Ingredients
8–10 fresh red chillies
8 red peppers
2 red onions
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
olive oil
2 fresh bay leaves
1 stick of cinnamon
100g brown sugar
150ml balsamic vinegar
Top Tip
GET AHEAD
If you want your chutney to last for a while, make sure you have some small sterilised jars ready to go.
Method
- Place the chillies and peppers over a hot barbecue, in a griddle pan or on a tray under a hot grill, turning them now and then until blackened and blistered all over.
- Carefully lift the hot peppers and chillies into a bowl (the smaller chillies won’t take as long as the peppers so remove them first) and cover tightly with clingfilm. As they cool down, they’ll cook gently in their own steam. By the time they’re cool enough to handle, you’ll be able to peel the skin off easily.
- When you’ve got rid of most of the skin, trimmed off the stalks and scooped out the seeds, you’ll be left with a pile of nice tasty peppers and chillies. Finely chop by hand or put in a food processor and whiz up, then put to one side.
- Peel and roughly chop the onions, then pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves.
- Drizzle a splash of oil into a pan over a low heat, add the onions, rosemary, bay leaves and cinnamon, then season with a little sea salt and black pepper.
- Cook very slowly for about 20 minutes, or until the onions become rich, golden and sticky.
- Add the chopped peppers and chillies, sugar and balsamic to the onions and keep cooking. When the liquid reduces and you’re left with a lovely thick sticky chutney, season well to taste.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and the bay leaves. Either spoon into sterilised jars and put them in a cool dark place, or keep in the fridge and use right away. In sterilised jars, the chutney should keep for a couple of months.
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