Tomato Apricot Chunky Chutney

Tomato Apricot Chutney (01) by MeetaK  

"You say tomaaahtoh, I say ... sauce!" "You say tomaaytoh, I say ... salad!" "You say tomato, I say ... chutney!" Then I'll say "STOP!" before you give me any more tomatoes!

I am seeing red right now - tomato red! My CSA box has been overflowing with lovely ripe tomatoes and my mother-in-law’s green house has been producing more tomatoes than she can harvest. Last weekend I found myself with something like 4 kilos of tomatoes

Not a bad thing really as they have an incredibly mellow and sweet flavor - just like organic and homegrown vegetables usually do. It's all the goodness in them that makes them taste so good and there was no way I was going to give them always.

After making tarts and salads, I turned my attention to sugo, ketchup and chutney. I spent a greater part of the previous weekend working my way through the tomatoes. I was extremely pleased with myself and my efficiency.  I honestly dislike waste and when you have such excellent quality produce it’s always a pleasure to can, stew, freeze and preserve them in several different varieties. I know that come Winter we will enjoy the taste of summer again.

For this particular chutney I used simple ingredients from my pantry. I went for a slightly aromatic spiced flavor –not hot – just piquant, which complements the sweetness from the dried apricots and juicy tomatoes. Just a sprinkling of garam masala and this chutney peaks to new flavor levels.    Tomato Apricot Chutney Collage (01) by MeetaK

Don’t ask me why I chose garam masala for the chutney, probably because it’s the first thing that came to hand or even maybe because it’s a surprise Indian spice mix which really has all the spice flavors I was thinking of, most probably it was due to the fact that I had recently grinded my own garam masala and I could still smell the wonderful mélange of cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, coriander, fenugreek to name a few spices.

As you see I am not calling it an Indian chutney nor is it an Indian inspired chutney simply because it has a sprinkling of an Indian spice in it. It’s just a pretty damn good tasting chutney – thick and chunky with lots of tomatoes, a handful of apricots, a crunchy pepper and plenty of onions.

Tomato Apricot Chutney (03) by MeetaK

The best thing about it is that it’s not too much of work. The most is peeling and de-seeding the tomatoes, but after that it just simmers in the pot to make one of the best chutneys I have had in a long time. The cool thing was I was not the only one who thought so!

Tomato Apricot Chunky Chutney

[Printable version of recipe here.]

Ingredients

800g tomatoes
400g onions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
100g dried apricots, cut into strips
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey mustard

Method

  1. Peel the tomatoes. The easiest way to do this is gently score a shallow x on the bottom of the tomato. This helps to peel the tomato easily later. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then place the tomato/es for 30 seconds. As soon as you notice the skin peeling off remove the tomato/es and place it in a bowl of ice water. Allow it to rest until completely cooled, then peel. Cut it in half and with a small spoon scoop out the seeds. Discard seeds and peel.

  2. Cut the peeled and seeded tomatoes into quarters.

  3. Put the tomatoes, onions, apricots, bay leaves and red bell pepper in a large saucepan and turn the heat to high. Add sugar, garam masala and salt and bring to a boil, then turn the heat  to medium and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes until the mixture thickens. Stir the mixture occasionally, scraping the bottom of the saucepan.

  4. Add vinegar and honey mustard and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and season according to taste.

  5. Allow the chutney to cool completely, then fill in clean sterilized jars and refrigerate.

Sticky Note Kitchen Notes

  • The chutney will keep in the refrigerator in the jars for up to 2 months.
  • This is a very versatile chutney and can be enjoyed with grilled meats like lamb or chicken, but it’s also great in sandwiches or on hamburgers and hot dogs.
  • If garam masala is not your spice then use other spices and herbs you prefer. Try adding rosemary or thyme or smoky paprika powder. If you want to spice it up add a few drops of Tabasco sauce or add a finely chopped red/green chili into the saucepan while it’s simmering.
  • Usually if the tomatoes are ripe and aromatic you will get a wonderful flavored, really red chutney, however, if you find the flavor needs a bit of spiking add about 1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste.

