Christmas chutney

This is potent Christmas magic in a jar, or rather eight little jars that you can give as emergency or supplemental gifts to friends and family, and you'll even have some leftover for yourself.  I can't get over how good it is, this red jammy awesomesauce, and all I've been doing is sneaking tiny bites of it right out of the refrigerator.  It's going to be even better alongside some turkey cutlets I'm planning to make tomorrow or as a condiment on a future Christmas ham sandwich. 

And I don't even consider myself a chutney enthusiast--not at all!  I never ate it as a child and only began using it as an ingredient a few years ago.  Truly the only time I have cared one way or the other about chutney was when it was mentioned on the fabled third season of The Simpsons (episode title: The Otto Show), when Apu introduced a chutney-flavored Squishee thusly: "You can really taste the chutney!"  Which made chutney seem gross more than anything else.

But what the heck is chutney, anyway?  Wikipedia says: Chutney is a term for a class of spicy preparations used as an accompaniment for a main dish. Chutneys usually contain an idiosyncratic but complementary spice and vegetable mix... American and European styled chutneys are usually fruit, vinegar and sugar, cooked down to a reduction.  Kinda not my bag, but when Nigella Lawson starts talking about this particular chutney: "It is the cornerstone of my Christmas pantry," and "I begin to hyperventilate, even at the idea of not having a stock of it," how can one resist making it?  Indeed, how have I lived for as long as I have without it? 

Well, it couldn't be easier to make, once you get past the initial chopping.  You just put it in a pot and let it reduce for about an hour.  And while "foodstuff" is one of my most hated words of all time, I can really get behind Nigella's canning philosophy: "Jars and bottles should be sterilized before having foodstuff put into them, but I have to say that I regard a dishwasher-clean jar or bottle (providing it comes fresh from the machine, with not so much as a finger touching the inside) as a sterilized one.  If you wish to be more meticulous..."  (I kind of stopped reading there.)

Make this and your kitchen will smell like Christmas should have been smelling your whole life.  Get some of those adorable baby 8 ounce jars and put it in them, and then bask in the happy satisfaction that comes from creating a stock of superb, cheap, homemade emergency gifts.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lbs. cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped small  <--Granny Smith worked for me.  Heh, but she kept getting on my case about always having to come in on the weekends!  Sorry Granny, it's my way or the highway!
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 500 grams fresh or (thawed) frozen cranberries <--This is something like a bag and a half or 18 ounces; all of Nigella's measurements were metric so I just used the squint print on the bag or consulted a conversion table.
• 250 grams soft pitted dates, each date cut into 3  <--A little more than half a pound; my store did not have soft dates, only chopped, dried dates, but I used them anyway and the chutney managed to be amazing.
• zest, pulp, and juice of 2 clementines
• 400 grams caster a.k.a. superfine sugar <-- not quite a pound.
• 1/2 t ground cloves
• 1 t ground ginger
• 1 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 500 ml white wine vinegar <-- 2 1/4 cups.
• 1 t table salt

DIRECTIONS

Put the apples, onion, cranberries and dates into a large pan.  Zest the clementines over the top, then squeeze in the juice and scrape in the pulp.

Add the sugar, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and cayenne pepper, then pour the vinegar over and sprinkle in the salt.

Give a good stir, turn on the heat, and bring to a boil.  Then turn down the heat and let it bubble cheerfully, uncovered, for about an hour or until you have a pulpy mass.

Spoon into your warm, prepared jars and seal.

Comments

[Jordyn]

I am insanely addicted to your blog...:P

[Kelly]

Yay! I have an addict!!

Thank you. :)

[Jessica]

I just want say that I love your blog. I am going through some life changes and I truly aspire to be as cool as you are. I've made Bacon Egg Toast Cups and plan on making Gnudi and Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars this week. Thanks for brightening my day!

[bj]

Love chutney. Never made it though! Might have to try my hand at it for this Christmas.