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Make your own Sauerkraut

Niall — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:06:47 +0000

Make your own Sauerkraut

The thought of a big jar of fermented cabbage mightn’t get you salivating straight away, but it’s a delicious component in a whole range of German, Polish and French dishes – it’s even an essential ingredient in authentic New York City hotdogs!

This recipe for making your own Sauerkraut should show you how easy it is – just a couple of ingredients and a bit of patience and you’ll have your own supply of the crisp and tangy condiment.

One thing that is essential is the Kosher Salt – it doesn’t contain any iodine, so the cabbage doesn’t discolour as it ferments. It was difficult to track down, but Mum managed to find the salt in Sawers, a delicatessen in Belfast city-centre – it was £3.99 for a 450g box, enough to keep you pickling for years to come.

We’ve gone for a relatively traditional recipe here, but once you’ve mastered the process you can play around with the recipe as much as you want: use red cabbage instead of white, add spices like Dill or even fresh Ginger – it’s up to you.

You can see the photos here:

Ingredients:

1kg white cabbage, finely shredded or grated
10 juniper berries
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1-2 tsp Kosher Salt
250ml of warm water mixed with 1 tsp of salt

You’ll also need: a sterilised Mason Jar, a wooden spoon and a large glass or ceramic bowl

Method:

In a large bowl, mix the cabbage, juniper berries, caraway, mustard seeds and salt, tossing the ingredients so the ingredients are fully mixed.
Let the cabbage rest 10 minutes then mix again – you should notice that liquid from the cabbage is being drawn out and gathering at the bottom of the bowl.
To sterilise the Mason Jars, wash them in very hot water and dry in a pre-heated oven on a low heat for a few minutes.
When the jars have cooled, start packing the cabbage into the jars, using the wooden spoon to bash the cabbage down. Don’t be gentle – the bashing helps breakdown the cell-walls of the cabbage, forcing the liquid out which will help the fermentation. Keep packing until you have filled the jar, just leaving a couple of centimetres free at the top.
If the liquid from the cabbage doesn’t cover the shredded cabbage, top the jars up with your salty water to the rim of jar and secure the lid.
Place the jars on a tray to catch any liquid that drips out and leave them in a moderately warm room for for 2-3 weeks.
During this time, check the jars now and again – you should see bubbles forming in the cabbage, and if the level of the liquid falls below the rim, just top the jars up with more salty water. If you notice any white spots forming on top of the Sauerkraut, don’t panic. Just take a spoon and skim them off – they’re harmless.
Once the 2-3 weeks are up, you can use the Sauerkraut – just keep the jars in the fridge as you use them and they should last a couple of months.

Prost!

Pressing the pickled cabbage into the Mason Jars

Letting the Sauerkraut ferment for 2-3 weeks

Corned Beef Hash with Fried Eggs

Niall — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:12:39 +0000

Our recipe for corned beef hash with fried eggs

If there’s one dish that always reminds me of my Dad it’s this one – a hearty and comforting corned beef hash.

It’s incredibly easy to make – not exactly a one-pot-wonder, but not far from it, and you don’t have to be too precise when you’re adding the ingredients.

Filling and warming, it’s perfect for these cold Winter’s day, and for those days when you have to cobble something together for dinner but you don’t have much in the food cupboard: a few potatoes, an onion and a tin of corned beef is all you need. That said, we’ve splurged in this recipe and used some fantastic corned beef from McCartney’s butchers in Moira. It really did make a huge difference and we’d recommend getting your hands on some too – the texture of their corned beef is wonderful, and the flavour is so rich and salty, definitely worthy of those Great Taste Awards.

I didn’t use baked beans when I made this recipe but they’re a great addition and really turn the dish into one of those “stick to the ribs” dinners that Dad loved.

Serves 4

You can see the photos here:

Ingredients

500g corned beef, roughly chopped into large cubes
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large onion, roughly diced
300g-400g potatoes (we used Maris Pipers) peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp lard or oil
2 tbsp dried thyme
Freshly cracked black pepper
2 tins of baked beans (optional)

You’ll need 2 frying pans, one large and deep the other small, and a deep saucepan.

