Chutney Recipes

In answer to Arny's request for a plum chutney recipe, here are several chutney recipes for present and future reference. For plum cake, use the recipe in the earlier blog post today, but use plums instead of peaches. For plum compote, cook plums and apples and maybe some peaches with sugar to taste and a bit of lemon peel -- there's no recipe for this!

Plum Chutney
from the New York Times some time in the 1980s

3 lb blue plums           3 small hot peppers
1 and 1/2 lb. apples      2 cups cider vinegar
2 cups brown sugar        1 tbsp each ginger, allspice, cloves, mustard seed

Slice plums, chop apples, and mix in other ingredients. Simmer till very thick, about 1 hour. Taste and add more sugar if necessary before you have finished simmering it. Place in jars, refrigerate, and let the chutney rest 2 weeks before serving.

Note: I posted it with photos last year: Plum Chutney Recipe

Mango Chutney

6-7 large mangoes*                2 cups cider vinegar
3 cups light brown sugar          1/2 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
1/2 c. golden raisins             1/2 c. finely chopped candied ginger
1/2 tbsp. Chinese chili-bean      5 whole cloves
paste, mashed **                  5 whole allspice berries
3 cardamom pods                   1 stick cinnamon

Peel, seed, and chop the mangoes making various size pieces from very small to 1/4 inch cubes. Place all ingredients in a large kettle, bring to a boil, and simmer for 2 hours until chutney is thick, stirring occasionally to ensure no scorching. Remove large spice pieces. Rinse canning jars in hot water, fill with hot chutney, cover, and store in refrigerator. Be sure to allow chutney to rest for at least 2 weeks to acquire a mature flavor.

You can also sterilize the filled jars with a 10-minute water bath and so on in order to store the chutney at room temperature safely. (I never do this).

* Seems to be better with somewhat greener mangoes.
** Note: my bean paste had whole black beans. The second time I made the chutney I tried to pick them out as they looked funny, even when mashed into the paste. I think Chinese chili garlic paste is a better choice here.

Cranberry Chutney
Use a total of 2 packages of cranberries -- 6 cups
Combine the following in a large pan and boil until sugar dissolves:

   1/2 cup cider vinegar        2 and 1/4 cups brown sugar
 3/4 tsp. curry powder        1/2 tsp. ground ginger
 1/4 tsp. ground cloves       1/4 tsp. allspice
 1/2 tsp. cinnamon            1 and 1/2 cups water

Add and simmer 10 minutes:

   1 apple, peeled, cored, chopped
 2 lemons and 2 oranges, prepared as follows

Use the orange and lemon rind and the fruit -- pare rind with a vegetable peeler and chop or grate it. Discard the pith. Section and chop the fruit.

Add and boil 40 minutes:

   1/2 cup golden raisins       1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
 3 cups cranberries

Add 3 cups more, that is the rest of the cranberries. I fool around with this recipe a lot. Sometimes I just put everything together and cook until it looks thick and done. Sometimes I use candied ginger.

Store in jars in refrigerator. Age this chutney about a week before using. It keeps for several months in the refrigerator.

Rhubarb-Apricot Chutney
Mainly as received from Lydia at The Perfect Pantry, May 2008

2 cups diced rhubarb                  2 cups dried or fresh apricot halves, diced
1 cup honey OR                        1 cup golden raisins
   1 and 3/4 c. brown sugar         2 cups cider vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice              1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger OR         1 tsp cinnamon
   2 Tbsp candied ginger            1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves                 1 tsp allspice

In a heavy saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.

The original recipe didn't say to age the chutney, but of course I did, and of course it improved with age.