Weather-wise, July and August in the Sandhills can feel like Mumbai or New Delhi.
When Britain ruled India — conjure scenes from “The English Patient” — chutney was as ubiquitous a condiment as salsa to Mexican or kimchee to Korean cuisines. Foreign Service employees brought it back to London, where versions were soon produced commercially. Queen Victoria was reported to be a fan. Before long, its Indian origins faded, to be replaced by Major Grey’s Mango Chutney — named for a real or pretend British officer — which became a staple in U.K. kitchens and is still available, for a frightening price, in American supermarkets.
Homemade is miles better, not to mention cheaper. Best of all, sweet-sour-spicy chutney tastes absolutely marvelous on anything off the backyard grill. Heat, provided by fresh or dried chili peppers, can be modulated, although not too weak, please, out of respect for its heritage; before refrigeration, in hot climates peppers helped mask off flavors. Anybody who survives three-alarm chili should have no trouble with moderate chutney.
Besides, with Henning’s Taste of India moving into the former Squire’s Pub on U.S.1 in Southern Pines, diners might get ahead on sub-continental flavors.
Why the trouble, given condiment shelves groaning under a dozen ketchups, nearly as many mustards, chow-chows, piccalilli, relishes, Asian counterparts?
For the answer, slather chutney on a bland turkey burger. A baked potato. Smear a little on a steaming corn cob instead of butter, on a ham sandwich instead of mayo. Pork tenderloin rubbed with chutney while roasting, then served with more on the side tastes sensational. Ditto skewered shrimp, broiled salmon or crab cakes.
Chutney perks up any cheese board. Treat a vegetarian to spaghetti squash or brown rice topped with a few spoonfuls. Maybe an open-faced sandwich: lightly toasted sourdough covered with cream cheese and a layer of chutney.
Make enough to process a few canning jars in a water bath, store in the pantry to challenge cranberry sauce alongside the Thanksgiving turkey. Because the time to make chutney with local fruit is now.
Here’s how:
Mixed Fruit Chutney
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh garlic (not processed)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
4 cups diced fresh fruit (see note)
½ cup golden raisins or chopped dried figs (do not omit dried fruit)
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon or more crushed dried red peppers
Heat oil to medium in large, heavy-bottomed pot. Sauté onion until beginning to brown. Add garlic and sauté about a minute, until fragrant. Add all other ingredients; mix well while heating to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover pot and simmer gently for 35-45 minutes, stirring often from bottom of pot, to prevent sticking. Uncover pot during last 5 minutes. If chutney seems thin, raise heat and stir a few more minutes until some liquid evaporates. Chutney will thicken while cooling.
Ladle chutney to the tops of glass jars and seal tightly. Cool, refrigerate at least 24 hours to blend flavors. Make about four 8 oz. jars.
Note: Use at least three fully ripe fresh fruits; chose from peaches, pears, plums, blueberries, apples, mango. Blueberries tint the chutney a lovely purple. Soft-ripe cantaloupe is a possibility as are halved seedless red grapes. To peel peaches, drop into boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain, slip off skins when cool enough to handle. Some cooks add a 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick to each jar, before sealing. Others use a slice of lemon.
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June 22, 2020 at 08:14PM
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Summer Fruit: Some Like It Hot — In Chutney - Southern Pines Pilot
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