Runner Bean overflow

[aggie]

I have a real surplus of runner beans, and have found a great recipe for runner bean chutney.I can highly recommend it.(also good for using up the beans that have just gone over the top)
2 lb of runner beans (after trimming)
1&1/2 lb onions chopped
1 1/2 pints vinegar
1 1/2 oz corn flour, 1heaped tablespoon mustard powder & 1 of tablespoon turmeric
8oz soft brown sugar 1 lb demerara sugar

Chop onions and put into preserving pan with 10fl oz of the vinegar, simmer for 20 Min's or until onion are soft.
cook sliced beans in salted water for 5 Min's, drainthen add to onions. mix cornflower,mustard and turmeric in basin with a little of the vinegar add this to the onions stir, pour in the rest of the vinegar and simmer for 10 Min's. Now add the sugar and simmers for a further 15 Min's. Pot up in warmed jars. seal and label when cold. Keep for at least one month before eating. :P :P
:P

[aggie]

[Trevor_D]

That's the one that was passed on to me by another plot-holder. (I think it's a "Delia".)

We both - without consulting each other - made the same "tweak": instead of simmering for just 15 minutes, we simmered it for a good hour, as it didn't seem as thick & chutney-like as it should have done.

It keeps for over a year: I'm eating a jar from last year at the moment. Thoroughly recommended!

[aggie]

Hi Trevor,
You may be right about it being a (Delia) It was given to me by my Daughter who lives in the West  Country. Her elderly neighbour gave it to her, who insisted it was an old west country receipt But who knows. I have just opened a jar i made last week to have a look and it seem thick enough to me, but if you wanted it any thicker you could always add a little more corn flour
Instead of boiling it for an hour it would cut down on the amount of gas or electric used, also cut down on the smell of turmeric every where!!

[plot 22]

I made it this afternoon and it's from Delia's summer recipe book.  I agree it did seem a bit runny when I poured it into the jars and hope it will thicken up as it cools.  The bit I licked off the spoon tasted good though :)

[Borlotti]

Waiting for a delivery so can't go out, or it will come.  Looked at your recipe and sounds good but found a very similar one, only difference is 1 1/2 (how do you type half) tablespoons of cornflour and the preparation.  All the other ingredients the same.  Says boil beans and onions in salted water under tender, drain well and zap in food processor, add sugar and 1 1/4 pints of vinegar and boil for 15 mins. mix a paste with the remaining vinegar and rest of ingredients and add to beans, stir and bring to boil, simmer for 15 mins and jar when cold. Leave two or three months before using, keeps for years and gets better with age.  Will have to leave a note on door and pop out to buy ingredients.  Just thought that the cornflour would make it thicken. The delivery came yesterday whilst I was at the allotment so don't want to miss it today, and I have run out of ciggies, good way to give up.  :( :( :(

[Chrispy]

I made this a week or so ago from an almost identical recipie I found from a previous thread on this site.
After following the recipie, it was very runny, but I just turnd the heat up to a more enegetic simmer for 20 mins, and all was fine, just a little runny as it went in the jars, and looks good now.

[telboy]

Crickey!
1/2 lbs. of sugar?????
Healthy recipy or what?????????
:P :P :P :P

[PezzA]

I used this recipe a couple of weeks ago to abate a glut of beans to good effect.

http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=56

I've never made a chutney before so was envisaging something like a curry house lime pickle at the end of it. 

And et volia! the end result...


The article with the recipe left me with doubts about how long the stuff would keep.  In the end I dished them out to curry 'users' at work and it was gone within a week.  But how do you go about keeping this stuff edible for a year? 

[ceres]

But how do you go about keeping this stuff edible for a year? 

Welcome to A4A PezzA!  The article you link to explains at the bottom how to water-bath the jars to make them safe to keep.  Alternatively you can seal them in a pressure cooker.

[PezzA]

Hi ceres and thanks!

I had read that bit of the article and had a touch of vertigo with more stuff that needed to be brought for preserving!  Could you sterilise and seal an old jam-jar?

[Borlotti]

Added some white wine to the white vinegar for the runner bean pickle.  Just had my third helping with cheese and biscuits, very, very good.  Meant to leave it for 3 months but had to have a taste, and a taste and another taste.  Expect I will dream tonight, of runner bean pickle, and it doesn't taste of runner beans.  Off tomorrow to the allotment, after all this rain, should be some more runner beans and more pickle.  And I don't care that it has a lot of brown sugar in it as I am quite skinny, OK very thin, even been called a stick insect.

[ceres]

Hi ceres and thanks!

I had read that bit of the article and had a touch of vertigo with more stuff that needed to be brought for preserving!  Could you sterilise and seal an old jam-jar?

Yes, if the lid is plastic lined and has a safety button but you still need to water bath or pressure cook them. 

[aggie]

Just made jar 34 of runner bean chutney :o :o. Don't seem to be able to make enough, all my friends know i make it and have been putting in their orders. I also zap mine, i zaped after i had added the turmeric and spices, not a good idea had yellow work tops for days :'( I now zap before adding spices.  Not 1/2 a pound of sugar Telboy 1 and a 1/2 pounds

[Borlotti]

Just had some biscuits and smoked cheese with my pickle and it tastes so good am going to have some more and a cup of coffee. Expect I will have good dreams tonight or nightmares.

[grannyjanny]

Well if you can sleep after the coffee I dread to think what your dreams will be like ;D ;D ;D.

[Borlotti]

Coffee is OK, I will sleep, think I will give the After Eight Mints a miss tonight though.  Think I will dream of a tidy, weed free allotment.