by Constanze
I never was a sweet and savoury or sweet and spicy person. Refusing to eat food which had both sweet and savoury components was my life task. I remember that a friend once wanted to try out a new recipe and she told me about making a sauce from cream and figs and eating that over pasta. I was pretty sure I would hate it. But she is one of my best friends and I didn’t want to be unpolite. So I objected only a tiny bit and told her I would try it. She was very exited about her dish, I couldn’t eat it.
I thought I would never change my mind about this. But I live with a person who loves everything sweet and sour, sweet and savoury, sweet and spicy. He hoards sweet and sour sauces and spicy, sweet chutneys. This summer, when apricots were in season I bought a huge box of this wonderful fruit and instead of putting all of the apricots into a cake I decided to make a chutney for P. And the most amazing thing is that we both loved it. Without even realising it, my taste has changed a tiny bit. No, I still do not love everything sweet and savoury, but I definitely do love chutney.
I originally made this recipe for the vegan month of food, but since September was such a busy month I never mananged to publish it. The first version was made with fresh apricots but since they are clearly not in season anymore I made a second version with dried apricots. Both chutneys are quite different though. The fresh apricots blend with the spices, they provide structure and a fruity base, but they are clearly not as prominent as the dried ones with take the lead when it comes to taste. I don’t know which one I like better, I think that the one with the fresh fruit is a bit lighter and a bit more sour. It’s definitely a summer chutney, if there is such a thing. The one made with dried apricots is great for autumn as the apricots here add a very comforting and warm facet. And doesn’t it have a perfect autumn colour?
Fresh Apricot Chutney
3 black cardamom pods
15 black peppercorns
3 cloves
3 dried allspice berries
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 dried red chili
500 g (17.6 oz) fresh apricots, quartered
3 cherry tomatoes, quartered
150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
60 ml (1/4 cup) water
2 tablespoons white wine or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, diced
1 teaspoon salt
Add all whole, dried spices to a medium sized pot and toast until they start to brown. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and cover uncovered for about 20 more minutes, until thickened. Transfer to sterilised jars. Let cool completely and store in the fridge.
Dried Apricot Chutney
3 black cardamom pods
15 black peppercorns
3 cloves
3 dried allspice berries
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 dried red chili
200 g (7 oz) dried unsulfured apricots, quartered
3 cherry tomatoes, quartered
125 g (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar
120 ml (1/2 cup) white wine or apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, diced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon hot madras curry powder
1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Add all whole, dried spices to a medium sized pot and toast until they start to brown.
Add remaining ingredients and add salt to taste. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes, or until thickened.Transfer to sterilised jars. Let cool completely and store in the fridge.
9 comments
East Meets West Veg October 28, 2014 - 19:19
I think these would be very popular in our household. Spicy, sweet, and sour all together = heaven.
Leafysoul October 22, 2014 - 13:28
Wow das sieht wie immer toll aus!!
Chutney hab ich noch nie gegessen… die vom Inder mag ich nämlich nicht und hab das mal generalisiert. Da werde ich doch glatt mal deins ausprobieren!
Mach weiter so!!
Mihl October 22, 2014 - 13:40
Ja, man kann das wirklich nicht generalisieren. Es gibt ganz viele verschiedene Sorten und man kann ja auch nicht nur die Gewürze, sondern ebenfalls die Essig- und Zuckermenge so anpassen, dass es dem eigenen Geschmack entspricht.
Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe October 22, 2014 - 13:02
This is brilliant – my mum makes jam out of dried apricots but I never thought to try it with chutney – fresh apricots have such a short season and are too often disappointing. It is exciting to think I could make apricot chutney all year round. I am very wary of sweet and sour but I do like some sweet and savoury combinations like fruit in savoury dishes (eg my bbq strawberry glaze on a nut roast) but too much sugar in savoury food is just wrong for me (eg sweet potatoes and marshmallows). I think it is great when those about you can challenge you to try new things and glad you have found you can eat chutney thanks to P
Mihl October 22, 2014 - 13:13
Yes, it is a great way to try new stuff.
Mia October 21, 2014 - 16:40
Those chutneys look amazing. We are just coming into summer here, so I can try the fresh apricot one soon :-)
I also have to say I LOVE pasta with fresh figs and cashew cream. Eeee – Summer figs coming up soon!
Mihl October 22, 2014 - 13:14
Well, maybe I’ll go for figs with cashew cream and without pasta:)
Joey October 21, 2014 - 15:20
It’s a tough contest, but I’m going to have to hand it to the fresh version by a nose. The apricot season is all too short – I’ve got some roasted apricots frozen in the freezer, reckon they’d be OK to use for this?
Mihl October 21, 2014 - 16:51
I have never tried roasted apricots, but they sound great! I would suggest to start out with less sugar and maybe you have to add a bit more water, but they should be okay to use.
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