Tomato Chutney

[Elaine]

I have just made the Tomato Chutney, following the recipe in this months KG. All went well but having tasted it, it has certainly got one hell of a bite! My mouth was still recovering from it an hour later ....I hope it mellows out with keeping.
I followed the recipe to the letter and measured out the ingredients carefully...I hope the stated half tablespoon of mustard powder was correct and wasn't supposed to be a half teaspoon!

I'm going to try the Piccalilli next......

Cheers.

[Beryl]

It does seem rather a lot of mustard powder. I checked a recipe I use and to 6lb of tomatoes it is 1 and a half teaspoons of paprika and a large pinch of cayenne.
The flavour of chutney usually intensifies with age.

Let us know.

Beryl.

[Elaine]

Hi Beryl. ....flavour intensifies with age???

Good grief, the chutney will be like vindaloo!! This recipe is for 2lb of tomatoes! I did wonder if the mustard powder was a bit much but not having made many chutneys, I followed the recipe to the letter and double checked (twice) that it was tbsp and not tsp
Oh well....
Cheers.

[Primrose]

That does seem an awful lot of the stuff. Can you have a look at other recipes on the internet or in any cookery books you've got to compare them. I do deplore the practice of using abbreviations in recipes for amounts like teaspoons and tablespoons. It's all too easy (especially if you're not using your specs) to misread the text, with disastrous results. If you're planning any more chutneys, I would reduce this amount. It's always easier to add more heat afterwards but once added, it's very difficult to remove it.

[Nature's Babe]

Could you make a second batch without any heat then add the first batch towards the end of cooking make sure it bubbles well before rebottling that would halve the heat and maybe remedy the situation so you can enjoy it all?

[Elaine]

Nature's Babe.....I don't think I could be bothered with that! It only made 2 x 454g jars (not the 5 it said in the recipe!) so I'll just see how it turns out. Thanks for the idea though.
Cheers.

[alan refail]

Hi Elaine

I humbly suggest that there is a mistake somewhere and the best course of action would be to dump what you have made. If you don't like it make something you do like.

Powdered mustard seems a strange ingredient; we do put a small amount of mustard seed in our chutneys. Unlike my wife I am not a great follower of recipe quantities; if something seems wrong to me I change it, especially if it comes from a magazine.

[Elaine]

Hi Alan. I think you may well be right, regarding dumping it. I will...very cautiously...taste it first though.

The recipe is from Christina Maxfield on page 82 of this months issue of KG, so I thought it would be reliable.

Cheers.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Elaine, you could always give Grockie and Lizzie a jar each for Christmas.

I wonder if that would make them hot stuff.

I did ask my Mum about the chutney, and she said it certainly does seem to include a fiery amount of ingredients.

[Elaine]

Dear OH.....I don't think Grockie and Lizzie need hotting up......

Well, yesterday, Ken and I decided we would try the tomato chutney. Amazingly, it wasn't as fiery as it seemed the other day but still a bit much for my taste. It was fine in a sandwich but I wouldn't add it to my plate, with a cold meat salad. However, Ken liked it...no surprises there as he likes hot stuff ....

I reckon his packed lunch sandwiches will be a bit more interesting in the future......

Cheers