Papaya
And
Mango Chutney
When I was in seventh grade we moved to Hawaii, and it was there that I was introduced to the wonders of papaya, which was incredibly plentiful, and thus not a delicacy to be savored on rare occasions. The Hawaiian papaya is smaller and sweeter than the Mexican papaya which is more abundant in Florida.
I find that I enjoy the Hawaiian papaya in its natural state, much more so than the Mexican, which is delicious in a batido: http://thatisallfornow.com/?p=4423#.VwGRWr3WaCw But I also think the fresh Mexican papaya serves as a great “dish” to hold a savory chicken salad or even a great fruit salad, and is wonderful in sorbets.
However, recently finding myself with an overabundance of fresh papaya, along with some frozen mango’s, from last season, I decided to alter my chutney recipe, by adding a diced fresh Mexican papaya, which was a wonderful addition in both taste and texture.
Mango Chutney
This recipe is very adaptable, and after you have made it once, you will be able to determine what it may need more or less of to suit your taste; as I stated, this time, I added a papaya, which enhanced its flavors beautifully.
It is a large batch and can be canned as you would a jam. I usually place it in a large sterilized glass jar, with a tightly fitting lid, and let it sit in my refrigerator where it does not go unused. Because of the spices and vinegar, in the recipe, the chutney will not go bad, as long as you do not contaminate it with say a dirty spoon. I have in the past, placed it in the freezer, where it will not completely freeze, but will keep for months. You can also share it with friends!
Ingredients:
1 medium green Bell Pepper, roasted, diced and seeded
1 medium red Bell Pepper, roasted, diced and seeded 1-2 hot Chili Peppers like Scotch Bonnet or Habanero – roasted, diced and seeded depending on how hot you like your chutney
1 large Onion – finely chopped
4 garlic Cloves – minced 1 1/2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple or orange juice 1 tablespoon Salt 3 cups of Brown Sugar 4 Mangoes – peeled, diced
1 large Papaya – diced 1 large Onions – finely chopped 1 cup of Golden Raisins
1/3 cup of Currants
1/2 cup of other dried fruit – I use either pineapple, prunes, or apricots 1/2 teaspoon of Celery Seeds 2 tablespoon grated Ginger 1/4 cup of lemon or lime juice 1/4 cup whole Cloves
1/4 teaspoon of All Spice 1 tablespoon of Cinnamon 1 tablespoon whole Mustard Seeds
Directions:
Begin by washing and roasting your peppers. You can do this outside, on the grill, in a cast-iron skillet, on top of the stove, or in the oven. I like to get a nice char on the peppers and place them on a clean dish towel to rub the chard skin off of the pepper. Wash the peppers and dice them. Place the onions and garlic in a large deep pot, and pour about a quarter cup of vinegar over them, to begin to sweat out their flavors, after about three minutes add the peppers, stir and then add the salt, sugar, and rest of the vinegar. Bring this mixture to a boil, making sure that the sugar has dissolved, then add the rest of the ingredients, bring the pot back to a boil, then turning it down to simmer for about four hours. You will want to make sure that the heat is very low, as you do not want your chutney to scorch. During this process, taste the chutney and see if you have enough heat to sour to sweet ratio, to suit your pallet – the taste will vary depending on how hot your peppers are or how sweet your fruit is or how fresh your ginger is – there are a lot of variables, all of which can be corrected to suit your taste.
After four hours, turn the heat off and let the pot cool completely, unless you are going to can your chutney. If you are going to, place in hot, clean, Mason jars, this is the time to do it, following your canning directions. Otherwise, let the chutney cool completely, and then refrigerate. The taste will mature perfectly after about twenty-four hours!
