CRANBERRY LIME CHUTNEY

I wouldn't be lying if I told you that my dear hubby has been eating this stuff straight up.  I tried to explain that it is a condiment of sorts or a side to complement something else, like turkey.  He's pretty sure its perfectly okay to eat it by the spoon full!

The first time I made it, I did not have an orange to complete the recipe but I was all in at that point so I went ahead and made it anyway.  This past time I included the orange.  OMG!  It really made a difference.  I will be making it a third time very soon with the last of my frozen cranberries.

CRANBERRY LIME CHUTNEY

2 c. fresh cranberries
2/3 c. dark brown sugar
1 large orange, peeled, pith removed, cut into 1/4" slices
1 T. grated lime zest
3 T. fresh lime juice
1 medium tart apple, such as Granny Smith, pared, cored, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2-3 tablespoons water

In a saucepan combine all the ingredients, except cornstarch mixture, and cook on medium low until the cranberries have popped and everything is tender. Add the cornstarch and cook until it thickens.

Chutneys: Tamarind and Coriander

Its a mess- don't judge me.

I have a confession...  I am a cook book hoarder.  I have SO many... like close to 200.  And actually that would not be a bad thing if I used them.  But rarely I do.  I have about five that I refer to often but my main source is the internet.  And actually, other than Epicurious and Allrecipes and Cooking Light, I mainly look at blogs.  I do also make up recipes, which that is perfectly acceptable.  It's all about the visuals for me.  Eye candy. Some of my cookbooks have no visuals.. pishaw!  I have seen people make commitments to use their cookbooks and think, "I need to do that too."  And then.  I don't.  But now I am openly admitting my cookbook addiction and I vow to use them at least once a month.  Maybe even once a week.

That said, these recipes are adapted from various sources on the internet.  Shameful.

These are the sauces I made for the Indian meal we had last Sunday. And if you are Indian you will say these are probably common to you.  For us, they were like a revelation.  A taste revelation- an explosion of wonderful flavor in our mouths.  I can see many applications for these sauces and have already used the cilantro one in my black bean soup.

Tamarind Chutney


1/4 cup tamarind paste
2/3 cup dates, pitted
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/2 teaspon cayenne
1/ teaspoon crushed cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup palm sugar, grated


In a sauce pot combine tamarind paste, sugar, pal sugar, dates and water.  Place over heat and bring to a boil.  Turn down heat to simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes with the cover on.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool, cover off.


Once it is cool puree the mixture in a blender.  In a small frying pan roast the cumin seeds. Place them in a spice grinder.  Add the salt cayenne and ground cumin to the tamarind mixture.  Stir to combine.

Coriander Chutney


1/4 cup lemon juice 
1/4 cup water
1/4 pound cilantro leaves and stems
1/2 cup onion, chopped coarsely
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt


Puree the whole mixture in a blender.  Adjust sugar, salt and heat according to your taste.

Got Green Tomatoes?

If you are a gardener that has tomatoes, the inevitable happens every year. The end of growing season comes before all of your tomatoes are finished growing.

Here are a few things I have done with green tomatoes in the past.

Green Tomato Jam I and II (no jello in these)



Green Tomato Salad (that you can also can)

And now Green Tomato Chutney. The nice thing about this one is that you can can it as well. I found the recipe in Martha Stewart Annual 2003.

Green Tomato Chutney

4 pounds green tomatoes, finely diced
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 large onion, diced
1 cup golden raisins
2 cups packed brown sugar
finely grated zest of one lemon

Bring all of the ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer until mixture thickens. This will take over an hour, depending on how high your heat is.

Remove cinnamon sticks and place in 1/2 pint jars, wiping any spillage at the top of the jar. Place lids and rims on and seal. Place in a hot water bath (water should cover jars) and boil for 15 minutes. Remove jars from water bath and place on towel. Jars should seal within an hour. If there are any jars that the lids did not "go down" or seal, after they have cooled, refrigerate them.