This spicy, Indian-inspired chutney is one that I use a lot when I need to elevate a motley assortment of leftovers into lunch or a solo dinner. It never fails to flavorfully marry things like wilted arugula, day-old cooked millet, and a single soft boiled egg into a fancy grain bowl worthy of Instagram. If you crave it in the off-season, it works surprisingly well with canned tomatoes.
Marisa McClellan is a food blogger, cookbook author, and canning teacher based in Center City Philadelphia. She is the author of Food in Jars, Preserving by the Pint, Naturally Sweet Food in Jars, and The Food in Jars Kitchen, and is the cohost of a podcast for obsessed home cooks called Local Mouthful. She has written for a variety of publications, including Fine Cooking, Taproot Mag, and AllRecipes. You can find more of Marisa’s jams, pickles, and preserves (all cooked up in her 80-square-foot kitchen) at foodinjars.com.
Tomato Chutney
Makes 6 (half-pint/250 ml) jars
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon brown mustard seed
- 2 teaspoons fennel seed
- 2 teaspoons celery seed
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 5 pounds/2.3 kg plum or Roma tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped
- 21/2 cups/590 ml white distilled vinegar
- 11/2 cup/225 g coconut sugar
- 1 cup minced yellow onion
- 1 cup/160 ml golden raisins
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In a dry pan, toast all the seeds together until they begin to pop and smell fragrant. Pour the seeds into a small bowl and combine with the cayenne. Set aside.
In a large pot, combine the vinegar and coconut sugar and heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the prepared tomatoes, onion, raisins, and spices. Stir to combine and bring to a bubble. Cook for between 1 and 11/2 hours, stirring often until the tomatoes have reduced by about one-half and developed a thick, spreadable consistency.
When the chutney is 15 to 20 minutes away from completion, prepare a boiling water bath canner and 6 half-pint/250 ml jars.
When the chutney is finished cooking, remove it from the heat. Funnel it into the prepared jars, leaving a 1/2 inch of headspace. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Naturally Sweet Food in Jars © 2016 by Marisa McClellan, Running Press.