Rhubarb chutney

Rhubarb grows like a weed in my garden, this chutney is a good use for the early summer glut of rhubarb.  It’s also one of the simplest and cheapest chutneys to make.

Ingredients:

1kg/2.2 lbs rhubarb (chopped into roughly 1cm pieces)

1kg/2.2 lbs sugar (white granulated is fine)

500 g/1.1 lbs bag of sultanas

500 ml/1 pint malt vinegar}

25 g/1oz salt

2 tbsp of chopped ginger (or 1 tbsp of ground ginger)

1 onion finely chopped

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions:

1.   Wash and chop the rhubarb, bearing in mind it will turn to mush during the cooking.

2.   Combine all the ingredients in a large heavy pot, I use a stock pot or a jam pan.  Give it  a good stir.

3.   Bring to the boil gently, then reduce the heat to a very low simmer.  You will need to simmer for 2-3 hours for chutnification[1] to occur.

4.   The chutney is ready when it slightly thickens and coats the back of spoon (this takes a bit of practice).

5.   Put into sterilised jars and seal with new lids (you can sterilise jars with either sterilising solution, putting through a dishwasher, and/or heating in the oven to 100c.  New lids are recommended, as the coating on the inside of the lid needs to be pristine for chutneys otherwise they will corrode the lid.

6.   The trickiest part is simmering for several hours without burning the base, so the lower the simmer the better, and make sure you give it an occasional stir.

Leave to mature for 6 months or so.  Keeps for about 2 years (unopened).

[1] Chutnification is the adoption of Indian elements into the English language or culture, not the process of turning raw ingredients into chutney!!