Spicy Sweet Tomato Chutney

Spicy sweet tomato chutney based on Madhur Jaffery's delicious recipe from Spice Kitchen. Perfect with any meat.

If you have been reading along for a while, you know that our family has lived all around the world, in a variety of great places.  This nomadic lifestyle introduced us to vegetables, fruit, spices and other ingredients that we grew to love and adopted into our family meals, but when we moved on, sometimes those items weren’t available in the next place and we had to do without.  Mourning the loss not just a little.

With the advent of catalog shopping, the world got a little bit smaller.  When I posted my recipe for potato curry, I went on about Madhur Jaffery’s Spice Kitchen cookbook, and how I came to own curry spices again in Brazil, so I won’t tell the story again here.  But I will show you a photo of the little containers those spices came in because I remembered to take a photo this summer.  Empty now, and a little bit rusty, they live on the small shelves over my sink in Houston and their bright colors make me happy, even when I’m washing dishes.

Anyway, this tomato chutney recipe is adapted from that same well-worn, food-bespattered book. It makes a great gift for neighbors and relatives but I always have a couple of jars on hand for personal consumption.

Spicy Sweet Tomato Chutney

Tomato chutney dresses up a plain grilled chicken breast or pork chops like nothing else can, with a hit of sour, sweet and spicy. But most importantly, it preserves a bumper tomato crop for enjoyment year round.

Ingredients
12 cloves garlic, peeled
1 piece fresh ginger, about 4 inches long, 2 oz or 60g
3 cups or 710ml red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons mustard oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
12 fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon kalonji
4 lbs or 1.8 kg fresh ripe tomatoes (2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes can be substituted)
3 cups or 600g sugar
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (according to your personal preference – I use at least a teaspoon)

Method
Measure your spices out so that they are ready for adding to the pot in a hurry.

Cut the brown ends off of your garlic and peel and coarsely chop your ginger.

Put the garlic, ginger and 1/2 cup of the vinegar into the container of an electric blender and blend at high speed until smooth.

Halve the fresh tomatoes and cut out the hard cores.

Pretty summer tomatoes from the UAE.  Yes, farms do grow things in the desert. 

Heat the oil in a 4-quart, heavy-bottomed pot with non-metallic finish, over medium high heat.  When hot, add the mustards seeds.  As soon as they start to pop – this takes just a few seconds – add the fenugreek, cumin, fennel and kalonji.

Stir once quickly and add the paste from the blender. Stir paste for one minute then add the tomatoes (and juice from the can, if using,) the rest of the vinegar, the sugar, salt and cayenne pepper.  Bring to a boil.

If such things matter to you, feel free to pick the skins out of the pot with tongs as they become detached from the tomatoes.  Some can be rather thick so I do pick them out when I have that type of tomato.  Otherwise, I leave them in.

Lower heat a bit and cook, uncovered, over medium heat at first and then, as the chutney thickens, on increasingly lower heat for about 1½ - 2 hours or until chutney becomes thick.

Stir occasionally at first and more frequently as it thickens.

Pour chutney into sterilized jars while still boiling hot, putting a metal teaspoon in each jar to keep it from cracking.

Remove the teaspoon and screw the lids on tightly and turn jars upside down until they are cooled.

When the jars are cool, you can turn them upright and the vacuum seal will pop in, keeping the chutney fresh for months in a cool dry cupboard.  If the seal doesn't pop back in, store the jars in the refrigerator.

If you are giving it as a gift, by all means, make and print a pretty label.

Enjoy!

Want to continue to enjoy the season’s bounty all year long? Have a look at the wonderful Preserving the Harvest recipes we have for you today.

Cool Condiments

• Chow Chow Relish from Magnolia Days
• Homemade Hot Dog Relish from Juanita’s Cocina

Fabulous Fruits

• Apricot Ginger Jam from Happy Baking Days
• Banana Jam from Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream from Gotta Get Baked
• Blueberry Lemon Basil Jam from Daily Dish Recipes
• Candied Watermelon Rind from What Smells So Good?
• Fig and Strawberry Jam from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Mixed Berry Rhubarb Jam from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Mulberry Jam from Curious Cuisiniere
• Quick Peacharine Chutney from Shockingly Delicious
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake Freezer Jam from Cookin’ Mimi

Other Outstanding Recipes

• Fireweed Jelly from The Foodie Army Wife
• Flavoured Butters from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Gravlax from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Vivacious Vegetables

