Green (or red) tomato and apple chutney recipe

Long after my tomato plants ceased producing ripe red tomatoes, they buckled under the weight of green tomatoes that had no intention of ripening on the vine. Unwilling to admit that the vines were done for the year, I left those green tomatoes out until the impending first frost forced me to harvest what the chipmunks left in the garden. I made another batch of slow-roasted green tomatoes, and used the rest for this green tomato and apple chutney. Not being a huge fan of super-sweet jams and jellies, I love chutney's tart flavor and chunky texture. Make some chutney now -- yes, it's okay to use red tomatoes, even the unripe ones from the market -- and store it in the refrigerator for a month or more. If you have leftover turkey on Thanksgiving weekend, pull out the chutney and throw together this turkey and brie panini; it's just bread, cheese, turkey, and green tomato chutney.

Green (or red) tomato and apple chutney

From the pantry, you'll need: onion, raisins, brown sugar, cider vinegar, dry mustard, kosher salt, hot sauce (I use green jalapeño Tabasco).

Makes approximately 4 cups.

Ingredients

4 cups green (or red) plum tomatoes, diced
2 medium apples, peeled and diced (any firm apple variety)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
10 drops of green Tabasco

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large stainless steel or other nonreactive pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1-1/2 hours or until thickened. Stir frequently to keep the chutney from burning. Pack into airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to a month (or can, using a water-process bath).

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More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Apple-blueberry chutney
Dried cranberry and pear chutney
Tomato-nectarine chutney
Rhubarb-apricot chutney
Mint chutney

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Shredded Brussels sprouts with bacon and walnuts, from Pinch My Salt
Chiles rellenos, from The Paupered Chef
Apple cider-braised kabocha squash with golden raisins and onion, from Not Eating Out in New York
Grilled Gruyere panini with pickled sweet onions, from Panini Happy
Stuffed portobello mushrooms with pine nuts and raisins, from Gluten-Free Goddess

Comments

I love the sound of this, and it would be great on a sandwich like the one you're showing! Sadly, most of my green tomatoes are now frozen on the plants out in the snow.

Kalyn, the beauty of this recipe is that you can use those less-than-perfect red tomatoes from the supermarket instead.

Is it possible to cut Kalyn's green tomatoes in their frozen state and put them straight into the pot when it comes to a boil with the other ingredients?

It sounds like you were talking about my back yard. We completely fence our tomatoes to keep the chipmunks out. And we leave ours to the first frost also!

This chutney looks delicious!

Susan, I've never done much with frozen (as in, frozen in the garden) tomatoes except to add them to the compost pile, so I don't know. Have you ever tried it?

Curt, our chipmunks are feisty and find their way in, but we still managed to get a good harvest of both ripe and green tomatoes this year. I think we were just lucky.

What a great way to use green tomatoes. So sad tomato season is over, but I would pick some up from the supermarket to make this - would perk up a turkey sandwich for sure!

I had soooo many green tomatoes left.... Unfortunately I was also in the US during the time I should have been doing something with them - next year!

Jeanette, it's also a great way to use those sad winter tomatoes from the grocery store (which really shouldn't be there, but they are). This was amazingly good on the turkey panini.

Kate, next year try slow-roasting some of the tomatoes when they're green, and freezing them. They are more tart than sweet, and make a nice counterpoint to soft cheese.

I loved your idea of slow roasted green tomatoes when you first posted about them, but now in this sammie? Oh, my!

Susan, I decided to make peace with my green tomatoes this year. If they didn't want to ripen, I was just going to find other things to do with them. I tend to like things that are more tart than sweet, so the green tomatoes have been a great addition to my pantry this year.

NOW we're talking turkey! And with all this freezer talk _ I am thinking you could freeze the finished chutney too. maybe bring some out for a turkey burger mix?

hmmmmmm

Has anyone tried freezing, rather than caning, the finished chutney? Any warnings? Or comments? I have not tried freezing anything like this (or involving tomatoes) so am not sure if there are any pitfalls I should be aware of ?? Any comments would be welcome. Thank you.