I had WAY too much winter squash last year, and was struggling to find ways to cook it, ways to consume it, and dedicated to turning it into human food, instead of chicken food. My family was tired of my squash soup, which is usually an all-around favorite. So I found this chutney recipe in one of my canning books, and gave it a try.
It made the kitchen smell delightful! We tried some on pork chops and were sold. I spent several days canning all the winter squash I could to make this chutney. It's sweet and spicey, and uses some wonderful things in my kitchen - including a huge box of raisins I had stumbled upon, and some fenugreek seeds that were rather hard to come by. Thankfully, I had to buy a full pound of them, so I have plenty more for this year.
I sell it at the market and folks always ask what is it? What do I do with it?
I haven't had a good explanation, other than - we've used it as a side dish, we've cooked pork and chicken with it, and it tastes great no matter what we do with it! So I thought I'd give myself a little culinary lesson and share it with you.
As it turns out, chutney is considered a condiment. It originates from India, from the Hindi word chaṭnī, meaning to lick.
Webster says it is: "a thick sauce of Indian origin that contains fruits, vinegar, sugar, and spices and is used as a condiment"
It's been European-ized over the ages, and is commercially made. It does derive from the culture in India for using up fall fruits to preserve them to be used over time. Which is exactly the reason why I can!
As a condiment, it can be used for many purposes. As I said, we use it as a side dish in our house (one way to get fruits and veggies mixed into a winter dinner!) It can also be used to dip foods into, spread onto breads (as shown above). I bet it would be amazing on naan!
Since we loved this one so much, I stumbled upon a recipe for a peach chutney (the winter squash one incorporates apples and raisins for sweetness). The peach chutney also has raisins, and some interesting spices, like mustard seed. I can see this one being a way to brighten up a morning English muffin, or even being spread inside of crepes.
I love canning, but must admit that the same old jams and jellies get boring to me at times, so it's been fun to add new recipes to my repertoire in the kitchen. One of our food rules at home is that we don't produce anything we don't eat. That puts us in a place - that if we don't sell it, we can consume it ourselves, and nothing goes to waste. That is certainly the case for my new found love of chutneys - making them AND consuming them!