Make Your Own Chutney

Food and wine lover (and friend) Paul Spring has been promising to fork over some sauce, appetizer and accompaniments recipes. We posted the first on Sunday — for tapenade — and now he's given us his recipe for a chutney.

We like chutneys, but mostly eat them from the jar, so we've always thought that we should try to figure out how top make our own as a way to use up fruit that's gone just a bit around the bend.

We'd like to discover some general proportional rules, such as how much fruit, how much acid and how much sweetness. If you have some guidelines, let us know.

Apple and Cranberry Chutney (makes about a cup)

If you’ve only had chutney from a jar, take the time to make your own just once. It stores in the refrigerator for at least a week and freezes well. It’s great on just about everything; my favorite is pork tenderloin cut across the grain about an inch thick and quickly sautéed, served with chutney. 

Amazingly complex (not surprising given the ingredients) and an great expression of sweet, sour, and spicy.

1 tablespoon oil

1-1/2 cups red onions, chopped

3 apples (tart varieties will require a bit less lemon juice/vinegar; pears are also nice)

6 tablespoons brown sugar

Zest from 1 lemon

Juice of ½ lemon

¾ tablespoon of cinnamon

1+ tablespoon fresh ginger (finely grated)

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1 large clove garlic (peeled)

1/3+ cup of dried cranberries

¼+ golden raisins

1 small dried Asian pepper

1 tablespoon Quatre Especes (which is a combination of white pepper, nutmeg, cloves & ginger)

Roast the apples or pears in the oven in an open dish @ 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Then slice into 1/2–inch cubed pieces.

Sweat the onions and garlic in a deep saucepan in oil. After 5-7 minutes, add all other ingredients (including apple) and cook on med/low (simmer) for 20-30 minutes (until surface moisture is mostly gone). 

Refrigerate for 12 hours to let the flavors knit. Keeps in the refrigerator for at least a week.