The Food Guide_1

Food Guide Tips:

- How healthy are tomatoes?

- What is garam masala and how can I make my own spice blend?

 


 


Verdict

Tomato Apricot Chutney (02) by MeetaK

I took a jar of the chutney to a friend’s place who had invited us to a barbecue. They were grilling lamb chops, zucchini marinated in herbs and garlic. The chutney complemented the meal incredibly. It’s tangy sweet flavors highlighted with the slight spiced mixture was just perfect. Between the four of us adults and 3 children we were easily able to polish off a whole jar!

Reminder

mmMonthly Mingle
This month my lovely guest hosts are the truly wonderful dynamic duo at Jugalbandi. They’ve come up with a really sensational theme this month and are pairing this event with their photography event Click.

Heirloom recipes are what you are required to create for this month’s challenge. Old vintage recipes that have endured the test of time. Head on over to Jugalbandi and get all the details. They’re even giving away a prize!

Deadline is September 20th.

As my tomato supply slowly diminishes I see my attention needs to be turned to plums and apples slowly piling up. I’ll probably be spending another weekend creating a few mouth-watering yummies with them.

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Hugs! 

You might like these tomato sauces from WFLH:

Roasted Tomato Sauce Sun-dried Tomato and Tamarind Chutney Tomatoes in Agrodolce

  DTtip6 

Daily Tiffin Reading Tip

Immunization - Truth and Rumor written by Hilda



 


All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2009 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First

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44 comments:

  1. Gorgeous!I adore home made tomato chutneys. Btw,we are seeing quite a lot of red in our house too :-)

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  2. So this was partially what your weekend was about. No wonder you ere feeling good, all those aromas.

    Love what chutneys can do for a meal. :)
    Never thought to pair apricots with tomatoes though. have a garam masala thing too. I make an apple cake using it.

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  3. A new combination..never thought of pairing apricot with tomatoes! Love homemade chutneys..i can have them with anything right from crackers to rotis :)

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  4. Very new combo to me.....looks yum....gorgeous color and yum pics...

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  5. I'm a sucker for chutney! i guess that has to do with my English roots...

    This tomato chutney is awesome and your shots are delightful!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  6. What an unusual combo!But it sure looks delicious! :) Have a good weekend! :)

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  7. Gorgeous.The combo of tom and apricot is one that I never tried.Great that you went for garam masala.

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  8. I adore chutneys of all kinds but never have I had such a combination with tomatoes and apricots. Thanks so much for this recipe, it sounds wonderful!

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  9. That's an unusual combo but surely will taste great.chutneys are always so inviting especially a one so vibrant with colour.

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  10. I adore the flavours here and I especially like the use of the garam masala Meeta! Def bookmarked to try this forthcoming summer.

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  11. Ah... those gorgeous photos of yours almost make me drool. Great idea to add garam masala into the mix!

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  12. Wow!! I loved the chutney!! Looks so yummy!!

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  13. This looks so delicious! I love love love any sort of tomato condiment, especially when it has a little sweetness to it. The addition of red bell pepper sounds really great too.

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  14. I adore tomato chutney. Alas, this year the tomato harvest hereabouts has been miserable, so I'm working on some non-tomato chutneys to see me through the Fall. Fortunately the pear trees have been producing nicely. But there's nothing like good tomato chutney on grilled meat or chicken.

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  15. This is just gorgeous, and it looks so versatile, too!

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  16. Looks delicious, Meeta. I never made chutney before, this recipe seems easy and the apricot season is just around the corner.

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  17. Meeta
    I have been a silent reader of your blog for some time and love the recipes and stories around them. I am planning to try this tomato chutney tomorrow, but cannot find when to add the apricots and bay leaves.. can you pls point me to the relevant portion

    cheers
    Jyotsna

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  18. Tomatoes and apricots, what an adventurous combination.
    Well, why not. Tomatoes are mostly used in savoury dishes and have some sweetness, apricots are mostly used in sweet dishes and have some tartness. Probably works like a charm. :)

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  19. How gorgeous is that chutney! It's raining tomatoes here too, I see tomatoes in front of many people's offices at work and in the office kitchen. People are just giving it away! :)

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  20. what a gorgeous chutney! Absolutely brilliant to pair apricots with the tomatoes. Beautiful photos too.

