One of the u3a groups that I belong to has a group called Cookalong. In it, we decide on a theme, soups say, Easter bakes or, next month, hearty salads. We all make one, take it along to group, and all taste and talk about the various recipes.
One month, we did Christmas chutney and one of the recipes was Delia Smith’s Spiced Apricot and Orange Chutney .
My husband is not a great chutney lover, but he loved this one.
When musing on chutney one day, I was putting orange peel in a bag to store in the freezer and wondered if I could use it in chutney. So I used Delia’s great recipe, but swapped the apricots for orange peel, and Oh My!
How to make easy orange peel chutney
You will need the peel from 2 or 3 large oranges, or equivalent. Coriander seeds, soft brown sugar, cider vinegar, an onion, sultanas, fresh root ginger, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper.
Firstly, prepare your orange peel, you will need about 400g, although a little more or less is not going to make that much difference. Dice the peel into pieces about 0.5 cm square. The peel won’t reduce in size during cooking, so you need it to be quite small.
After chopping the onion and orange peel, simply simmer everything together in a covered saucepan for about 45 minutes. Remove the lid to reduce the liquid a bit if it needs it, remembering that it does thicken once cold.
Then pot into sterilised jars with greaseproof paper protecting the lid as the vinegar will rust the lid away if left unprotected.
The chutney needs to be left for a month before enjoying it. It will be too vinegary, and rather harsh, before that time.
What is the chutney like?
It has a wonderful, strong, flavour, reminiscent of orange marmalade, not really surprising, but not really tasting like marmalade at all. There is a bitter edge to it, which I really like.
It has the distinctive vinegary taste of all chutneys, whilst also being very different.
Can I make any changes?
- I used white vinegar as I get it in bulk and use it for everything from cleaning to cooking.
- You can swap all or some of the orange peel for any other citrus peel to get a different flavour, lemon or lime for instance.
- Or use orange, or any citrus, peel that you have simmered and blitzed.
- The sultanas can be swapped for currants, raisins or any other dried fruit.
- No coriander seeds? No matter, you won’t notice just leaving them out.
- I increased the cayenne to a full teaspoon as I wanted a little warm hum.
- If you don’t have brown sugar, you could use ordinary white sugar, and a couple of tablespoons of black treacle. Don’t have that either? I haven’t tried it, but it would probably be just fine with just ordinary sugar.
Other things I’ve made with orange peel
Or how about these unusual and delicious orange scones?
Orange scones flavoured with leftover orange peel
Or this gorgeous easy orange cake
Wondering what to do with orange peel? How about this easy orange cake
Ingredients
- 400 g orange peel chopped into pea sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- 225 g soft brown sugar
- 425 ml white vinegar
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 50 g sultanas
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
Instructions
- Firstly, prepare your orange peel, a little less than specified is not going to make that much difference. Dice the peel into pieces about ½ cm square. The peel won't reduce in size during cooking, so you need it to be quite small.
- Put everything into a saucepan and bring to the boil
- The orange peel and onion need to be cooked through and tender. Simmer, with the lid on, for about 45 minutes.
- Click here for a timer
- The chutney needs to be the right consistency. It will thicken as it cools. At this simmering stage, it needs to be like chunky jam.
Prepare your jar(s)
- While the chutney is simmering, preparing your jar(s).
- Sterilise them by placing in a large mixing bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Or wash thoroughly and warm in a low oven. Make sure then are are dry before you use them.
Jar up the chutney
- Once both the chutney and jars are ready, place on a heatproof surface, like a chopping board.
- Carefully spoon in the hot chutney, a jam funnel is helpful with this. Place a square of greaseproof paper on top and carefully screw on the lid - the jar will be very hot, use a tea-towel to protect your hands.
- Once cool, wipe the jars to remove any spills and label, including the date
- Leave your chutney for a month before using. It's perfectly edible before that, but will be very vinegary and unpleasant.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- I used white vinegar as I get it in bulk and use it for everything from cleaning to cooking.
- You can swap all or some of the orange peel for any other citrus peel to get a different flavour, lemon or lime for instance.
- Or use orange, or any citrus, peel that you have simmered and blitzed.
- The sultanas can be swapped for currants, raisins or any other dried fruit.
- No coriander seeds? No matter, you won't notice just leaving them out.
- I increased the cayenne to a full teaspoon as I wanted a little warm hum.
- If you don't have brown sugar, you could use ordinary white sugar, and a couple of tablespoons of black treacle. Don't have that either? I haven't tried it, but it would probably be just fine with just ordinary sugar.
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