Onion Chutney with Red Wine

Have you ever made chutney at home?  Chut what?    Chutney is a condiment used in South Asian cuisines that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.  Vinegar or citrus juice are usually used as preservatives.  The texture of chutney could range from coarse to fine; it can also be wet or dry.  If you haven’t make chutney before, you might want to read on and check this recipe out.



There are quite a few ingredients in this recipe and the good news is, you might already have everything in your pantry.  It takes a while to cook down the onions but the process is super straight forward.  Believe it or not, the most you need to do are just some chopping and stirring, that's about it.  The stove top and time will work the "magic" for you.  Oh, and tasting at the end, and perhaps do some "ooo-ing" and "arr-ing" when you're surprised by how tasty these simple ingredients can turned out.  Really, nothing too complicated and the end result is unbelievably irresistible.  Just keep in mind, your patience will be rewarded.  
   


I got some beautiful chilies from my In-Law’s garden and they were perfect for this recipe.  The heat from the chilies balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the onions.  You can also substitute the chillies with a Jalapeno if you like.  I love the flavor that are combined from the bay leaves and fresh thyme.  They were earthy and fresh; a great compliment to each other.  The dry red wine added the depth of flavor to the chutney.  The combination is really magical and tasty.

Guess what?  I’m adding this wonderful recipe to my Christmas homemade gift-giving list.    Since this recipe only yields about 3 cups, which fits into 2 or 3 jars depending on the size of the jars.  You might want to double or even triple this recipe up when you are canning them for gift-giving.  I can't believe Christmas is only two months from now, time really flies.



How did I enjoy the chutney?  Here’s what I did….I spread my favorite creamy cheese on a piece of cracker, and pile high with these Onion Chutney with Red Wine on top.  It’s the perfect two-bite appetizer.  You can use goat cheese, herbed cheese or anything you preferred.  I can imagine this chutney would be a lovely addition on top of some creamy soup as well.  Before I go blend up the soup, I need to hurry up and submit this recipe to Kitchen PLAY.   


The National Onion Association is also sponsoring a wonderful giveaway at Kitchen PLAY. Simply recreate any one recipe from this month’s Progressive Party, post about the experience on your blog and provide a link to your post on Kitchen PLAY to enter. All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win $100 (6 prizes total).  The deadline is October 31, 2011. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!  Thank you Jamie, from My Baking Addition, for the inspiration for this recipe.

Hope you will try this recipe out and let me know what you think.  







Onion Chutney with Red Wine Printable Recipe
Yield: 3 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 shallots, diced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 chilies, I used 1 green and 1 red, finely diced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 dry red wine
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat.  Add the onions and shallots followed by salt and pepper.  Toss the onions slices so the salt and pepper distributed evenly.  The salt will help the onions to sweat out.  Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes on low heat. 

When the onions are soften, add the chilies, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, dry red wine, brown sugar, bay leaf and thyme leaves.  Stir the ingredients to ensure everything is well mixed.  Simmer on low uncover, for another hour to hour and a half, until no liquid remains.  Stir occasionally during the first hour of cooking. 

In the last 15 minutes, stir more frequently to prevent the onions from burning.  Allow chutney to cool slightly before storing into jars or airtight containers. Refrigerate when the chutney is completely cooled.