Do you like chutney? I do, both the mild kind and the hot, spicy kind. But if we’re talking about transforming apricots into chutney, I think it best to stick with ingredients that won’t drown the taste of the fruit. Mangoes have an assertive flavor and stand up to chilis and lots of onions very well – tomatoes, too. But for the true taste of peaches and apricots to come through in chutney, I stick with sweet spices.
Apricot Chutney
recipe from Elizabeth David’s Summer Cooking
Ingredients:
2 lbs. ripe apricots – 5 cups
10 oz. brown sugar – 1 1/2 cups
1 medium onion
4 oz. golden raisins – just under 1 cup (I only had black, so I used them – but if you use golden, the chutney’s color will be light.)
1 tsp. fresh, grated ginger root
1 Tblsp. salt
1/2 pint – 1 cup – cider vinegar
1 tsp. coriander seeds
3 cloves of garlic
Method:
1. Rinse, halve, and pit the apricots.
2. Slice the onion and garlic thinly.
3. Put all the ingredients into a large pan. Boil till the apricots are very soft.
4. Remove the apricots from the pan with a slotted spoon and put them into clean, dry jars.
5. Boil the remaining liquid until it becomes a thick syrup.
6. Pour the syrup into the jars; cover and allow to cool before storing.
That looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it. My aunt made an apricot chutney last summer that was just amazing, and I hope this is just as good. She sent me a jar and this one is very vinegar-y and I can’t say I care much for it. Does your taste strongly of vinegar? Should I only use maybe a 1/2c of vinegar instead of a whole cup?