Feijoa Sweet Fruit Chutney

I made this as I had to find a way of using up my feijoas or pineapple guava as they are known in California. Bags of the stuff is in the freezer waiting for me to make jam. I was going to use some up for ice cream but it has now become a precious commodity since Redneck quite like this chutney.

Feijoa being an aromatic fruit makes excellent chutneys.


We have the chutney on cold meat sandwiches and also use as a glaze or marinate for lamb dishes. For afternoon tea, Redneck has crackers and cheese with a dollop of chutney on top. If you are looking for ways of using up your feijoa this is worth making.

Makes 750 ml (3 cups)

Ingredients
250g feijoa pulp
125g onions, chopped
75g raisins
125g pitted dates, roughly chopped
125g brown sugar
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp grated ginger
½ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp chilli powder
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 cup malt vinegar
dash of pepper
1-2 hot chilli (whole or chopped with seeds removed)

Method
1. Put all ingredients in a pressure cooker. Bring to pressure, reduce heat and cook for 30-40 minutes. If you find the mixture have not thicken to the right consistency, boil for a few minutes with the lid off to thicken the chutney.

2. Pour into sterilised jars and seal. Leave in a cool dark place. Best to set it aside for 1 month to let the chutney mature and the flavour develop.



Note
1. If cooking on the stove without a pressure cooker, simmer stirring ocassionaly for 1½ -2 hours until thick.
2. We like to add the extra chilli to give the chutney that extra 'kick'.

Tip
Cooking in the pressure cooker is an easy and quick way to make chutneys. Cuts the cooking time by more than an hour.


Sterilising jars
To sterilise the preserving jars wash them in soapy water and leave to soak in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove and put the glass jars into an oven at 120°C for 15 minutes or until the jars are required. Do not at any stage dry the jars with a tea towel.

Recipe : Digby Law's Pickle and Chutney cookbook (adapted)