Mango Chutney

Okay, I’ve been holding out on you in the mango department. Not on purpose, but it’s been several weeks, perhaps even unto a whole month, since I tried making mango chutney for the first time. Got a recipe from epicurious.com, played around with it a bit so it suited me, put it all together one afternoon, and there it was. One nice jar-ful, plus another cup or so to freeze. As it boiled along contentedly on the stove, I had a taste every now and then to monitor the progress. But then I put it away and went out to play ultimate Frisbee, and didn’t really think much of it until nearly a week later at dinnertime.

Our friend Kerry (she used to work as a chef) was over, and we had some couscous with a few raisins, some sautéed chicken pieces seasoned lightly with salt and pepper (thanks Chris!), and then added a few dollops of the chutney. Wow – it was SO GOOD! Absolutely loaded with flavor, not too sweet, with a nice round of spices and fresh ginger to perk up the fruit and onions. So without further ado, here’s the recipe. Even though most of y’all don’t live anywhere near a mango tree, I bet you’d still enjoy this if you made it with an imported mango from Mexico. (The apples I used were imported from Europe, so we’re even.)

Mango Chutney (adapted from epicurious.com)

1 ½ medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I used golden delicious)
1 large mango, peeled and chopped (not quite fully ripe)
(You should end up with roughly equal amounts of apple and mango.)
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup (scant) finely chopped peeled gingerroot
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp each: ground nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt (be slightly generous with the nutmeg and cinnamon)

Combine apples, mangoes, sugar, onion, raisins, vinegar, and gingerroot in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and boil gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until fruit is tender and mixture is thickened, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice, curry powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt; boil gently for 5 minutes. Can, freeze, or just refrigerate if you’re going to eat it right away.