Green Tomato Chutney

Makes 5 cups

Of the numerous ways to prepare green tomatoes—fry them, pickle them, relish them, turn them into pie—this is one of my favorites. In gardens and markets, the ingredients come together seasonally as if by design: tomatoes, green because they're at the end; peppers, red because they've ripened to the hilt; onions from the spring planting, ready to bring in before it gets too cold. Sometimes, I even have a few bunches of almost-dried-on-the-vine late grapes, halfway to raisin, that fill in for the currants. Together, they make a chutney bouquet, in good time for winter holiday tables.

2 pounds green tomatoes, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch dice
1 medium-size white onion, quartered lengthwise
and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 small Anaheim chile pepper, preferably red,
cut into thin rounds
1/4 cup currants
4 small cayenne or other red chile peppers, minced
2 tablespoons peeled and coarsely grated fresh ginger
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1. Place all the ingredients in the pressure cooker and stir to mix. Lock on the lid and bring to pressure over high heat, about 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes to finish cooking.

2. With the steam vent pointed away from your face, gently release any remaining pressure. Cool and refrigerate overnight before using. Will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 months.

Buy the Book!

from:
The Pressure Cooker Gourmet
225 Recipes for Great-Tasting, Long-Simmered Flavors in Just Minutes
by Victoria Wise
The Harvard Common Press
368 pages
Price: $24.95 cloth
ISBN: 1-55832-200-0
Recipe reprinted by permission.