Method

Par-boil your potatoes in a saucepan until they’re still firm but softening at the edges.
Drain the potatoes, cover them with a tea-cloth and leave them to one side to steam and cool.
Take a big, deep frying pan and heat 2 tbsp of the oil over a medium-high heat.
Chop the potatoes into cubes and place them in the heated oil.
Allow the potatoes to crisp at the edges, tossing them occasionally to make sure they brown evenly.
When the potatoes have fried, empty them into a bowl and leave to one side.
Lower the heat in the frying pan to low.
Add the corned beef and onion, stirring occasionally so the onion softens and the corned beef starts to break apart – if you’re using McCartney’s corned beef the meat will fall apart almost immediately – about 5 minutes should do it.
When the onion has softened and the corned beef has heated through, sprinkle the dried thyme and Worcester Sauce over the meat and stir through the mixture.
If you are adding baked beans to the hash, now’s the time to do it – just empty them into the pan and stir the beans through the hash.
Add the fried potato to the ingredients in the frying pan and toss the contents so the potato is mixed through.
Keep the hash warm by reducing the heat right down and prepare the fried eggs.
Using a fresh frying pan, fry the eggs in the remaining 1 tbsp of oil over a low heat.
When the eggs are ready, spoon the corned beef hash onto a plate, sprinkle some cracked black pepper over the hash and place one of the fried eggs on top.

Enjoy!

Corned beef hash with fried eggs

Our recipe for corned beef hash with fried eggs

It tastes even better straight from the pan!

More information

You can contact McCartney’s butchers:
McCartney’s Of Moira
56-58 Main Street,
Moira,
Co. Down,
Northern Ireland
BT67 0LQ
W: www.mccartneysofmoira.co.uk.

You can also find McCartney’s on Google Maps.

Corned beef hash is usually eaten as a breakfast dish in America, although I can’t imagine tucking into something this filling so early in the day.

Why is it called “corned” beef? It’s a reference to the old English word for “grain”, as in the grains of salt used for curing the beef.

Swedish Meatballs in Dill and Vodka Sauce

Niall — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:03:00 +0000

Swedish meatballs in dill and vodka sauce

We were lucky enough to get a bottle of Absolut Vodka at Christmas – one of the fancy “Mode Edition” bottles too – and thought we’d try a Swedish recipe for a change.

Meatballs (or Köttbullar) are as Swedish as ABBA, Volvos and saunas – they might well be considered as the national dish – and this recipe for Swedish meatballs in dill and vodka sauce are a great way to try them – the sauce is creamy and rich, but there’s a slightly bitter after-taste from the fresh dill and vodka.

That’s why Lingonberry jam is so important with for this recipe – it’s really not an optional extra – as the sweet and tart jam really works against the bitterness of the sauce for a sweet and sour kind of effect. More than that, if you’re after an authentic taste of Sweden then you have to have the jam: the Swedes have Lingonberry jam with everything.

We found Lingonberry jam in IKEA (of course), but if you can’t get your hands on some, cranberry sauce is a decent substitute.

You could serve these meatballs with buttered pasta, something like Fusilli would be perfect, although we made creamed potatoes to soak up all of that tasty vodka sauce..

Serves 4-6

You can see the photos here:

Ingredients

150g fresh white breadcrumbs
185ml double cream
350g minced beef
350g minced pork
1 large egg
1 onion, grated
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
a pinch of ground allspice
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp plain flour
435ml hot beef stock
2 tbsp chopped dill – and a little extra to garnish
80ml vodka
Lingonberry jam to serve

You’ll also need a tray to hold all of your meatballs, a large frying pan, a whisk and a large plate covered in kitchen roll.

