Pear and Cranberry Chutney

I recently bought some pears which just refused to ripen, for some reason.  They sat there, steadfastly solid and then started to turn a bit gooey here and there.  They were obviously never going to be eaten, so I turned them into this really lovely chutney.  Cranberries are easily obtained in tins, so you shouldn't have a problem, if you cant get them fresh.

This is very good on cheeses and veggies.  It has a fairly subtle sweet/sour taste.

The yield is not huge.  You will get about 3 or 4 jars, depending on size.  You can eat immediately, but it gets better with a bit of standing.

Pear and Cranberry Chutney

1 kg firm pears cored and chopped (Don't bother to skin them.)
2 large onions chopped
1 can cranberry sauce
1 1/2 cups moist brown sugar
1/2 t each of ground ginger, allspice, cloves,white pepper
1 t dried crushed chilies (or as much as you like, including chopped raw if you prefer
1 t salt
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar

Place the whole lot in a non-reactive sauce pan and bring to the boil covered, for about 10 minutes.  Then uncover and cook on a low heat for about an hour, or until you see the chutney thickening.  Stir it every once in a while to stop it sticking to the bottom.
Ladle into sterilized glass jars ( I do this by putting them in the microwave, empty, for three minutes - remember to remove the lids!). Seal tightly when cooled.  Store in a dark cupboard for up to four months.

Based on a recipe in Jan Berry and Rodney Weidland, The Art of Preserving, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley Calif, 1997.  (This is an amazing book.  I have used the recipes in it over and over again. Each one is a guaranteed success.)

Pear and Cranberry Chutney

This is a really wonderful recipe. I added chillies for some bite. Lots of pears around at the moment.

Pear and Cranberry Chutney

1kg Firm pears
185g Onions
405g canned cranberry sauce (you can get it easily at supermarkets)
225g Demerara sugar
1/2t Ground ginger
1/2t Allspice
1/2 t White pepper
1t Sea salt
3 Birdseye chillies (depending on your need for bite)
2 1/2 Cups cider vinegar

Core and dice the pears (no need to peel). Peel and chol; onions. Place all ingredients in a nmonreactive saucepan over medium heat and stir for 10 minutes. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the chutney, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until it starts to thicken.

Ladle it into warmed, sterilized jars, leave to cool and seal well. Store in a dark, cool place.

Adapted from Jan Berry and Rodney Weidland Art of Preserving ten speed press, Berkeley, Calif, 1997

Spicy Apple Chutney

This is one my most successful chutney recipes. The peeling and coreing of the apples is what takes the time, but otherwise, you just dump the ingredients together in a large saucepan and stir occasionally. The taste is quite strong, but the chutney goes with virtually everything and lasts forever.

1kg cooking apples (Granny Smith will do well)
2 large onions
2 chillies chopped
3 cups brown sugar
2t allspice
2t cloves
1t salt
½ t pepper
1t Cayenne pepper
2 t curry powder
2T chopped ginger
3 cups cider vinegar (don't use wine or spirit vinegar)

Peel, core and chop apples (you can whiz them in a blender). Peel and finely chop onions Place all ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring the mixture to the boil. Cook over a medium heat for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon into sterilized jars and seal.