PEACH CHUTNEY
PEACH CHUTNEY
The amount of sugar and vinegar used may seem a bit too skimpy, but it is just right for my peaches. You can adjust the recipe to the sweetness of the peaches that you use of course.
2 liter peaches, skinned, stones removed and roughly chopped (about 1,8 kg after being skinned and stoned)
1 cup vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
At least 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon salt
Optional -place the following in a cheesecloth, tied together with string:
Root ginger, measuring about 3 cm x 3 cm
1 whole dried chili
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken up
2 pods of cardamom
Mace (or add 1 ml ground nutmeg to the mixture)
Melt vinegar and sugar together in a large saucepan, bring to boil.
Chop onion and garlic finely and add to saucepan with grated ginger and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes
Add the chopped peaches and the cheesecloth bag with the spices, and simmer slowly in a saucepan with a lid over very low heat until the sauce has thickened.
You can use a potato masher to break the soft cooked fruit into smaller pieces. Pour chutney into sterilized hot glass jars, filling to within 1 cm of the top of each bottle. Ensure that the fruit is covered by syrup.
Notes:
Pour boiling water over peaches and let it stand until the skins are easy to peel off.
To prevent discoloration of the peaches, add them to the vinegar mixture in the pot as soon as possible after peeling.
Recipe posted by Marietjie Swart
