Apple Mango Chutney

I went up to Apple Hill and picked organic apples last weekend. You know what that means, I've been making batch after batch of applesauce. After several batches of applesauce I thought about doing something a little different. You may have noticed that I've been experimenting with more and more spices, resulting in more recipes with the Indian spice influence of coriander and cinnamon. What better accompaniment to those dishes than a chutney? Looking through my canning and preserving books, I found some lovely recipes for apple and rhubarb chutneys, and for apple and green tomato chutneys, but with no rhubarb or green tomatoes available, I had to come up with something else. After some time playing around with taste, and adjusting for the acidity necessary for canning, here's the result.

In addition to a side for Indian inspired dishes, this is also excellent with poultry or pork, and can make a great addition to a cheese plate.

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled, cored, chopped mangoes (frozen is fine)
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs grated ginger root
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup peeled, seeded, chopped lemon
4 cups peeled, cored, shopped apples
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup citron
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves

Directions: Chop mangoes into approximately 1/2 inch cubes, then add together with the red pepper, onion, vinegar, and sugars, ginger and lemon to a heavy bottomed large sauce pan. Bring to a boil on the stove top while you prepare the apples. Chop the apples into a similar size as the mangoes, then add to the mango mixture. When the mixture returns to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes.

Prepare jars and lids while the apple mango mixture cooks. Wash 1 cup jars, lids and screw tops. Bring a canner filled with enough water to cover the jars to a boil. Heat the lids in a small saucepan.

Add the cranberries, citron, and spices to the apples mango mixture and continue to cook over a low simmer for another 15 minutes, until the mixture starts to coat a spoon. Stir as necessary to reduce the chance of the chutney sticking. Taste the chutney to make sure you like the spices, and add more to adjust to your liking. Ladle the chutney into 1 cup jars, allow 1/2 inch head space, then wipe the rims very clean, add the lids and screw bands. Lower the hot jars into the boiling water bath and process, cover, bring back to a boil, and process for 10 minutes. Remove the cover, turn off the heat, and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove jars from water bath. You'll hear the jars pop soon after you remove them from the water bath, that's their seal. But, do wait 24 hours to check the seal by pushing on the top of the jar. Sealed jars will keep on the shelf for up to 1 year. Refrigerate any jars that did not seal.

Makes 4 8-oz jars of chutney

Stealthy Cooking Tip: A jar of chutney makes a lovely gift, or it's a nice way to taste fall throughout the year. Canning is relatively easy, and can be an enjoyable way to spend several hours in the kitchen, but it does involve making sure everything is very sanitary before and during the canning process. I think the best canning book available is Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving. Besides having lots of recipes, it covers everything about canning in as much detail as you'd like!