• Corn Cob Jelly from Blueberries and Blessings
• Deep South Dilly Beans from Eat, Move, Shine
• Fermented (Sour) Pickles from Growing Up Gabel
• Fire Roasted Salsa from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Hot and Spicy Giardiniera from The Messy Baker
• Hot Italian Giardiniera from Healthy. Delicious.
• Jalapeños en Escabeche (Pickled Jalapeños) from La Cocina de Leslie
• Oi Kimchi (Korean Cucumber Kimchi) from Kimchi MOM
• Refrigerator Dill Pickles from Country Girl in the Village
• Spicy Sweet Tomato Chutney from Food Lust People Love
• Traditional Escabeche (Pickle) from Basic N Delicious

Deep-fried Oreos - Guest post for Noshing with the Nolands

When fellow food blogger, Tara Noland of Noshing with the Nolands, put the call out a couple of months back for guest posts during Stampede, the Calgary equivalent of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, you know I had to step up.  Calgary and Houston, my hometown, have much in common.  Both are cities that oil built, with a great heritage of cowboys and rodeo.  And Houston and Calgary have fabulous carnival food, including barbecue of all kinds, things on a stick, and heart-stopping fried everything.  My younger sister and I were researching and brainstorming (imagine dueling banjos but with laptops) what I should make and deep-fried Oreos came up.  They sounded perfect for this post. 

Deep-fried Oreos.  Roll that around on your tongue for a bit.  Uh-huh.  That's what I'm talking about.  Doughnut batter engulfing an innocent Oreo, deep-fried till the melty double stuff melts.  Yes, I said melt twice.  Have another quick look at the photo above. That's right.  This is a guest post, so that means you have to head on over to Noshing with the Nolands to read it.   Follow this link and git along now!  

Enjoy! 

Double Glazed Caramel Mocha Bundt #Bundtamonth

Double Glazed Caramel Mocha Bundt is made with cocoa and coffee for a rich mocha cake covered first with caramel glaze and then drizzled with coffee glaze.

Let me start by employing a Texas phrase:  It wasn’t my first rodeo.  My father had lived in Indonesia and Brunei so I was familiar with the five pillars of Islam.  While staying with him, I often woke up to the call to prayer, sat patiently several times a day as sitcoms were interrupted by the televised version of the call to the faithful and dodged mosque traffic and haphazard parking on Friday afternoons.  The Muslims I met were gentle people, slow to anger, quick to commiserate and ever kind. 

But when we arrived in Abu Dhabi in 1987, I hadn’t actually lived through the holy month of fasting, the concentrated, collective weeks of introspection and prayer that are Ramadan.  And I must confess that I didn’t get it even then.  As expats, we went about our daily lives, working only in the morning from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. as businesses were closed in the afternoon.  The only Muslim in my little office was the big boss who actually lived in Oman and just came to visit occasionally.  I’d rush home to prepare the cooler with drinks and barbecue essentials and we would sail off in our small Prindle catamaran to a secluded, deserted island to feast where we would not offend anyone, or be seen flouting the law.  It was against the law to eat, drink or smoke in public, or even to appear to be eating.  I was careful not to chew gum, even in my car, lest the religious police pull me over.

While I always dressed modestly, during Ramadan I was even more careful to make sure knees and shoulders were covered.  After all, as a temporary resident of the UAE, my husband’s work permit and my work permit depended on conforming.  And it was a matter of respect. 

By our second year in Abu Dhabi, I had changed jobs and was in charge of public relations at the InterContinental Hotel.  Of course, tourists don’t stop arriving just because it’s Ramadan.  In fact, special Ramadan rates increased occupancy.  The fasting month is fixed as the ninth month in a lunar calendar so it moves back about 10 days every year in our calendar.  That year it was in April, right around the Easter holidays.  And since it’s still quite cold in the United Kingdom and most of Europe in April, they came in droves and checked into our hotel looking for fun in the sun, food and drink.  Yes, I’m talking alcohol and lavish buffets.

So how do you give people a normal holiday when all the restaurants and bars have to be closed from sunrise to sunset?  You get creative. 

Restaurants were partitioned so that inside sections could be curtained off from the public eye.  A suite on an upper floor was turned into coffee and tea room, including soft drinks and water, free to hotel guests.  And, of course, room service was busier than ever.  

But the biggest change for me was quietly observing the behavior of my Muslim co-workers.  Many, especially the gardeners and maintenance guys, worked their same long hours, despite not drinking or eating (and probably suffering for lack of nicotine!) all day.  I was impressed by their ability, for the most part, to remain cheerful and dedicated to the welfare of our guests.  Hey, I get crabby when I’m hungry and thirsty.  Crabbiness didn’t seem to be an issue here.  I am not saying that fasting was easy for them.  I am just saying that perhaps the burden is eased when you are doing it for a reason you believe in.  I cannot presume to guess. 