Method

Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl and pour 125ml of the cream on top, leaving the mixture to sit for 5 minutes and the breadcrumbs has absorbed the cream.
Add the beef and pork mince, egg, onion, nutmeg, allspice, salt and white pepper and mix thoroughly – it’s probably easiest to use your hands for this.
Take a thumb-sized piece of the mixture and rolll it into a ball, placing it onto your tray – continue until you’ve used up all of the meat.
Cover the tray with a clean dish-cloth and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
When the meatballs are ready to cook, heat 1 tbsp of butter and all of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
Cook the meatballs in batches – it’s easier to manage like that – turning them over when one side browns so they cook properly. When the meatballs in the pan have browned, remove them and set on your plate to drain – and add your next batch to the pan.
Once all of the meatballs have been cooked and are sitting on the plate, add the remaining butter and the flour to the pan and stir – this should form a thick roux.
Slowly whisk in the hot stock and the remaining cream, making sure you scrape any cooked-on pieces of your meatballs off the pan and into your sauce.
Add the dill and the vodka and bring the sauce to the boil, whisking continuously until smooth and thickened slightly.
Reduce the heat to a low-medium heat and add your meatballs to the sauce, stirring the mixture so the meatballs are covered in sauce – cook for another 10 minutes.
Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
Sprinkle the remaining dill on top of the meatballs and spoon some Lingonberry preserve onto the side of the plate.

Skål!

A shot of Absolut Vodka - it'd be rude not to!

Swedish meatballs in dill and vodka sauce

More information

I found this recipe in “Snowflakes and Schnapps” by Jane Lawson.

Mushroom Pie Recipe

Niall — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:12:46 +0000

Mushroom pie

Cooking in Autumn and Winter is all about filling, hearty dishes: bubbling casseroles, slow-cooked stews and rich, gravy-filled pies.

If you’re a dedicated carnivore like me, then Mushroom pie mightn’t sound too appealing. If you haven’t tried it before, then you’re in for a treat.

Depending on the type you choose, the flavour and texture of mushrooms make them perfect substitutes for meat. We really love the earthy flavour of chestnut mushrooms – I’ve used them in this recipe – just fry them until they’ve browned and become almost sticky, and you’re in fungi heaven!

I’ve added some pancetta to the recipe, just because I love the combination of flavours, but it’s entirely optional – just leave it out for a really tasty vegetarian meal.

Serves 4 (or 6 if using a large casserole dish)

Duration: Around an hour in total

You can see the photos here:

Chestnut mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
200g diced Pancetta (optional)
1 onion, finely minced
2 clove of garlics, finely minced
500g Chestnut mushrooms, roughly sliced (more if you like LOTS of mushrooms)
4 tbsp sherry
2 tbsp of fresh thyme
4 tbsp chopped parsley
1 chicken stockpot
4 tbsp plain flour
280ml of double cream
400ml of milk
A knob of butter
4 sheets of puff pastry, thawed if frozen
1 egg
2 tbsp water

You’ll also need: an egg-wash brush and 4 individual pie dishes or a large casserole dish – if you’re using a large casserole dish, just buy a block of puff pastry and roll it out yourself, rather than the pastry sheets.

Method:

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the diced pancetta.
When the pancetta has browned, remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the mushrooms to the same pan and allow them to brown.
Remove the mushrooms and set to one side.
Place the onion and garlic in the same pan and lower the heat, cooking the ingredients until they’ve softened.
Return the mushrooms and pancetta to the pan and mix thoroughly.
Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients and stir-through, so the pancetta and mushrooms are coated.
Pour the milk into the pan and stir.
Add the cream, the stockpot and the sherry and mix through the ingredients.
Simmer until the sauce has thickened – about 1-2 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat and stir in the butter, the thyme and the parsley.
Pour the contents into the individual pie dishes.
Dust your work-area with flour and unroll your sheet of pastry on it.
Place your small pie dish onto the pastry and trace the outline of the dish in the pastry with a sharp knife.
Carefully tear the shape from the pastry sheet and place on top of pie dish.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water to form an egg wash and brush over the pastry lids.
Bake the mushroom pies in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden and puffy.

Enjoy!

Mushroom pie

Italian Bread and Cheese Dumplings

Niall — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:25:25 +0000

Italian bread and cheese meatballs

There’s a lot to admire about Italian cuisine, but one of the best characteristics is the way that their food uses ingredients that are locally available – and affordable.

Here’s a recipe for Italian Canederli – or bread dumplings – which proves that good, tasty food really doesn’t have to cost the earth. It’s also great for using up any stale bread you might have.

Although there’s no meat in this dish, you really wouldn’t know it – I promise!

