This chutney will benefit from being made up to a month in advance. It will keep in sterilised jars for a year or so, but you should refrigerate after opening and use within eight weeks.
Ingredients
- 500g rhubarb
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 100ml cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 200g sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Method
- 1. Trim and wash the rhubarb, then slice it, like celery, into fairly fine chunks. You could do this along a slight diagonal for effect.
- 2. Heat the onion, vinegar, ginger, sugar and salt in a wide-based non-aluminum pan. Bring to a rolling boil for about 5 minutes, then add the rhubarb. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until slightly thickened. If you’re making the chutney to use at a later date, you can put it into a 500ml sterilised jar, still hot, at this point.
- 3. If you’re using the chutney now as a dressing for smoked mackerel, allow it to cool until just warm, then spoon it over part of the fillet with a slotted spoon. A really peppery leaf, such as watercress, will round off the dish nicely.
Nutritional info
Per serving (tablespoon): 27kcals, trace fat (trace saturated), 0.2g protein, 6.7g carbs, 6.6g sugar, 0.1g salt
Chef's tip
Try it with smoked mackerel, or grill a spankingly fresh bit of fish (although what I like about this is that it makes for a very informal, pubby sort of lunch). Rhubarb chutney will also go with ham, Cheddar, pork or lamb chops, duck and pigeon breast.