Since apricots and Spring are on my mind, I thought I’d post our apricot chutney recipe. Last year around this time, we gave a copy of this (along with a jar of the product ) to our friends Samuel and Elizabeth, in celebration of their marriage. Today they’re having their annual Spring Ding party, which I’m sad to miss. So to them I raise a long distance toast —or, rather, a toast topped with cheese and chutney!

The original basis for this was a recipe from my mother-in-law, Ruth Fraser. We confess to changing the spices and accessory fruits (like the figs) from year to year. Experiment with different chilies, cardamom (and other Far, Near or South Eastern Asian spices), prunes, dates, etc. We use fresh Blenheim apricots and Meyer lemons because they grow in our backyard. We haven’t tried dried apricots, but if you do, let us know how it turns out. The variations are fun to play with!

Serving suggestions: On toast, with cheese, poultry or coldcut meats. Excellent as part of a basting sauce (if thinned out with water or wine) or dip, or an ingredient for a curry like condiment, relish or marinade. Since the whole spices (cloves, peppercorns, etc.) don’t break down, you should remove them before munching.

The amount of vinegar and brown sugar might vary, depending on the tartness and sweetness of the apricots. If in doubt, taste! Also, depending on the juiciness of the fruits used, as well as, again, the amount of vinegar and sugar, the resulting volume of chutney will vary. As an example from a batch from 2005, we ended up with 6 pints, spread amongst 6 8-ounce jars and 4 12-ounce jars. (We have a weird mix of canning jars around.)

The jars keep for a long time in a cool closet. We have enjoyed four year old chutney. It does age quite well, although make sure that the lids haven’t popped, to maintain the air-tight seal. Remember to refrigerate after opening a jar.

Fruits & alliums

• 4 pounds fresh apricots, pitted and chopped (no more than 1/2 inch thick)
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• (optional) 4 ounces dried figs, finely diced
• (optional) 4 ounces dates, pitted and finely diced
• 7 ounces golden raisins, or sultanas; you could substitute regular dark raisins.

Spices

• 3 inches ginger root, peeled and grated
• 2 1/2 sticks of cinnamon —the softstick variety from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) has a sweet, fruity edge; it can be found at Mexican stores.
• 2 tablespoons black mustard seed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 5 dried Serrano chiles, crumbled, including seeds but omitting any stems
• (optional) 1 star anise, broken; warning this imparts a strong licorice flavor!

Sour & sweet

• 2 cups malt vinegar
• 12 ounces dark brown sugar
• 3 lemons, both zest and juice

Method

1. Put all of the fruits, except for the raisins, onions, garlic and spices into a large stock pot with a heavy bottom. Turn the heat onto medium high. Pour in enough malt vinegar so that the mixture won’t stick as you bring it to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium once you obtain a lively simmer.
2. Add more malt vinegar as the mixture simmers, to prevent it from becoming dry or too stiff. You want to get a jam-like consistency. At this point, most (~75%) of the vinegar is usually used. Continue to stir occasionally to avoid sticking, and lower the temperature to medium low or low. Maintain a gentle simmer.
3. After about 1 hour, stir in the raisins, lemon zest and lemon juice.
4. Stir in the brown sugar when the apricots have become pulpy, i.e., fallen apart so there are few if any solid lumps. This usually occurs about 30 minutes after adding the raisins and lemon ingredients. At this point, most (~75%) of the sugar is usually used.
5. Simmer, with occasional stirring, for another 45 minutes. The sugar should be completely dissolved and the chutney have a thick jammy consistency. Turn off of the heat, and set aside overnight. On the stovetop is fine, as the acid and sugar ought to be enough to deter the growth of unwanted flora. (Alternatively, store in the refrigerator overnight.)
6. The next day, bring the chutney to a simmer over medium high heat, then lower the temperature to medium low or low to maintain a gentle simmer. Add any additional vinegar and/or sugar to desired taste and viscosity. Cook for 1 hour.
7. Make sure you have clean jars and caps handy. Ladle the hot chutney into the jars, quickly cap them, then process appropriately.
8. As mentioned earlier, store in a cool location like a closet or larder. This chutney is best served at least 2 to 3 months after being made.