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  21. Such lovely photographs of your chutney! Beautiful!

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  22. I am totally hoarding this recipe because there are always times when we have way more tomatoes than I know what to do with, and everyone I know loves chutney. I love that combination too, apricot and tomato, awesome. The pictures are so warm and lovely. =)

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  23. Simply lipsmacking Meeta. This is the kind I like, spicy, sweet, tart all blended in one!! lovely pairing of apricot with tomato.

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  24. The chutney looks mouthwatering and the photos are gorgeous. The tomatoes look divine!

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  25. We planted a garden this summer and have 8 tomato plants. The grape and yellow pear have been the most productive. I've enjoyed it, but now that the season is ending I am feeling totally ready for something new because we've been eating them daily.

    The chutney looks and sounds great! I have only made a simple sweet tomato chutney before and I use it as the sauce on a BBQ chicken pizza. I made the chutney a few days ago to use up tomatoes, and tonight we will be grilling the pizza.

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  26. This chutney sounds tasty! I have been wanting to get into chutneys more.

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  27. this chutney looks so delicious, i am really going to try to make this, love the combination of flavours,

    cheers from london,

    pity

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  28. I wished I had read this before I turned my 2 bushels of tomatoes into paste and sauce. This would have been great.

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  29. This sounds delicious- Interesting flavor combination I never would have thought of but would love to try! And your tomatoes look incredibly beautiful!

    Sues

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  30. apricot and tomato--what a great idea! love the concept of this versatile chutney:)

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  31. YUM Meeta...it's calling my name. Love what you put into it, and the flavours sound entirely enticing. Gorgeous colours too, and your pictures are OUTSTANDING!

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  32. I love chunky chutneys. Beautiful pics always.

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  33. Would never thought to pair tomatoes with apricots but it sounds like a great combo.

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  34. thank you thank you so much everyone! i appreciate all your lovely comments and feedback. yes true tomato and apricot are not the usual pair but they taste great together. we've been emptying jar after jar here and i am almost afraid that we'll not have any left come winter!! glad you are liking this too!

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  35. Love chutneys! Especially homemade ones :) Even if I just have them in a cheese sandwich :)

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  36. Yummmyyyy... I'm craving for chutneys these few days as the weather getting colder and windy. Need to boost my taste palate! Have a bunch of fruits and tomatoes that should do this recipe. Thank you for sharing an interesting recipe.

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  37. Oh, if you ever have problems with too much tomatoes i till take them.

    I love tomatoes..can´t wait until it is summer again.

    4 kilos of tomatoes are no problem, could eat it raw in 2 days or even one if my cravings are strong enough.

    Tomatoes are one of the fruits i can eat always and never tire of their taste.

    And what would be better for a slightly sour fruit than a devilish sweet one?

    At the moment i am addicted to this dish http://www.ecurry.com/blog/pasta-pizza/ladenia-pizza-from-a-greek-island/

    I make the dough with half wheat and half whole grain spelt.
    Spelt gives a nice nutty flavour.

    And i think your chutney spread on the dough like pizza sauce before i put the onions and tomatoes on it, would be a real boost on the flavour.

    Before i forget...honey mustard is not really vegan because honey normally involves bees.
    But good quality mustard and a touch of maple sirup or agave nectar will be the same.

    Agave nectar tastes just like honey but i think i would prefer the maple sirup because of the unique flavour.

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  38. Hi Meetia -- I'm the founder/moderator for Punk Domestics (www.punkdomestics.com), a community site for those of use obsessed with, er, interested in DIY food. It's sort of like Tastespotting, but specific to the niche. I'd love for you to submit this to the site. Good stuff!

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  39. Uh, Meeta. Finger spaz with the extra "i" in there.

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  40. Chutney????

    oh yes please!!!!!!

    check this web site: www.lovelymade.net

    i think they sell chutney, but never mind that just look the taste combination! what a great idea!!!

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Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hugs
Meeta