Serves 4

You can see the photos here:

Ingredients:

300g day-old white bread, crumbed or cubed
2 onions, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
200ml milk
100g unsalted butter
Bunch of basil, shredded
50g of Parmesan, grated
250ml chicken stock (optional)
2 eggs
Salt & pepper
1-2 tbsps flour
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 packet of De Cecco spaghetti

Method

Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl, add the milk and let the mixture rest for an hour.
In the meantime, soften the onion and the garlic over a low heat.
Put the pasta into a saucepan of boiling water, and add a little salt.
Remove 1/3 of the onions and garlic and add to the breadcrumbs.
Add the tinned tomatoes to the onions in the saucepan and continue to cook over a low heat.
Back to the breadcrumbs: Add the basil, parmesan and eggs to the mixture and mix the ingredients together.
Slowly add the flour, using just enough for the mixture to firm up.
Wet your hands and take an egg-sized amount of the mixture in your hands, rolling the bread around to form a round dumpling. Continue with this step until all of the mixture has been used.
If you’re using the chicken stock, add it to the tomato sauce and stir thoroughly.
One at a time, set the dumplings on top of the tomato sauce and cover the saucepan, cooking the dumplings for 20-30 minutes.
Drain the pasta and add the spaghetti to the tomato sauce, mixing the sauce through the pasta.
To serve, spoon the pasta into a deep bowl, sprinkle with grated parmesan and drizzle with good olive oil.

Enjoy!

Italian bread and cheese meatballs

West African Beef Mafe (or peanut butter stew)

Niall — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:15:47 +0000

I’m not really sure where we came across this recipe for Beef Mafe, a West African stew from Senegal. We’ve never been to Africa but, wherever we picked it up, it’s a big hit with us.

Mafé (or Mafe, Maffé, Maffe, Maafe or even sauce arachide) has a little spicy kick to it, and has the distinction of having a spoonful of peanut butter among the ingredients. It might sound a little strange, but the peanut butter gives the stew a nutty richness – it really works.

The recipe is fairly flexible – you can make the stew with lamb, beef, chicken or as a vegetarian dish and, although we’ve used carrots here, potatoes or butternut squash would be just as good – and is usually bulked out with a serving of rice.

Serves 4

You can see the photos here:

Ingredients

2 tbsps peanut oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1lb of stewing steak
1 tbsp of smooth peanut butter
2 tsps of tomato paste
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
1 chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
2 carrots, sliced into 1cm pieces
500mls of beef stock

Method

Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion, cooking until it has softened.
Add the meat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until it is lightly browned
Now add the tomato puree, the tinned tomatoes, the chilli, the carrots, the beef stock and the peanut butter, stirring well.
Lower the heat and cook the stew for around 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
Spoon the stew over white rice and serve.

Enjoy!

Recipe for West African Beef Mafe

The Great Christmas Mince Pie Recipe Mash-up

Niall — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:00:37 +0000

Our favourite Christmas mince pies recipe

One of the best things about Christmas are the mince pies – the sweet, fruity mincemeat with all of those wonderful festive spices, encased in icing-covered crumbly, buttery pastry.. festive foodie-heaven!

Shop-bought mince pies just don’t do them justice, and making your own is so easy.

Here’s our favourite recipe – the one we use every year – a mash-up between Delia Smith’s mincemeat recipe and Ainsley Harriott’s wonderful pastry.

The best thing is that the mincemeat can be made well in advance so you don’t have to leave everything to the last minute.

You can see the photos here:

Ingredients – Mincemeat

450g fresh cranberries
225g Bramley apples, unpeeled, cored and finely chopped
225g shredded suet
350g raisins
225g sultanas
225g currants
350g soft dark brown sugar
grated zest and juice 2 oranges
grated zest and juice 2 lemons
4 level teaspoons mixed ground spice
1/2 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
a little fresh nutmeg, grated
6 tablespoons brandy

For the mincemeat you’ll need: An oven-proof dish, tin foil and jars for storing the mincemeat.

Method – The mincemeat

Mix all of the ingredients, except for the brandy, in a large ovenproof mixing bowl.
Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave the mixture in a cool place overnight, so the flavours have a chance to mingle and develop.
Pre-heat the oven to 120°C
Cover the bowl loosely with foil and place in the oven for 3 hours.
Remove the bowl from the oven – it’ll look as if it’s swimming in fat, but don’t worry, this is how it should look.
As the mixture cools you should stir it occasionally.
When the mincemeat is cold, stir in the brandy.
Spoon the mixture into the sterilised jars – it’ll keep indefinitely in a cool, dry cupboard.

