I got an apple chutney recipe from a friend. It's an old family recipe and it specifically says to chop the apples but to NOT core or peel them. The recipe is basically just apples and pears, red onions, raisins, brown sugar, cider vinegar and various spices which you simmer gently for a couple of hours. It says nothing about straining or grinding. The onions are finely sliced and it says "chop apples and pears roughly but without coring."
Does the vinegar somehow soften the seeds and core of the apple? Is that important to the taste or texture? I am hesitant to used the whole apple as most recipes I have found online say to core or even peel and core.
Best Answer
Apple cores contain more pectin than the rest of the apple, so including the cores will likely get you a thicker, more gelled chutney.
With enough cooking they'll indeed soften, as long as it's an apple variety that softens when cooked (as opposed to baking varieties that hold their shape) so it's really just the seeds you'd have to worry about. Sounds like the recipe doesn't really deal with them, so I guess you'd have to pick them out after chopping, or strain or pick them out at the end.