Here’s an idea for using up the pumpkin you’ll have once all the carving has been completed for our competition at the social evening on 21 October. This is a recipe by Jane Hornby in October’s Good Food magazine.
- 4 tbsp rapeseed oil, vegetable or sunflower oil
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 100g / 4 oz piece of ginger, peeled and thinly shredded
- 1 fat red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 15 cardamom pods, bashed open
- 2 long cinnamon sticks, snapped in half
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 fat (or 6 smaller) garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 1kg / 2 lb 4 oz butternut squash or pumpkin flesh, peeled and cut in to sugar-cube sized ppieces
- 3 bramley apples (about 500g / 1 lb 2 oz), peeled and cut into sugar-cubed sized pieces
- 1 tsp ground tumeric
- 500g / 1 lb 2 oz light soft brown sugar
- 300ml / 1/2 pt cider vinegar
– Heat oil in a preserving pan then gently fry the onions, ginger, chilli, cardamoms, cinnamon, mustard and cumin seeds together for 5 mins, until the spices are aromatic.
– Stir the garlic, squash and apples into the onions, then cook for 10-15 mins more, until the onions and apples are soft and the squash yields a little here and there.
– Stir in the tumeric and sugar and let it melt around the vegetables. Simmer for 5 mins – this almost candies the chunks of pumpkin, so that it doesn’t entirely break down during the next step.
– Pour in the vinegar, season with 2 tsp salt, then bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 30 mins or until the apple has cooked down to make a squishy base for the chutney, with chunks of tender pumpkin here and there, and a little syrupiness at the bottom of the pan. You don’t want it too dry as it will thicken as it cools.
– Spoon the hot chutney into sterilised jars and seal. Can be eaten straight away or stored in a dark place. Store for up to 6 months.
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