I recently posted an incredible Bengali Tomato and date chutney from India. You could eat it by the bowlful.
This right here is diametrically opposite. Think Fifty Shades Of Grey. Oh! you'll want some - just not in bowlfuls.
The heat will hit you after the first bite, the spicy oil will continue the torment and the scented curry leaves and garlic will make you want more. So good with all kinds of dal-rice combinations, I adore a spoonful even on pan-fried fish!
Eaten in little spoonfuls, the asafoetida, mustard spices, hot peppers and tomatoes have all the making of a great chutney. A must-have with Bisi Bele Huliyanna rice, the secret lies in the slow-sauteing the tomatoes so they release all their juices and mush down to one intense heap.
Like many good things in life, slow and steady is the name of this game err..chutney.
Whether it's birthdays, festivals, potlucks or religious functions, no Bengali spread is ever complete without this incredibly flavorful chutney.
This recipe is handed down to me by my mother-in-law and if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know I tend to brag about her incredible cooking skills.
I love that she is so dedicated with true and tried traditional methods of cooking and with every incredible bite you know that it comes from a hand that has been doing this for so very long in honor of time honored culinary traditions.
Like so many traditional cuisines of India, Bengali cuisine is over a 1000 years old which is mind boggling when you think about how many generations have passed down these recipes from mother to daughter or mother to son and if you're lucky, like me, mother-in-law to daughter-in-law.
This chutney, redolent with the scent of spices is laden with fresh tomatoes, succulent dates, plum raisins, jaggery or brown sugar and roasted ground cumin.
Eaten as the final transition between savory and dessert, it's a hot-spicy-sweet palate cleanser that as far as culinary transitions go, is top-notch.
Sometimes good fun comes in simple, idyllic packages.
Such as an afternoon driving 40 minutes away from the city to the small town of Purcellville, VA is search of Crooked Run Orchard to spend an afternoon plum, peach and blackberry picking.
After following the GPS, arriving at the farm, seeing nothing but dirt road and a dilapidated shack and tractor trailors, driving away, asking for directions and hereby confusing ourselves even further, only to realise the dirt track behind the heavy equipment was actually the track into the orchard, we were finally there.
We were greeted by what I can only describe as my take on a 'quintenssential farm person' in rural VA. Wearing a wide straw hat and gruff manners she looked at us as idiot specimens from the big city. Which we are, I suppose.
We worked very hard at not being offended (smile) and armed with excellent no-nonsense directions set off;
"only pick what you're gonna take. Don't care for when folks over pick the fruit".
" blackberries must be black and fall straight off the vine".
"Peaches must be a warm red with no hint of yellow or green. They can be hard and they'll ripen just fine just not anything but red".
"Plums - they're ready to go. Just pick away".
It was marvelous being at a family run orchard, completely non-touristy and off the beaten path much like discovering hidden treasure, a hidden oasis in the desert. There were just a handful of people most of whom were locals and collected buckets of fruit every year to make gallons of jam.
Our kids of course were searching out the insects more than the fruit!
Spending time together, doing this very simple thing was a gift. I can't think of a better way for us or the kids to spend an afternoon.
And in the end, we were rewarded for our efforts
sugary sweet yellow and red plums
These of course did not arrive home to tell the tale
Fortunately for us all, even after we had gorged on the much of the plums we still had over 2 lbs left for several jars of golden plum jam.
Now here's a jam recipe that I have been following for years. It originally hails from Australian Woman's Weekly, is a simple no-nonsense approach to jam making that takes all the fuss and groan out of it.
Who says one can't make an excellent BBQ sauce without ketchup?
I think of raspberries as the prima donnas of berries and in the summer, when they are plentiful and wilt in a heartbeat, its wonderful to have a way to not only use them up but to do so in an incredibly flavorful sauce, that not only does much for itself but so much more for chicken.
Speaking of which, marinating the chicken overnight in a bit of garlic, olive oil and most importantly fresh orange juice and zest does wonders for the chicken as you get a taste of citrusy flavor with each bite.
I've kept the basic foundations of traditional BBQ sauce intact with molasses and spices. However, I think the balsamic vinegar adds a much richer complexity of flavor instead of good ole' vinegar.
Use this recipe as a guide and tweak to your hearts content. Because we all know, that's where the secret of great BBQ sauce lies!
I was delighted to receive a sample case from POM Wonderful with bottles of their 100% Pomegranate juice with a request to not only sample the juice but perhaps use it creatively in my cooking.
Between Mr. Hubby & I, we have since consumed the 8 oz bottles at an alarming rate and left in the refrigerator are only 2 measly bottles. The flavor with its tartness and a hint of sweetness tastes very much of its origins - the pomegranate.
It's arrival has also coincided with kumquat season - these mini tart oranges that are a blessing to those who love making their own jams & jellies, makes one wicked marmalade. Try it and I think you'll agree that it's time to exit from traditional orange marmalade and enter the world of kumquat marmalade - which is what I'll do next year with a bit more planning.
But this year its all about the chutney!
I'm going to replace the use of any vinegar & wine with pomegranate juice which I think is clever isn't it? Any way, I'd rather cook with fruit juice over vinegar any day as long as I get the acidity that the dish needs.
I love spicy fruit chutneys which make every mundane thing fabulous and make delightful things even more wonderful. Serve it with everything from soft cheeses like Brie or Camembert & crackers to cream cheese, crusty bread or roasted meats or as in my case, delicious chicken & pecan crumb pie, the post for which you are not going to want to miss.
