A lot of traditional chutney recipes require you to leave them for at least a month to mature to their best flavour. But this Christmas chutney recipe from the Hairy Bikers is so quick and easy, and can be enjoyed immediately!
It's also a thoughtful homemade gift for friends and family, perhaps paired with a hamper of other foodie goodies.
If you don’t have any of the dried fruit suggested below, simply swap them for something you do have. Sultanas and dried pears work well in place of the raisins and figs, for instance.
The recipe below makes about 3 jars...
Ingredients
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 medium red onions, halved and sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp finely chopped fresh root ginger or stem ginger in syrup, drained and finely chopped
200g dried no-soak apricots, quartered
150g soft dried figs, quartered
100g raisins
150g demerara sugar
150g white wine vinegar
¼ whole nutmeg, finely grated
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan and fry the onions over a low heat for about 10 minutes until very soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes more, then increase the heat slightly and fry for a further 4-5 minutes until the onions begin to brown, stirring constantly.
- Tip the apricots, figs and raisins into the pan and cook with the onions for 2-3 minutes until the fruit begins to swell. Sprinkle over the sugar, add the vinegar, spices, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir well, bring to a gentle simmer over a low to medium heat and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, especially towards the end of the cooking time when the chutney is more likely to stick.
- The chutney is ready when the liquid has reduced to just 4-5 tablespoons and the fruit looks plump and glossy. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the chutney to cool. The fruit will continue absorbing the liquid as it cools, so you just need to give it a quick stir before putting it into serving dishes or carefully sterilised jars. Use greaseproof circles to cover the tops if the jars have metal lids or the vinegar will rot the lids.
- If you’re giving the chutney as presents, top the jars with pretty fabric covers and tie with ribbons. This chutney needs to be kept in the fridge and used within a month so it’s a good idea to add that info to your labels.