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It’s that time of year again.. Rain and snow outside, cooking inside.. I love making chutney with what ever fruit I can find, always a bargain hunter.. Lidl, carrefour, cora.. A few days ago the bargain was pineapples for 99cents each in carrefour. I bought 4 big juicy red apples that would have made snow white lick her lips in anticipation.. It was her destiny or else she would not have ended up in a coma and then no prince charming.. ;-)… Someone told me the other day I had no prince charming because of my delightful sooo unsexy pyjamas and night gown but I just realised it’s because I always eat golden delicious apples, never the red ones.. 😉

Any way back to the real world where I use for measurement a bowl, a cup or a Tupperware.. What ever you like for depending on how much you want to make. I used a 2 litre plastic container

4 pineapples and 3 apples chopped into small pieces filled 2 containers (take out centre of pinapple)

1 container of chopped onions

1 container raisins 80% and the rest little cubes of dried fruit not tooo candy mix (usually used for baking)

I found some candied orange peel so added a handful

1/4 container sugar and a large spoon of honey

A litre of liquid.. 1 Cup (275ml abouts) orange or apple juice sometimes white wine.. What ever is lurking  in the fridge. I had orange juice.. By now I had drunk all that wine.. 😉 a cup of apple cider vinegar, a cup of white wine or red or a mix of both and a half cup of balsamic vinegar

I add the following condiments, a sprinkle here or a heavier hand there.. It just depends

A table spoon of mustard, some cinnamon, turmeric powder, a little powdered cloves, nutmeg and I never make my chutney without curry powder and chilli paste from Gorima’s all the way from Musgrave centre Durban.

I never use garlic, oil or butter in my chutneys and you can subsidise the fruit for any kind. The liquid does not cover the fruit at this stage

The cooking is the old fashioned long process way.

Onions on bottom then the dried fruit then the fruit. Pour the sugar over the fruit and let sit over night.. The sugar becomes liquid. Mix it all up and add the vinegars and juice and condiments and cook for a couple of hours very low heat with lid on. I take off the stove and stick in a duvet cover to keep heat in over night. The next day I cook again for 3 hours higher heat and stirring to stop sticking.

When you think it’s ready and can’t stop tasting it because it is so delicious.. Place it quickly in heated mix match of jars and lids to the brim. I put brown cooking paper on it and close lid.

Always have fresh baguette and cheese in the house. Wipe the cooking pot clean with chunks of bread and some cheese.. That should be about lunch or tea time.. 😉

Best eaten after at least a month even longer 😉