Chutney

Today's the day ..................... for mangoes

I have very happy memories of going last year, to a wonderful street market in the town of Voiron, in the southeast of France.  There were stalls piled high with every kind of delicious fruit and vegetables.  Marie Claire wanted to buy some mangoes - but before she did, the stall-holder took one of them from the pile, cut two segments from it with his sharp knife and gave us both one to try.  I can still taste that mango now - so juicy and sweet.  

Mangoes are quite cheap in the supermarkets here at the moment - but they are nothing like those French mangoes.  They never seem to get properly ripe and juicy - before they just go mushy and rotten?  The only thing to do with them (in my opinion) is to make mango chutney out of them - and that's what I've been doing today.

And, just in case, you feel like having a go - here's Delia Smith's recipe, which I find very good ...................... 




Ingredients
8 mangoes, slightly under-ripe (total weight about 6 lb/2.7 kg)
32 fl oz (800 ml) malt vinegar
8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with 2 heaped teaspoons salt in a pestle and mortar
2 Spanish onions, peeled and finely chopped
1½ lb (700 g) soft light brown sugar
1 level teaspoon cumin seeds
2 heaped teaspoons coriander seeds
12 cardamom pods
1 level teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 level teaspoon ground turmeric
4 oz (110 g) fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
1 level teaspoon ground cloves
 
Method
Begin this recipe a day ahead by preparing the mangoes.  Peel them using a potato peeler, then with a small sharp paring knife, cut wedges out of them, and collect in a large bowl.  Then sprinkle the sugar over the fruit in the bowl, turning it lightly to distribute the sugar evenly, then cover with clingfilm and leave it in a cool place overnight.
 
Next day begin by pre-heating a small frying pan then dry-roast the cumin, coriander and cardamom pods for a couple of minutes to draw out their full flavour. Then crush them with a pestle and mortar – the cardamom pods will separate from the seeds, but put the whole lot (pods as well) into the preserving pan together with all the other ingredients, including the mangoes and their syrup.
 
Now bring everything up to a gentle simmer and let it simmer for about 3 hours, stirring from time to time, until the mango becomes translucent and the liquid has almost evaporated, leaving behind a thick syrup. Remove the chutney from the heat, let it cool for 15 minutes then ladle it into warm sterilized jars.  Seal whilst the chutney is still hot and label when cold.