Tropical Spiced Chutney Food

SPICY TROPICAL FRUIT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, honey, brown sugar, coriander, cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.
• Add the pineapple, mango, papaya, garlic, ginger and Scotch bonnet and season lightly with salt and white pepper.
• Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
• Let cool.
• Discard the cinnamon and bay leaf.
• Serve at room temperature or chilled.
• **The chutney can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

TROPICAL CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup nectar, sugar, lime juice, ginger, and garlic in large skillet, and set over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium; let simmer until syrupy, 8 to 10 minutes. Raise heat to medium high; add mango and pineapple. Cook, tossing, until fruit is glazed, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer to bowl. Add jalapeno, red pepper, and cilantro; toss. Add remaining 2 tablespoons nectar to pan; scrape up cooked-on bits. Pour into bowl. Adjust seasoning. Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to a few days

TROPICAL SPICED CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Rinse jars (each 8 ounces) and their matching lids with boiling water, then leave upside down to drain on a kitchen towel.
• Peel mango, cut into slices, approximately 1/2 inch thick around the pit. Cut slices into small dice.
• Peel papaya and scoop out the seeds. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Remove outer husk of cape gooseberries.
• Peel the onions and cut into approximately 1-inch dice. Peel and finely mince ginger root.
• Rinse chile pepper and cut into very thin slices. (Remove seeds if you prefer less heat.)
• Heat sugar in a pot, stirring, until it melts, then stop stirring and cook until caramel is light brown.
• Add onions, ginger and chile. Stir in vinegar and apple juice and cook, stirring, until caramel has dissolved completely.
• Add mango, papaya and gooseberries to pot. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon hot chutney into prepared jars and secure lids. Let stand upside down for 5 minutes, then turn right sides up and let cool completely. Tip: To preserve for longer, process jars according to manufacturer's instructions. Chutney tastes best 2-3 months after preparation.

SPICED MANGO CHUTNEY WITH CHILES

Steps:

• Peel and dice the mangoes to yield 5 cups, or 2 pounds 4 ounces.
• Put a rack or a folded kitchen towel in a large pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. Add 6 half-pint canning jars and boil for 10 minutes. Jars may be left in the warm water until ready to be filled. (Alternatively, sterilize jars by running them through a dishwasher cycle, leaving them inside until ready to fill.)
• Place canning rings in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add lids to soften rubber gaskets. Rings and lids may be left in water until jars are filled.
• In a large, heavy, nonreactive pot, stir together mangoes, raisins, vinegar, brown sugar, onion and ginger together. Crush the mustard, coriander and cardamom seeds with the side of your knife or a rolling pin. Add to the pot and stir well. Add the lime leaves.
• Wearing gloves, slice the chiles into rings. Remove seeds if you wish. Decide how much chile suits your taste. (If you are heat averse, start with half the recommended amount and taste. The chiles may be omitted altogether for a sweeter chutney.)
• Bring heat up to medium and stir occasionally as mixture comes to a boil. Bring to a good hard boil, stirring all the time. Cook for 25 minutes, being careful to avoid sticking and burning as the mixture thickens. Adjust heat as needed without losing the boil and continue to stir.
• After 25 minutes, the mixture should be thick, with the fruit suspended in the tangy syrup, and a spoon pulled along the bottom of the pot leaving a trail. Turn off heat and discard the lime leaves.
• Ladle the hot chutney into warm jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Run a plastic knife gently around inside of jar to remove any air bubbles. Recheck headspace. Wipe jar rims clean with a damp towel. Place lids on jars, screw on rings and lower jars back into pot of boiling water. Return to full boil and boil jars for 15 minutes. Transfer jars to a folded towel and let cool for 12 hours; you should hear them ping as they seal.
• Once cool, test seals by removing rings and lifting jars by their flat lids. If the lid releases, the seal has not formed. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within a month, or reprocessed. (Rings and jars may be reused, but a new flat lid must be used each time jars are processed.) To reprocess, reheat syrup to boiling then continue as before.

SPICED PLUM CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Halve the plums and remove the pits if possible -- if the plums are very firm then leave the pits in to prevent wasting any flesh. In this case, allow 2 1/4 lbs. in weight.
• Cut the peeled and cored apples into small dice. Peel and chop the onions. Peel and mince the garlic.
• Put the plums, apples, onion and garlic into the pan with 1 1/4 cup vinegar, mixed spice, curry, ginger and cinnamon.
• Simmer gently until the fruits are soft. Remove the plum pits (if necessary)at this point.
• Add the sultanas, sugar and remaining 1 1/4 cup of vinegar. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Boil steadily until the consistency of a thick jam, stirring occasionally.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, then spoon into the hot jars and seal down.