Sweet Tomato Chutney

Adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey...this sweet, tangy and slightly hot chutney makes a wonderful table sauce and is delicious served with grilled meats, steamed vegetables or steamed rice. It is fine chilled, but room temperature is best. Although the recipe calls for golden raisins, you could also substitute dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots. I have also made it with lightly toasted pine nuts in place of the slivered almonds.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Yields: 8 cups

Ingredients

• 5  ounces garlic cloves, about 1 cup
• 2  ounces fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 1⁄2 cups cider vinegar or 1 1⁄2 cups red wine vinegar
• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 1⁄2 cups brown sugar
• 2  teaspoons kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne
• 4 1⁄2 ounces golden raisins, about 1 cup
• 4 1⁄2 ounces  slivered almonds, about 1 cup

Directions

1. Place garlic, ginger and 1 cup of the vinegar in a blender container and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour into sauce pot with remaining vinegar and the rest of the ingredients through cayenne. (If unsure about the heat level, use only half the cayenne; then taste after mixture cooks for a while before adding the other half.) Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to prevent scorching. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until mixture begins to thicken and become slightly syrupy. Sitr occasionally to prevent sticking. After about one hour of cooking time, stir in the raisins and almonds; continue cooking to desired thickness.
2. When chutney is done, ladle into sterilized 1-pint jars and process according to instructions. Alternately, let jars cool completely and store in the refrigerator. Chutney will keep for several months.