Its wonderful to have this chutney around & each batch will last 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Canning is the way to go for indefinite shelf life. Since I am not big into canning, I usually make everything (including my jams & chutneys) in small batches to last about 2 weeks. I freeze the bottles for up to 6 months.
You'll love this chutney if you like yours exploding with flavor - tart, sweet, aromatic spices & a touch of heat all at the same time.
The main ingredients are - small Spanish red onion, fresh ginger root, jalapeno chile, olive oil, kumquats, navel
orange, canned pineapple chunks in juice, light brown
sugar, ground nutmeg, 8oz bottle
POM pomegranate juice, & a wee bit of cornstarch
Spices - In a clean & dry small saute pan, add the whole spices. Roast
on low heat for 1-2 minutes till the seeds are slightly brown and very
fragrant. Cool completely. In a clean coffee grinder, grind the whole
spices to a fine powder.
Ginger - Jalapeno - Peel and the ginger, roughly dice
and set aside, Halve the jalapeno & discard seeds & membranes.
Ina mini-chopper place the jalapeno & ginger. Finely chop & set
aside.
Kumquats - Slice the kumquats in circles thinner than
1/8". Discard the green knob tip & the seeds that reveal themselves
during slicing.
Orange - Skin, discard membranes & seeds. Cut the
flesh into chunks and set aside.
Red Onion - Peel, discard skin. Finely chop in a clean
rinsed mini-chopper.
Pineapple chunks - Halve the chunks and set aside
In
a saute pan, heat the olive oil for a minute over medium heat. Add
the onions & saute on medium heat for 5 minutes or until it has
just begun
to soften.
Add the chopped ginger
jalapeno & saute for another 2 minutes or so.
Add
all the fruit and stir. Saute for about a minute to warm through.
Add
the ground spices and also the ground nutmeg. Stir till completely
mixed. Add the the brown sugar and stir
for another minute or so.
The fruits would be releases their juices and
the brown sugar will begin to dissolve. Once the sauce is slightly
thickened, add the bottle of POM juice.
Stir
and bring to a simmer. Fit with a tight fitting lid and simmer on low
heat for 30 minutes.
Add
the cornstarch dissolved in water and stir for a minute or so till the
chutney is thickened. At
this point you can leave the chutney chunky. I like it chunky but
also slightly blended to smooth it out a bit.
To
do this, with a hand immersion blender, pulse the chutney 5-6 times at
various places in the pan. Stir and set aside to cook completely.
Refrigerate at least 4-6 hours before serving, preferably overnight. Place
in clean sterilized jars for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or freeze for longer.
This is a chutney that is intensely flavorful. The aroma from the spices infuse the fruit and play against the sweet & tart flavors from the POM juice but also in the fruit - the kumquats, orange & pineapple.
There are layers of spice in from the ginger, jalapeno as well as the roasted spices. You know what else - just like wine, different people experience it differently - for me I could taste the fennel, Mr. Hubby the cardamom, others nutmeg - isn't that great? Same food, different perception!
When paired with soft cheeses & creamy pies, it not only complements that to which it is paired but takes on a life of its own that all the more delicious and memorable.
And to bring a smile on your face, I leave you with this, one of my favorite ads -
1 small Spanish red onion (to yield 1/4 cup finely chopped)
2" fresh ginger root
1/2 jalapeno chile
2 tbs olive oil
16 oz kumquats
1 navel orange
1 cup canned pineapple chunks in juice
1-1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 # 8oz bottle POM, pomegranate juice
1/2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tsp water
Spices-
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp whole cardamom seeds
6 whole cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
Preparation-
Spices - In a clean & dry small saute pan, add the whole spices. Roast
on low heat for 1-2 minutes till the seeds are slightly brown and very
fragrant. Cool completely. In a clean coffee grinder, grind the whole
spices to a fine powder.
Kumquats - Slice the kumquats in circles thinner than 1/8". Discard the green knob tip & the seeds that reveal themselves during slicing.
Orange - Skin, discard membranes & seeds. Cut the flesh into chunks and set aside.
Pineapple chunks - Halve the chunks and set aside
Ginger - Jalapeno - Peel and the ginger, roughly dice and set aside, Halve the jalapeno & discard seeds & membranes. Ina mini-chopper place the jalapeno & ginger. Finely chop & set aside.
Red Onion - Peel, discard skin. Finely chop in a clean rinsed mini-chopper.
Cooking method -
In
a saute pan, heat the olive oil for a minute over medium heat. Add the onions & saute on medium heat for 5 minutes or until it has just begun
to soften.
Add the chopped ginger jalapeno & saute for another 2 minutes or so.
Add all the fruit and stir. Saute for about a minute to warm through. Add the ground spices and also the ground nutmeg. Stir till completely mixed.
Add the the brown sugar and stir for another minute or so. The fruits would be releases their juices and the brown sugar will begin to dissolve. Once the sauce is slightly thickened, add the bottle of POM juice.
Stir and bring to a simmer. Fit with a tight fitting lid and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
Add the cornstarch dissolved in water and stir for a minute or so till the chutney is thickened.
At this point you can leave the chutney chunky. I like it quite chunky but also slightly blended to smooth it out a bit.
To do this, with a hand immersion blender, pulse the chutney 5-6 times at various places in the pan. Stir and set aside to cook completely. Refrigerate at least 4-6 hours before serving, preferably 24 hours.
Place in clean sterilized jars for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Absolutely wonderful with the chicken & pecan crumb pie.
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