft. Add the vinegar, sugar, salt and spices and continue to cook to reduce, approximately 1-2 hours.
[/url]- Place hot chutney into scalded glass jars with boiled, sealable lids. Screw on lids and set the jars of chutney on a dry towel to cool. Enjoy your tangy chutney within a year. Makes great gifts!
Used In This Project:
- Large Oval Labels • I chose the “Vintage Chalkboard” style in chalkboard green.
- Circle Labels • I chose the “Vintage Chalkboard” style in chalkboard green.
More Edible Gift Ideas:
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Lorraine is a medical student, writer and food lover living in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Sometimes, Lorraine realizes that, for the most part, her family, friends and adored acquaintances are just a bike ride away. This gives her sense of cozy giddiness! Mostly though, she gets psyched about creating and sharing food, particularly the kind of food that is accidentally healthy and delicious. See more of her work at SweetAllium.
wow!! can’t believe i just found this blog!
great ideas. and everything is with such good taste.
love it!
Thanks for stopping by Noga. 🙂