Sweet chilli & red pepper chutney

I've been meaning to try out this recipe for about 2 years, and just kept forgetting, or not having the right ingredients when I wanted to make it. This afternoon, I finally got round to it - and I'm glad it did. Absolutely delicious.

I followed Jamie Oliver's recipe exactly, so I've copied it below for you (but you can find the original copy of it here).

Ingredients

8-10 fresh red chillies
8 ripe red peppers
olive oil
2 medium red onions, peeled and chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 x 5 cm stick cinnamon
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
100 g brown sugar
150 ml balsamic vinegar

Method

If you want your chutney to last for a while, make sure you have some small sterilised jars ready to go. Place your chillies and peppers over a hot barbecue, in a griddle pan or on a tray under a hot grill, turning them now and then until blackened and blistered all over. Carefully lift the hot peppers and chillies into a bowl (the smaller chillies won't take as long as the peppers so remove them first) and cover tightly with cling film. As they cool down, they'll cook gently in their own steam. By the time they're cool enough to handle, you'll be able to peel the skin off easily.

When you've got rid of most of the skin, trimmed off the stalks and scooped out the seeds, you'll be left with a pile of nice tasty peppers and chillies. Finely chop by hand or put in a food processor and whizz up. Then put to one side.

Heat a saucepan and pour in a splash of olive oil. Add the onions, rosemary, bay leaves and cinnamon and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook very slowly for about 20 minutes or so, until the onions become rich, golden and sticky.

Add the chopped peppers and chillies, the sugar and the vinegar to the onions and keep cooking. When the liquid reduces and you're left with a lovely thick sticky chutney, season well to taste. Remove the cinnamon stick and the bay leaves. Either spoon into the sterilised jars and put them in a cool dark place, or keep in the fridge and use right away. In sterilised jars, the chutney should keep for a couple of months.

This was the first time I've ever made any type or chutney or jam, and now I'm excited to try it again! Not sure what to make next - maybe pineapple? Maybe tomato? Maybe caramelised onion? Maybe all of them! Feel free to suggest some good recipes for me!

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