Waste Not Want Not!

Further to my post: 'don't forget to eat your greens' in which I lamented upon the tons of food wasted each year in the UK, I advocated the use of overripe fruit and veg in sauces, soups and chutneys. A reader contacted me to ask for a chutney recipe but with a proviso, in his words 'Make a nice quick one, not one of those that needs storing for 10 years!'

We associate chutney as part of the traditional makings of a ploughman's lunch, however, although the ploughman's originated in the UK, chutney comes from the Hindi word 'chatni'. Chutney became a resourceful means of preserving summer fruits and vegetables to last throughout the lean winter months here in the UK, rather ironic given the amount of fruit and veg we now dump on a daily basis!

Chutney is often left to mature because of its vinegar content, any preserve made with vinegar needs time to allow the flavours to develop, vinegar's acidic nature allows it to preserve ingredients almost indefinitely.

I found a recipe for a simple tomato chutney that can be eaten and enjoyed immediately, infact the fresher the better! As always I deviated slightly from the recipe adding a chilli and a ball of stem ginger, I found the combination of fruity tomatoes, pungent ginger and a kick of heat from the chilli delicious, pared with a strong chunk of cheese, some crusty bread and a good wine this makes for a satisfying meal. I have often extolled the virtues of a cheese and wine meal when having friends for dinner, arranged on various platters and boards, fresh cheeses and various chutneys can look quite remarkable and striking rather than something fussy or laboured over.

                                           Photo courtesy of 'plum gorgeous'

So, as I was rummaging in the reduced section in my local supermarket I found bags of perfectly firm tomatoes reduced to 40p a bag. We've had a sudden downturn in the weather, consequently salad produce isn't selling and much of it was greatly reduced. This is another thing to bear in mind when shopping, if it's a hot day you can guarantee people will be buying salad like it's going out of fashion, the root vegetables will invariably be reduced. As I said before, these can be stored in a cool dark place for a couple of weeks, it's about thinking outside of the box! My chutney, three jars worth, effectively cost around a pound to make and it's good for my carbon footprint-a win win situation I would say!

Tomato chutney

Recipe
250g onion, finely sliced
500g tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 chilli, sliced
75ml vinegar
140g brown sugar
1 ball stem ginger, finely sliced (optional)

Put everything in a pan, stir to combine and bring to the boil
Turn the heat down and gently simmer for 30-40 minutes until jammy

Pour into sterilised jars and refrigerate for up to 4 weeks

'My idea of heaven is relaxing at home with a cheese plate and wine.'
-Lea Michele

Mine too!
Love Donna xxxxx