Summer’s bounty of fresh produce is such a wonderful gift. Usually.
But if the season has been a little too bountiful, all at once, and you have more tomatoes than you know what to do with, chutney to the rescue.
I’m a dip, spread, and condiment lover. I can make a meal from grazing on various salsas, guacamole, hot pepper jelly, mango chutney, homemade honey mustard, crackers and chips.
But normally when I want some dip, I want it sooner rather than later. With this, there’s no canning required and it’s ready in one hour.
There’s a creeper heat because in addition to 4 tomatoes, I used 1 large red pepper and 1 small yellow banana pepper. They’re mild peppers and I took most of the seeds out.
Make the chutney spicier by using a serrano or habenero if you’re brave, or sprinkle in cayenne pepper.
I didn’t want to sweat too much while I was eating, so kept the heat at a mild level. But like most spicy food, that the more you have, the more you want.
The brothy liquid is so full of flavor that I wanted to eat it like soup, and did.
It’s made with apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, cumin, smoked paprika, molasses, cloves. I love all those spices and flavors, but use whatever spices and seasonings you have on hand from curry to cayenne.
I didn’t add any salt because we’re a low-sodium house, and because I don’t think it needs salt. If you do, add salt to taste.
Make it in one hour by roughly chopping the veggies, tossing them in a pot, and let it boil with the lid cracked at a fairly strong boil for 30 minutes.
I removed the lid and let it boil on high for 10 minutes to reduce the liquid volume as quickly as possible. I didn’t have time or desire for slow-cooking and hours of simmering.
I was craving tomatoes and wanted to dig in as soon as possible. I eat one tomato every day like many people eat an apple a day.
Technically-speaking I’m not sure where chunky tomato soup, salsa, and chutney intersect.
Un-technically speaking, I think the intersection is in this jar.
What can you use it for? Put it on bread and let the juices soak in. Or make bruschetta. Use it to marinate your favorite protein, serve it with chips like a salsa, use it as sandwich relish, or on crackers with a hunk of cheese.
Mix it into a brown rice salad, use it over noodles like pasta sauce, make Vegetable Lasagna (vegan, GF) with it, or eat it like chunky Tomato Soup.
If your garden overflows or your eyes are bigger than your stomach when you see all those gorgeous tomatoes for sale in the markets this time of year, now you know what to do with them.
I’ve been happily eating my vegetables.
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One-Hour Sweet with Heat Tomato and Pepper Chutney (vegan, gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 4 medium tomatoes, I used vine-ripened about 1 pound, diced large & chunkier
- 1 large red pepper, seeded and diced medium
- 1 medium yellow/sweet onion, peeled and diced small
- 1 small yellow banana pepper, seeded and diced fine (removing seeds reduces heat. For spicier chutney, use serrano, habenero or your favorite pepper with the appropriate heat level, to taste)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger, fresh ginger may be substituted
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or regular paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ¼ cups apple cider vinegar, white vinegar may be substituted
- 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons light or medium molasses, optional
- 2 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey, optional
- salt, optional and to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except molasses and salt in a large pot.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to combine.
- After mixture has come to a boil, put a lid on the pot but keep it ajar with a few inches of opening for steam to escape. Allow mixture to boil quite rapidly for about 30 minutes. I did not check on the mixture or stir it during those 30 minutes. I left it alone to boil.
- After 30 minutes, if desired, add molasses, bourbon, salt to taste (I didn’t salt it), and stir to combine.
- Allow mixture to boil uncovered for 5 to 15 minutes, or as long as desired so that the liquid volume has reduced by at least half, or has reduced to desired level. It will not get thick like a sauce; but it will have reduced.
- Transfer mixture to heat-safe jars or containers. I filled two 12-ounce jars to the brim. To make filling the jars less messy, I first poured the chutney from the pot into a large glass measuring cup, then filled the jars.
- Allow jars to cool on counter before putting lids on and refrigerating. Chutney will keep for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Although it’s possible to can this with a water bath, I did not and don’t know how long the processing time is. I’d follow similar processing times for canned or stewed tomatoes. I have frozen the chutney in re-purposed plastic butter and yogurt containers for about 1 month, thawed when ready to eat, and it was just as good as fresh.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Tomato fan? What are you making with seasonal summer produce?
