Rhubarb and ginger chutney

Besides from the more traditional jams like this strawberry & apple jam we also learned how to cook chutney at the Summer preserves course.

Making chutney is another very time consuming process in your kitchen in many ways. First you spend approx 2-3 hours cooking the chutney followed by a 2 months storage time, before you actually can the chutney with your food.

While you spend the time making this chutney,  you can at the same time just as well make a "vegetable" jam of tomato, ginger and chilli, at this takes just as long time to make. And you can easily have two cooking pots simmering on your stove.

You could not cook your chutney in a metallic cooking pan, stainless less is good. And the cooking spoon should not be metallic either, so use a wood or plastic spoon.

Rhubarb and ginger chutney:  4-6 glasses

• 1 kg rhubarb - trimmed and leaves discarded - cut into 3 cm pieces
• 250 g onions - peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic - peeled and finely chopped
• 100 ml water
• 1 lemon- only the zest
• 2 oranges - only the zest
• 7 g salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 375 ml distilled malt vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 30 g stem/pickled ginger - finely chopped
• 450 g sugar

1. Start by adding the onion and garlic into a large cooking pan together with the water. Let the onions simmer with the lid on, until they are softened, approx 10 minutes.
2. Put the rhubarb pieces, lemon & orange zest, spices, salt and vinegar. Bring it to the boil, and let it simmer gently until the mixture is pulpy, approx 45 minutes. Stir regular during the cooking process to prevent sticking.
3. Add the finely chopped ginger together with the sugar to the pan. Carefully dissolve the sugar. The addition of the sugar really turns the chutney very, very liquid.
4. Simmer the chutney gently again, until it is thick and there is no excess liquid on the surface. Stir regular during the cooking process.
5. You can check, that the chutney is right by, pulling the spoon the top of the surface. The "hole" should remain without the chutney running together. The tutor Vivien Lloyd described it as Moses dividing the Red Sea !
6. Pour the chutney into warm and clean glaaes and seal with vinegar proof lids. Store for 2 month, before you start to eat the chutney.