Playing favourites
Every recipe I share with you, is in my book or here, in my blog, I have carefully chosen out of many, I have prepared it over and over, perfecting and refining it, so as to share with everyone around me its purest essence, every time. This, however, is a treasure I am sharing with you today with some extra love, as it is my personal favourite, since childhood. It actually took me some time to make my very own version, but once I got it right I never stopped making it in large batches, stocking my pantry with beautiful jars filled with delicious tanginess.
It is sweet, spicy, slightly tingling; with delicious pieces of fresh, ripe fruit I preserve at the very moment they express their best qualities, locking them in a zesty embrace of the finest seasonings. This recipe has become such a “Sandra staple” that my friends always look forward to a little jar as a present, eager to match it with cold meats, cheeses and, my way of enjoying it, some fresh brown bread, cut in bite size pieces. It was my friends who, not long ago, urged me to make one of the largest batches I had ever prepared, for the night of my book signing party. And what a night it was! Loving, familiar faces all around, talking to each other sweetly, warmed up by a happy feeling of true friendship, hands leaning over each other, to reach and share some more of my mango chutney, the essence of my cooking, the tie that binds me, my love for creation and the people I treasure in my life.
Mango Chutney
Ingredients:
2 kg mangos, peeled and sliced
500 g soft light brown sugar
100 g raisins
100 g dates, stoned and chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
100 g fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon ground cloves
800 ml cider vinegar
8 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with 2 heaped teaspoons salt in a pestle and mortar
4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
Method:
1. Combine the mango wedges in a bowl and sprinkle the sugar. Add the raisins, and dates and half of the vinegar. Stir lightly. Cover and let stand in a cool place overnight covered with a tea cloth.
2. The next day, preheat a small frying pan. Add the cumin, coriander and cardamom to the pan. Dry roast the spices for a couple of minutes, in order to draw out their full flavours.
3. Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan. Simmer gently for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mango becomes soft and the liquid has almost evaporated into a thick syrup.
4. Remove the chutney from the heat. Let it cool for 15 minutes. Using a funnel, ladle it into the warm and sterilized jars. Seal whilst the chutney is still hot. Label the jars when they chill.
Now you’re going to have to forget all about it for 8 weeks so that it can mellow and mature.
Makes 4 to 5 jars of 350 ml capacity