This feijoa chutney is a fantastic way of using up loads of feijoas and keeping them for a long time. A great savory option that pairs wonderfully with cheese.
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Ah feijoas. Native to Brazil but best known in my husbands home country of New Zealand. As any kiwi will tell you feijoas are ubiquitous in New Zealand. They are also prolific fruiters. During feijoa season, which can be any where from March to May, depending on your location and type of feijoa, a single tree can produce up a whopping forty kilos of fruit! That's a lot of feijoas. They are sold at road side stalls and given away to friends, family and neighbors in abundance.
So you need a recipe that's going to use an abundance of fruit And stores for a long time. This feijoa chutney is the answer. Made with whole fruit so there's less prep and no waste. It will keep for up to a year so you can enjoy this delicious fruit all year round. Of course if you are looking for a more traditional sweet option you could try my feijoa muffins or feijoa loaf cake.
Ingredients
Feijoas: aka pineapple guavas. No need to worry if you don't have your own tree. They are available in abundance in through out New Zealand from supermarkets, road side stalls, friends and neighbors. Outside New Zealand you can sometimes order online and they will ship the fruit. Alternatively in Australia I was able to fine someone near by me through my local buy sell swap group, so its worth asking around.
Apples: the apples help round out this chutney and add some sweetness and texture. Make sure you use firm, crisp apples that are not 'floury'.
Brown onions: add some savory notes to this chutney and are the cheapest and easiest option. You could try other onions such a white or even red but the flavor won't be as strong.
Lemon: a little lemon juice and zest adds some bite and sourness to this recipe. Don't use bottled lemon juice as it may add an unpleasant bitter taste.
White wine vinegar: vinegar is an essential ingredient in chutney for both taste and to preserve the chutney. You could try other vinegars such as red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or even regular white vinegar. Each different type with subtilty change the flavor the chutney, so experiment to see which one you like best.
Brown sugar: adds much needed sweetness and some caramel flavor to this chutney. Don't skimp on the sugar, you need it to balance the bitterness of the feijoa skin And to help preserve the chutney. You could use white sugar instead if you like but it will loose of the caramel notes.
Chinese five spice: is usually a mixture of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds, used commonly in Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine. You can get in commonly in most supermarkets in New Zealand and Australia.
Ground ginger: a little ground ginger adds some warmth and spice to this chutney. I have not tried this with fresh ginger but you could give it a try. Make sure you finely grate the ginger. I would start with ½ a tablespoon of fresh ginger, then increase it as you need to.
Mustard seeds: add some punch to this chutney. You could use some wholegrain mustard instead if you like.
Fresh chill: I used fresh chill from our garden which had a nice medium spice. Enough to taste but not so hot as to burn your mouth or overpower the flavor of the feijoas. I recommend using a good mild to medium heat chill, such as large red or green or jalapeno. You could go for a hotter option but not to much or your chutney will be to hot.
How to make feijoa chutney
Cut the flower tip off the feijoas and dice into small but still chunkey pieces. The great thing about this chutney is it uses whole feijoas, so there's no scooping and no waste!
Peel and core the apples and cut into similar sized pieces. Peel and dice the onions. Zest and juice the lemon. Deseed the chilli and finely chop.
Add everything to a large pot on the stove. Bring to bubbling then reduced to a simmer and cook for about four hours, stirring every so often. Low and slow is the way to go when cooking chutney. You want to give the fruit time to soften and become jammy and delicious and all those flavors time to muddle and melt together.
Once the chutney is reduced and is a thick, brown jammy color and consistency its ready. If you run your spoon along the bottom of the pot it should take a second or two to slide back in.
When the chutney is nearly ready you will need to sterilize your jars and lids ready to put the chutney into. For more information on how to do this see my post on how to sterilize jars in the oven (coming soon).
Carefully transfer the piping hot chutney to hot sterilized jars and screw on sterilized lids immediately.
Hot tip: it goes without saying but be extremely careful when sterilizing and filling your jars with chutney. Both the jars, lids and chutney will be very hot. The jars can also be slippery so be careful when handling them.
Allow to cool completely on a heat proof surface. Label with the name of the chutney and the date it was made and store in the cupboard or fridge.
How to serve
This fruit chutney pairs brilliantly with cheeses such camembert, swiss and good old tasty. Serve it as part of a fabulous cheese board when guests come over or I like mine on a cheese toastie (aka grilled cheese sandwich). Delicious!
How to store
If you have sterilized your jars correctly this feijoa chutney should last for up to a year unopened in a cool, dark place. Once opened store in the fridge and use within four weeks.
If you are not confident you have sterilized your jars correctly you can store the jars in the fridge if you have space. The chutney will again last in the fridge for up to a year and once opened use within four weeks.
Always check your homemade chutney when opening and discard immediately if it is showing any signs of going bad.
Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Feijoa chutney
Equipment
- A very large pot with a lid.
- Jars with lids you can sterilize.
- Optional - preserving funnel and magnetic lid tool.
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2lbs) fresh feijoas
- ½ kb (1.1lbs) apples
- ¾ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 & ¼ cups (275 gms) tightly packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- zest of one medium lemon
- ¾ teaspoon five spice
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 3 smallish sized chills, medium heat
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Cut the flowers from the top of the feijoas and dice into bit sized pieces.
- Peel and dice the apples. Peel and dice the onions.
- Zest and juice the lemon. Deseed and finely chop the chilies.
- Add the dices feijoas, apples, onions, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice and zest, chilli, spices and water to a large pot.
- Stir well an heat on medium until mix starts to boil. Cover and simmer or low for three to four hours. In the last hour remove the lid and stir stir stir, or until the chutney has turned a rich brown color and has thickened up nicely.
- Transfer piping hot chutney to hot sterilized jars, taking care not to get chutney around the rim, and screw on sterilized lids immediately.
- Allow to cool completely on a heatproof surface. Label the jars with the name and date it was made.
- Store in a cool dry place or in the fridge for up to a year. Once opened store in the fridge and use within four weeks.
Notes
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