Delia Smith's mincemeat recipe

Now for Ainsley’s pastry recipe:

Ingredients – The pastry

140g cold butter, diced
225g plain flour
50g ground almonds
50g golden caster sugar
1 orange, zest only
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
1-2 tsp cold water
1 egg, beaten
icing sugar for dusting

For the pastry you’ll need: A plastic bag, a rolling pin, flour for dusting the work surface, a bun-tray, a wire rack, a sieve and a brush for applying the egg-wash.

Method – Making the mince pies

Preheat oven to 200C.
Rub the butter into the flour until the flour resembles grains of sand (you’ll see what I mean) and then, still using your hands, mix the almonds, caster sugar, orange rind and salt through the flour until the mixture is a bit crumbly.
Stir in the egg yolk and 1-2 teaspoons of water until you have a soft dough.
Place the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
When the dough has chilled, roll out the pastry to a thickness of 2-3mm and cut out about 18 rounds measuring 7.5cm with a pastry cutter.
Lightly grease a bun-tin and then place the rounds of pastry into the tin.
Take a spoon and add your mincement evenly into the pies.
Roll the left-over pastry again and cut out round lids to fit on top of the mince pies.
After placing the lids on top of the pies, lightly brush the pastry tops with the beaten egg.
Bake the mince pies in the oven for 12-15 minutes until they’re golden.
Take the trays from oven and leave them to stand for a few minutes before removing the pies from tins and cooling on a wire rack.
Dust the mince pies with icing sugar and serve.

Enjoy!

Our Christmas mince pies - intense fruit and crumbling, buttery pastry

Have you tried..

OK, this’ll sound weird, but it’s really good: Take a warm mince pie and lift the pastry lid off, place a wedge of mature cheddar (or Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese, my secret vice!) in the pie, replace the lid, and let the cheese soften slightly before eating.

The salty savouriness of the cheese against the sweet, rich fruit is delicious!

The Perfect Shepherd’s Pie

Niall — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:17:33 +0000

The perfect shepherd's pie

Shepherd’s Pie is such a simple, tasty meal and it’s perfect for these dark, wintry evenings.

With a layer of creamy potato, melting cheese and rich, slightly spicy lamb, it’s not called comfort food for nothing!

Although “anything goes” with this dish, we’ve gone for quite a traditional recipe.

One thing that you can’t mess around with is the meat. If you use lamb, as we have, then you’ll be making Shepherd’s pie – if you use beef, then you’ve got yourself a Cottage pie.

Serves 4.

You can see the photos here:

Ingredients

A little lard or oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-3 medium carrots, finely chopped
500g of minced lamb
2 tbsp tomato purée
A couple of splashes of Worcestershire sauce
400ml beef stock
Some salt and pepper
900g of floury potatoes (e.g. Maris Pipers), cut into chunks
100g butter
A splash of milk
250g of medium Cheddar, grated (optional)

Method

Heat the lard or oil in a medium saucepan, then add the onion and carrots, letting them soften for a few minutes.
When the onions and carrots have softened, turn up the heat slightly and crumble in the minced lamb to brown. Let the mince cook until the fat has cooked down.
Add the tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce, stirring the ingredients through the mince and leave it to cook through for a few minutes.
Add the stock and bring the saucepan to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook for about 30 mins, uncovering halfway.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C.
Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10-15 mins until they a fork can pass through the flesh, then drain the potatoes.
Add the butter and milk to the potatoes and mash them thoroughly, until you have a smooth consistency.
Check to see if the stock has been reduced – you should have a thick sauce, and not too much of it.
Sprinkle in some salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon the mince into an ovenproof dish, top with the mash and spread the mash evenly over the mince with a fork.
Sprinkle the grated cheddar on top of the mash and place the dish in the pre-heated oven, baking for around 25-30 mins, or until the top is brown and bubbling.
Leave the Shepherd’s pie to stand for 5 mins before serving.

Enjoy!

