Recipe: Tomato Chutney

Recipe by Marisa McClellan

“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,” said Marisa. “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.”

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
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
• 5 pounds/2.3 kg plum or Roma tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped
• 2½ cups/590 ml white distilled vinegar
• 1½ cups/225 g coconut sugar
• 1 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 cup/160 ml golden raisins
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method

1. 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.
2. 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 1½ hours, stirring often until the tomatoes have reduced by about one-half and developed a thick, spreadable consistency.
3. When the chutney is 15 to 20 minutes away from completion, prepare a boiling water bath canner and 6 half-pint/250 ml jars.
4. When the chutney is finished cooking, remove it from the heat. Funnel it into the prepared jars, leaving a ½ inch of headspace. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.