Pear and onion chutney

Pear and onion chutney with a hint of heat from chilli is the perfect way to spice up any Christmas or Thanksgiving leftovers. It makes the ideal accompaniment to cold meat, or you could even serve a dish of this chutney with your after-dinner cheese platter.

Jump to:

• What is chutney?
• What goes into pear and onion chutney?
• How long can I store pear and onion chutney?
• 12 ways to serve pear and onion chutney
• How to sterilise jars
• Save for later
• Other recipes
• 📋The recipe

What is chutney?

Chutney is a fruity condiment that is normally eaten as an accompaniment to meat or served alongside cheese. The taste is a mixture of sweet, sour, and spicy. Chutney is sometimes called a relish, but that is incorrect as chutneys are always made with fruit, whereas a relish is made with vegetables!

The word chutney is derived from a Hindi word, chatni, meaning "to lick" or "to eat with appetite". I'm sure you will agree with me, once you've tasted this pear and onion chutney, that this is a most appropriate description. This pear and onion chutney is lip-smackingly good.

The sweetness of the pears and onions, combined with the tartness from the vinegar and the heat from the chilli come together perfectly, providing the typical chutney blend of sweet, sour, and spicy flavours.

This recipe for pear and onion chutney delivers a chunky texture, with a thick jam-like consistency. If you prefer a smoother texture, you could blend the chutney before bottling.

The fruitiness of the pears in this recipe makes it the ideal festive chutney. A Boxing Day lunch of leftover meat wouldn't be the same without a dish of this chutney to spice things up.

What goes into pear and onion chutney?

You don't need a lot of ingredients to make this chutney. Pears, onions, and sultanas form the bulk of the ingredients, with brown sugar, vinegar, and chilli providing the sweet, sour, and spicy taste. You can get the exact measurements and complete instructions to make pear and onion chutney on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

The exact quantities don't have to be too precise. For each pound and a half of pears, you will need about half a pound of onions and 1 cup of nice plump sultanas.

The pears should be still firm to the touch - don't use pears that are overripe. You should be able to peel the pears without them turning mushy.

For the above quantities, you will need 2 tablespoons of brown sugar - no more, because the pears and onions are quite sweet in themselves. You will also need ¼ cup red or white wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar). Make sure to use a fruity vinegar, if you use malted vinegar, the final flavour of the chutney will be totally wrong.

The last ingredient is chilli. Now, this depends entirely on how spicy you would like the chutney to be. I don't like my chutney to be over spicy, so I only used half a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes. You can add more or less according to your own taste.

How do you make it?

This chutney couldn't be simpler to make.

Start off by peeling and chopping the pears. Remove the stalk and also remove any pips from the inside. Chop the pears into chunky pieces, approximately 1 cm square. If you want a smoother chutney you could grate the pears instead.

Next, peel the onions and cut into a very fine dice. I wouldn't grate the onions though because grating onions releases juices that can turn the chutney bitter. If you want really small pieces of onions, whizz them around in a food processor rather. This has the effect of chopping them finely rather than grating.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onions. Let them sweat gently until they start to soften, then add the rest of the ingredients (image 2 above).

Stir well, cover with a lid, then turn the heat down to a very low simmer and leave for 1 and a half hours, stirring occasionally. The pears will release a lot of moisture so for the first half hour the chutney will be very runny. Keep your eye on it and don't let it dry out. The moisture should evaporate very slowly, and you should be left with a sticky, syrupy chutney that leaves a clear trail on the bottom of the pan when you draw a spoon through it (image 3 above).

If there is a lot of moisture left in the chutney, remove the lid for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

Allow the chutney to cool then pour the hot chutney into the still warm sterilised glass jars and seal. Do not pour hot chutney into cold glass jars as you stand the chance of the jars cracking. See further down the post for how to sterilise jars.

How long can I store pear and onion chutney?

Store the unopened glass jars in a cool dark place (like the back of a cupboard or the pantry) for up to 6 months.

Once opened, store in the refrigerator and use within 6 weeks. It can last longer. If it develops a bad smell, or you can see mould forming, you should throw it away.

You can also freeze this chutney. A good tip is to freeze in large ice cube trays and then transfer the frozen cubes to a plastic Ziploc bag. This way you can just remove the number of cubes you need. Allow it to defrost until it reaches room temperature.

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12 ways to serve pear and onion chutney

Once you have a jar of this chutney, the sky's the limit as to how you decide to serve it. Here are 12 of my ideas, I'm sure you'll be able to think of plenty more for yourself

• The fruitiness of this chutney goes perfectly with cold chicken or turkey. Or you could serve it alongside leftover cold roast meats on Boxing Day.
• Spice up your meatballs by mixing a spoonful of chutney into your ground beef or pork.
• Place a dish of chutney on a platter alongside a cold pork pie, with pickled onions, cheese and cherry tomatoes for the perfect ploughman's lunch.
• Serve it with sausages - a spoonful on the side would go really well with a plate of toad in the hole.
• Serve it with pate and crackers.
• Mix it with thick Greek or natural yoghurt to make a dip for crisps or breadsticks
• Spread it onto your cheese sandwich before toasting.
• Serve it as a side dish with a curry or bobotjie. It goes really well with this recipe for Chicken Bhuna.
• Serve as a dipping sauce for potato and onion bhajis.
• Use it as a condiment on a hamburger.
• Spread it on a cheese, chicken or ham sandwich.
• Add a spoonful to soups and casseroles.

How to sterilise jars

To sterilise jars in the oven:

• Wash the jars and the lids in hot soapy water, but do not dry them.
• Stand them on a baking tray while they're still wet.
• Place the tray of clean, wet jars and lids into a preheated oven at 160ºC / 320ºF for 10 minutes or until the jars are completely dry.
• If you are using jars with a rubber seal, do not put the seal in the oven as the dry heat will damage the seals. Boil the rubber seals in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes.

To sterilise jars in the microwave:

• Wash the jars and the lids in hot soapy water, but do not dry them.
• Place them in the microwave whilst still wet.
• Microwave on full power for 2 minutes
• If the lids are made of metal DO NOT MICROWAVE.  Instead, place the lids in a pot of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.

Save for later

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Other recipes

Visit my sauces, dips and marinade recipes page for other condiment recipes. Here are a few you may enjoy:

📋The recipe

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