by: Joanna LaBounty, founder of eatmewild.com
Everyone has a favorite season, but for me, this is it! My garden is finally showing signs of vine-ripened tomatoes, the trees in the yard are getting heavy with apples, the kids are back in school, the sun dipping down behind the mountains a little sooner bringing cooler evening breezes, perfect for snuggling. It is also just about the start of bird season. Driving around on the old dirt roads I am seeing partridge everywhere and I cannot wait to get out there and fill my freezer.
This Tomato + Apple Chutney celebrates this time of year with a great balance of summer sweetness with autumn’s tart tang — and happens to go amazingly well with wild game birds.
Tomato + Apple Chutney
Ingredients
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 – 3 apples*, cored and roughly chopped
2 – 3 tomatoes**, roughly chopped
Pinch of salt
Pinch of red chili flakes
Directions
Add sugar, raisins, and vinegar to a large frying pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until sugar is all dissolved. Next, add diced onion and cook for about 5-7 minutes until they soften a bit. Lastly, add tomatoes, apples, salt and red pepper flakes to the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10-12 minutes until thickened. Remember to stir occasionally but not so much that it breaks down the apples and tomatoes into sauce. It is meant to still have some rustic charm to it. Makes approximately one pint which can be served immediately, stored for up to a week in the refrigerator or canned for longer-term use.
*pick your favorite apple depending on if you want it sweeter or more tart
**green tomatoes work here too, they will result in a more tart chutney