Over the past 25 years, I have been invited many times to take part in the sunset meal, called iftar in Arabic speaking countries and buka puasa in Malaysia, to break the daily fast during Ramadan.   It is always an honor. 

Today I’ve got a Bundt cake for you, a pretty dessert for the end of any special meal. You might have guessed from the title that the BundtaMonth theme from our lovely hosts, Anuradha from Baker Street and Lora from Cake Duchess is caramel. You would be right. Be sure to scroll down and see all the other lovely Bundts we’ve baked for you this month. 

And I’d like to say a special thank you to my fellow UAE blogger, +Sally Prosser of My Custard Pie, whose recent Ramadan post started my reminiscing.

Update:  I have received a lot of comments about Ramadan and living in a Muslim country and I am grateful for every one of you who have taken the time to share your thoughts and questions.  I invite you to read a blog post by a fellow blogger who lives in the Boston area but grew up overseas. As a child of Christian missionaries, raised in predominately Muslim Pakistan, she tries to bridge the gap of understanding.  Please read her post here. 

Ingredients

For the cake:

3/4 cup or 170g unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan

3/4 cup or 170g sugar

1/2 cup or 100g dark brown sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 3/4 cups or 220g flour, plus more for the pan

1/4 cup or 20g special dark unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup or 120ml whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the caramel glaze:

1/4 cup or about 60g unsalted butter

1/2 cup or 100g light brown sugar, tightly packed

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/3 cup or 80ml heavy cream

1 cup or 125g confectioners’ sugar, sifted

For the coffee glaze:

1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

1/2 cup or about 60g powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons cream

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.  Prepare your Bundt pan by rubbing the inside with butter or using a nonstick spray and then coating with a couple of tablespoons flour.  

Combine the flour, cocoa, instant coffee, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  In a measuring cup, add the vanilla to your measured milk.  Set both aside. 

  

Cream the butter and sugars together in a large mixing bowl.

Beat in the eggs, one at time, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between.

This one's egg number 3. 

Once the eggs are fully incorporated, add half of the dry ingredients mixture and beat to mix.

Add half of the milk and beat again until mixed.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Repeat the last two steps, using the last half of the dry ingredients and the milk.   Your batter is done! Spoon it into the prepared pan.

Bake for 45-55 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Remove your Bundt cake from the oven and allow to cool until the cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan a little.  Invert the cake on a wire rack and cool completely before starting to make the glazes.

Once your cake is cool, make the caramel glaze.  First measure and sift your 1 cup or 125g powdered sugar into a heatproof bowl.  

Cut the butter into a couple of pieces and place in a saucepan with the brown sugar, cream and salt.  After everything melts together, bring to a full, rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.   Boil for a quick minute then remove from the heat.

Pour this into your heatproof bowl with the powdered sugar and stir quickly with a wooden spoon.

Pour the glaze over your cooled cake.   Mine was a little too thick (I suspect I boiled it too long and have adjusted the boiling time here accordingly) so I ended up spreading it around further with a warm knife after pouring.  Do what you need to and make it look pretty.  Allow to set as you make the coffee glaze.

I smoothed it out even more after this. 

Put the powdered sugar for your coffee glaze and the instant coffee granules into a small mixing bowl.  Add two tablespoons of cream and stir vigorously.  I actually used a small, sturdy whisk.

Once thoroughly mixed, lift the whisk out of the glaze to see if it will drizzle successfully.  If it is too stiff, add more cream a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches drizzling consistency.  Depending on your instant coffee brand, the granules may take a while to completely dissolve.  Just keep stirring occasionally until they have.

Drizzle the coffee glaze on your cake with a small spoon or use an icing decorator bag and tip (or even a Ziploc bag with a small piece of the corner cut off.)  Allow the glaze to set.

Enjoy!

Check out all the other lovely caramel Bundts:

• Brown Butter Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Icing by Holly from A Baker’s House
• Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Icing by Carrie from Poet In The Pantry
• Caramelized Apple Bundt Cake by Lora from Cake Duchess
• Caramel Pound Cake by Veronica from My Catholic Kitchen
• Chocolate Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel by Alice from Hip Foodie Mom
• Double Glazed Caramel Mocha Bundt by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Dulce de Leche Bundt Cake by Renee from Magnolia Days
• Dulce de Leche Swirl Pound Cake by Anuradha from Baker Street
• Orange Caramel Bourbon Bundt Cake by Paula from Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Salted Butterscotch Caramel Bundt Cake by Laura from The Spiced Life
• Salted Caramel Mini Apple Cake Bundts by Anita from Hungry Couple
• Snickers Bundt Cake by Karen from In The Kitchen with KP
• Vanilla Bean Salted Caramel Bundt Cake by Kate from Food Babbles