If you have an abundance of fresh tomatoes, 3 pounds of them will substitute nicely for both the canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. In fact, if they’re sweet, you shouldn’t need to add any sugar. Also, you can use 2 cans of tomatoes, instead of 1 can of tomatoes and 1 can of tomato sauce.

If you don’t have an ovenproof pot, you can do the long cooking on the stovetop over low heat. The oven does provide more even heating, though.

Yes, you really do need to cook this for a long period of time! If you eat the chili after less than 3 hours of cooking in the oven (or stove), the flavors will be far too harsh. I’ve found that the flavors start to integrate well after 6 hours, but become mellow after 10 hours.

I’m still trying to figure out the best starch side to serve with this: should it be a baked potato, pasta, bread or boiled rice? Or…? Crème fraîche or sour cream are good garnishes, as is a sprinkling of grated cheese (Cheddar, Gruyère or Monterey Jack).

This chili freezes well, as long as you exclude any starch or dairy accompaniments. Reheat the frozen chili in a covered, ovenproof dish at 375F degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

(Update: 6 Oct 2008). I found that adding a chopped banana adds a pleasant, creamy texture. Didn’t taste any banana-ness after the many hours of cooking. I also used 1 1/2 ounces of unsweetened Mexican chocolate (by Oaxacan Foods), which contained almonds and (more) cinnamon. Nevertheless, I’m still looking for a good starch accessory: I’m rather bored of potatoes, and spaghetti reminded me too much of pasta Bolognese, which I don’t like. Perhaps plantains might work, if I can find a good recipe for ‘em. Or a good source of handmade corn tortillas.

(Update: 20 Nov 2006). Today we used the last of this year’s garden tomatoes. Since I didn’t use my usual roasted canned tomatoes, this was a great excuse to try out the smoked Spanish paprika which I had purchased on a whim from Penzey’s (to substitute for the sweet paprika). Still feeling experimental, I substituted one big dried guajillo chili for the serranos, and one cup of beer (Young’s Double-Chocolate Stout) for the water. (I learned that beer is a better choice in chili, instead of wine (i.e., if you feel the urge to add alcoholic flavorings); I found that the latter made it too tart.) Anyhow, the result of these modifications was a somewhat milder chili, with a deeper flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, or ghee (clarified butter), or a mix
• 1 pound carrots, chopped
• 1 pound onions, chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup garlic, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans
• 1 can (about 15 ounces) tomatoes, chopped; I recommend Muir Glen’s Fire Roasted brand
• 1 can (about 15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water, bottled or filtered
• 1 ounce unsweetened (baker’s) chocolate
• (optional) 1 banana, chopped
• (optional) 2 to 3 teaspoons maply syrup, maple sugar, or dark brown sugar
• sea salt, as desired

Spice mixture

• 2 tablespoons chili powder; I’ve used Penzey’s Hot Chili Powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 to 5 dried serrano chile peppers, crumbled
• 1 to 3 dried chipotle chile peppers, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
2. In a large dutch oven or ovenproof, heavy-bottomed pot, sauté the chicken in 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil (or ghee) over medium high heat until no longer pink. Transfer the chicken and its liquids into a covered bowl and set aside.
3. Add the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil to the dutch oven, and sauté the onions and carrots over high heat until the onions are translucent.
4. Lower the heat to medium high, then stir in the garlic and bay leaf. Let cook until the carrots are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir periodically so that the garlic doesn’t get burnt.
5. Add the spice mixture, and sauté until it becomes aromatic.
6. Stir in the black beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, chocolate, and banana, if using.
7. Add the chicken and its liquids back to the dutch oven. Add the maple or brown sugar, if desired.
8. Once the chili has come to a simmer on the stove, transfer it to the oven.
9. Stir the chili every hour or two, so that it doesn’t stick. You can gradually lower to the oven temperature to 300F degrees, as long as the chili remains simmering; I can usually do this within its first hour of being in the oven.
10. Cook for at least 6 hours, preferably more.
11. The canned tomatoes, sauce and beans often contain salt, so you might not need to add more —however, if desired, add more salt, to suit your taste. Serve in bowls.