Notes from Stella's Kitchen
The word chutney is derived from the Indian word chatni, meaning “strongly spiced,” and is probably the most widely known condiment in India. Most people in the United States are familiar with Major Grey’s chutney; strangely however, nobody in India seems to have ever heard of Major Grey. While searching the web for background on chutney, I found an item by Sylvia Staub that included this little ditty:
All things chickeny and mutt’ny
Taste far better with Chutney
This is the mystery eternal:
Why didn’t Major Grey make Colonel?
Because of its culinary heritage, chutney is usually used with curried foods, but its spicy, tart flavor enhances any number of non-Indian dishes. Paul and I don’t eat much curried food, but enjoy home-made chutney and we use it often with our beef, chicken, pork dishes, as well as with seafood such a shrimp. There is more, we find it also enhances the taste of cheese and can be used independently on crackers, bagels or even breakfast toast. For a party, we mix it with cream cheese or crème fraiche to make a dip or spread.
Chutney’s variable uses are due to the fact that there is no single chutney recipe. Essentially, chutney consists of a mixture of fruits, vinegars, spices and sugar, that have spiced mild or hot according to taste and cooked into a chunky spread. While often used interchangeably with relishes, chutneys differ in that they can be savory while relishes tend to be sweet. In addition, chutneys have a chunky, spreadable consistency very much like preserves, while relishes are hardly cooked and are more crunchy.
Paul and my favorite chutneys involve mangos and our favorite way to use it is as an accompaniment to sautéed spicy shrimp or curried shrimp. The same goes with most fish dishes. But don’t limit yourself. I also use it as a marinade on various meats and mix it with mayonnaise to accent the taste of cold meats or poultry. So think of chutney as we do as a very versatile condiment and a good way to use up the fruits and vegetables of your summer garden.
Indian restaurants usually offer chutney that is sweet, hot or sweet-hot. I find that the plus of making my own chutney is that I can season it to my taste and use the ingredients that I particularly like or happen to have on hand. In order to make your own chutney, there are a few important tips. Use non-reactive pots to make chutney and stir the mixture with either a wooden or plastic spoon. This is important as the acid in the mixture will react with iron, copper or brass causing a discoloration of the chutney, a pitting of the pot, and will impart a metallic taste to the chutney.
Chutney properly prepared will last several weeks in the refrigerator because of its acid/vinegar content; however, if you wish to preserve the chutney, use normal canning instructions for a water bath, which usually equates to 15 minutes for pints or 25 minutes for quart sized sterilized jars.
At Christmas time, I add some cranberries to the basic recipe to give it a little more color and a bit of a bite. The red color of the berries and the green color of the lime adds the Christmas touch to the end product and makes a wonderful plate to set with your family Christmas feast. Although it is now summer, I’ve added its recipe as this month’s recipe and hope you enjoy using it as a colorful addition to your summer fare.
Remember, the key to success of any chutney is the use of firm-fleshed, under-ripe fruits which will ultimately hold their shape in the cooking process. So, soft fruits or berries such as raspberries or strawberries are not good candidates for chutneys as they will cook down into a smooth jam and their flavor will be lost. Dried fruits also work extremely well as they retain their texture while providing a tart taste to offset the sugar and spices.
Bon Appetit!