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had a chutney before. Looks like I’ve been missing out!
This looks amazing! I have never had nor made a chutney before, but this make me want to today! I bet it is awesome on crispy bread or with crackers!
Yes it would be (and is!) and maybe a hunk of brie :)
I always love these recipes of yours. Such great gifts too. I am really weird about tomatoes. I can’t stand the really big, juicy ones. I’ve figured out I can handle the grape or cherry tomatoes. All others are better off cooked in my book unless it’s a salsa or something with a lot of flavor, like this recipe.
That’s funny about you and tomatoes. I like juicy but I cannot stand mushy! Sometimes juicy = mushy, but not always, thankfully!
This with cream cheese on a whole wheat cracker would be so yummy!
Yes it would be! I had some with cheese on crackers, but not with cream cheese. Great idea!
this is gorgeous! Love this
thanks my friend!
So funny how you compare tomatoes to an apple a day – I could never. Apples yes. My husband would totally love this chutney though. He loves spicy peppers, tomatoes, salsa type food :)
People think as dessert bloggers we much eat like a pan of brownies a day but really I do eat a tomato a day! :)
we adore chutney in Australia, it often makes a great salad sandwich. Cheese cheese, rocket and this kind of chutney is my fave cold veggie filler. Love that you have made a short cut version, the last time I made a corn chutney I was at home for hours!
Oh I can’t deal with that. And with a small(er) child, pots of boiling liquid for hours and hours on end sort of freak me out. I don’t like to leave things boiling unattended (who does) but with kids, you really feel like you’re literally chained to the kitchen the whole time. No thanks!
Yum. This will be great when my garden gives me more tomatoes then I know what do with.
Ooooh awesome that you have a garden!
So many possibilities of how to eat this chutney! It sounds awesome – chock full of great flavors!!
I’ve actually never had a tomato chutney before but this looks too good to not try. And one of my favorite salsas is actually called “Sweet Heat”–so I HAVE to give this chutney a whirl! :)
One of my fave mustards of all times is called Sweet with Heat. Your salsa sounds great!
I have to try this–I’m so intrigued by the spice mix and it sounds delicious! I have one cherry tomato plant so it’s “yield” is perfect for the 2 of us, but one of my husband’s co-workers gave me a HUGE bucket of tomatoes. I went on a serious marinara and tomato soup making mission last weekend and still have some left. I have never had tomato chutney before and am excited to try something a little different!
Omg you are going to love love love this. It’s crazy good. I know your husband likes bourbon, and a splash of that wouldn’t hurt either. It’s sort of similar flavors to those crockpot baked beans I made 6-8 weeks or so ago, but wayyy faster! LMK if you try this! And your marinara and soup making sounds great. Nice to have things like that for a rainy day!
Sometimes I like to throw a little chutney or salsa into my guacamole to change things up. Like Aerosmith, I’m livin’ on the edge.
I’ve been making lots of caprese salads with our fresh tomatoes and basil. I love the sweet spicy combo, and would definitely try this with a jalopeno!
I do not have a plethora of tomatoes in my kitchen waiting to be used, but I do have access to a grocery store with lots of tomatoes available for me to take home and make this chutney! I adore chutneys and love seeing new recipes for them.
I know – I wish I had a garden, too! But the tomatoes in the markets are so cheap right now, it’s almost as good as having a garden :)
Mm, spicy and sweet. I love that combo. Have you true the kind bars with chili powder and dark chocolate? So good.
As for what I’m doing with summer produce, I’m making a lot of gazpacho…should be posting a recipe soon!
I didn’t even know those bars existed! They sound great. So does your gazpacho!
We’re a no sugar (diabetic and weight watching) household. You think splenda would work?
It probably would ‘work’, in theory, yes. As for the taste, only you would be able to know if it’s going to taste the same. From a chemistry standpoint, I do think that brown sugar reducing is going to get a bit thicker than if you were to simply add Splenda, but you have to do what you think is best for your needs. If you try it, LMK how it goes.