Cha Cha Chutney

We doubled the recipe and it originally comes from the Complete Small Batch Preserving Cookbook. 
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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 20 mins
Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 40

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed)
  • 1/2 cup dried currants (used dried cranberries)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 inch piece ginger root, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 t. curry powder (omitted)
  • 1/4 t. salt and hot pepper flakes

Instructions
 

  • Combine tomatoes, onion, sun dried tomatoes and currants in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Stir in sugar, water, vinegar, ginger root, garlic, curry powder, salt and pepper flakes.
  • Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and boil gently, uncovered for 30 minutes or until chutney is very thick, stirring frequently.
  • Remove hot jars from canner and ladle chutney into jars to within 1/2 inch headspace. Process 10 minutes for half pint jars. Makes 4 half pints.
  • Makes 4 half pints.
  • For different texture you can also blend the chutney using an immersion or standard blender and use it like a steak sauce.

Notes

The last recipe, enticing to me because of the sun dried tomatoes, but extraordinary in combination of flavors; Cha Cha Chutney (Sun Dried Tomato Chutney) was given that name based on the look of it in the cooking pot. It "looked" like chili but has a taste that is out of this world. This evening my hubby made Tri-Tip steak and we used the chutney as a side. It was a perfect accompaniment to the meat. It had a flavor like a mild steak sauce with the occasional bite of the sun dried tomatoes. It wasn't overly spicy and even after only a few hours in a jar the vinegar flavor was mild and lost much of its pungency.  It was really one of the best "chutneys" I have ever tasted.
Keyword Cha Cha Chutney