Spiced Fresh Peach Chutney
Spicy, sweet, and tangy, this peach condiment still has a quality of freshness to it and is a perfect companion for meats, sandwiches, and cheese boards. It's a very easy recipe to make a large batch and take advantage of sweet peaches for when the season is over!
Servings 3 -4 cups
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh peaches
- 1 medium red or yellow onion
- 1 green or red apple
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 7 cardamom pods ground
- ¼ teaspoon aniseed
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon black pepper pods
- 1 small dried whole red chile
- 1 and ¼ cups white vinegar
- 1 pound light brown sugar
Instructions
- Peel, core and chop the peaches and the apple.
- Finely chop the onion.
- Put them in a large saucepan together.
- Add sugar, vinegar, and spices and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat until the mixture is simmering.
- Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the liquid is reduced and the mixture is of a marmalade consistency, and the chopped peaches are softened but not disintegrated.
- Stir once in a while with a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula.
- Let cool and keep refrigerated.
- If not using immediately store in sterilized jars while still hot. Don't forget to label them.
Notes
Vinegar: I use distilled white vinegar most of the time and apple cider vinegar sometimes. The best quality you can afford.
Which vinegar is best for a chutney? In theory, any vinegar can be used, but let's just say balsamic is not a good idea, so I'd stay away from that one. Other ones also work, like red or white wine vinegar, malt, and champagne vinegar (it's lighter in taste). Peaches: this is a recipe for fresh peaches, to make when they're in season. I like to use those that are not the best ones, as they will soften and become part of a more complex flavor. Of course that if you have perfectly ripe peaches they will add juice and flavor, but don't refrain from making this recipe because your fruit is not great. Small batch recipe: you can easily make half the recipe. Take into account that it will take less time to thicken, about 20 minutes, so finely chop everything to make sure it softens as it should. Spices: as I mention in the post, adapt to your own taste. Canning: I'm not an expert, so I will leave a link for preparing jars for canning, and this link that explains how to store chutneys.
Which vinegar is best for a chutney? In theory, any vinegar can be used, but let's just say balsamic is not a good idea, so I'd stay away from that one. Other ones also work, like red or white wine vinegar, malt, and champagne vinegar (it's lighter in taste). Peaches: this is a recipe for fresh peaches, to make when they're in season. I like to use those that are not the best ones, as they will soften and become part of a more complex flavor. Of course that if you have perfectly ripe peaches they will add juice and flavor, but don't refrain from making this recipe because your fruit is not great. Small batch recipe: you can easily make half the recipe. Take into account that it will take less time to thicken, about 20 minutes, so finely chop everything to make sure it softens as it should. Spices: as I mention in the post, adapt to your own taste. Canning: I'm not an expert, so I will leave a link for preparing jars for canning, and this link that explains how to store chutneys.