The perfect shepherd's pie

Homemade Limoncello Liqueur by Catherine Fulvio – Part 2

Kelly — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:41:19 +0000

Catherine Fulvio's homemade Limoncello liqueur

Three weeks had passed: the peel had given the vodka a wonderfully rich yellow colour and a zingy, lemony aroma; we’d sourced our bottles and corks; the production line of jugs and funnels had been assembled. It was time to finish the Limoncello!

Although we followed the recipe religiously up to this point, we did play around with the amount of sugar syrup we added to the lemon-infused vodka. It seemed like a lot of sugar, and we didn’t want the Limoncello to be too sweet – there needs to be a bit of an alcoholic kick.

I’d done some research on the internet, and some versions of the liqueur seemed to be cloudy while others were crystal-clear, without any reason why it should be one or the other. Ours turned out to be clear, and tasted none the worse for it.

So, after lots of slurping, sipping and sampling, we hit upon the right amount of syrup for us.

What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Part 1 of the recipe can be found here.

You can see the photos here:

Ingredients

350ml water
450g sugar

You’ll also need: a deep saucepan, a collander, some kitchen roll, a funnel and bottles for storing the Limoncello.

Method

Now that the lemon-peel has infused the vodka with all of that great flavour, it’s time to make the syrup – bring the water and sugar to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes, or until a sugar syrup has formed.
Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 100°C
Place a collander over a deep saucepan and line it with kitchen roll.
Pour the vodka from your Kilner jars into the collander, so that the kitchen roll strains the vodka – when the liquid has run through fully, you should squeeze the lemon peel to get as much flavour from it as possible.
Pour half of the sugar syrup into the lemon-vodka and taste it: if you prefer the Limoncello to be sweeter, add more syrup.
Wash your bottles in hot water and place them in the oven until they are completely dry.
Carefully take the bottles from the oven and let them cool.
As the bottles are drying, place the corks in a saucepan full of water and bring it to the boil. When the water has boiled, drain the water and let the corks cool a little – just enough that you can handle them.
Now, place the funnel in the neck of the first bottle and pour the Limoncello into the bottles, making sure to leave enough room for the cork.
Push the cork into the bottle, and repeat the procedure.
Leave the bottles upright for 3 or 4 days – long enough to let the corks fill the neck of the bottles and seal them.

Catherine Fulvio's homemade Limoncello liqueur

Spiced Apple Chutney

Niall — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:29:21 +0000

Recipe for spiced apple chutney

There really are few better combinations than cheese and chutney. The salty, savouriness of a good mature cheddar or cheshire cheese, balanced by the sweet and spicy flavours of the chutney.. delicious!

And best of all, chutney is so easy to make – you literally bung all of the ingredients into a saucepan and wait.

This recipe for spiced apple chutney makes a thick, coarse jam which really brings out the best in cheese.. or a pork pie.. or maybe some cold roast ham..

Preparation: Less than 30 mins
Cooking time: Between 11/2 to 2 hours

Makes 4-6 jars

You can see the photos here:

Ingredients

225g onions, chopped
900g cooking apples, cored and chopped
110g sultanas or raisins
120g dried apricots, chopped
15g ground coriander
15g paprika
15g mixed spice
15g salt
240g granulated sugar
100g dark Moscovado sugar
425ml malt vinegar

You’ll also need jars for storing the chutney in.

Method

Put all the ingredients into a large, deep saucepan and bring them to the boil over a medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved.
Reduce the heat and simmer the chutney for between 11/2 to 2 hours – make sure you stir the ingredients now and again to stop the chutney sticking to the pan.
As the chutney simmers, you should heat the oven to 160°C.
Take your jars and wash them in hot water – then place them on a baking tray and place them in the oven.
The jars are ready when any water on them has completely dried – it should take between 5 and 10 minutes.
Now, back to the chutney. You can test the thickness of the chutney by drawing a spoon across the bottom of the saucepan – if it leaves a channel behind it and doesn’t immediately fill with liquid, the chutney is ready.
Spoon the chutney into the sterilised jars, seal and allow them to cool.
Store the chutney in a cool, dark cupboard for a month or two before eating.

Enjoy.

Jars of our spiced apple chutney