My family has always done ham for Christmas dinner and honestly I’m not a huge fan. Ham has one major redeeming quality for me. It’s really just a vessel for chutney, and my dad makes the best apple chutney. It’s one of those things that even though I have the recipe, when I make it myself it isn’t quite the same. So instead of trying to recreate a nostalgic flavor and experience I’m just going way in a different direction for my chutney this year. I do still think chutney is a critical member of the Christmas dinner spread. It adds acid, general flavor, and in this case color to the table while differentiating itself enough from cranberry sauce that it doesn’t feel like a repeat of Thanksgiving dinner. Especially for people who do turkey for both. I also think this would be bomb on latkes.
The recipe is based on Marisa McClellan’s spicy tomato chutney recipe (from Food in Jars) and has an undertone of Indian flavors that go well with the tartness of the cranberries and just a touch of spice from the cayenne. If you’re tasting for spice levels, give it a second, the cayenne hits you at the end and you don’t want to overspice it. The original recipe is for a canned chutney, which I don’t feel comfortable directing you to do because I’m terrified of giving someone botulism but this recipe does have enough sugar, vinegar and pectin to be effectively preserved, just at your own risk and I will not include instructions for sealing and preserving your jars of chutney.
Spicy Cranberry Chutney Recipe
Makes about 8 cups
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) mustard seed (brown or black)
- 2 teaspoons fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon caraway seed
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed or ground coriander
- ¼-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on spice comfort)
- 2 ¼ cups (518 g) distilled white vinegar
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 3 12 oz bags of fresh cranberries
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- In a dry skillet, toast together the mustard, fennel, caraway, and coriander seeds over medium heat until they begin to pop and smell fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large pot, combine the vinegar and sugar and simmer over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the toasted seeds, cayenne pepper, cranberries, onions and salt. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low to simmer, stirring often, until the cranberries have broken down and developed a thick, spreadable consistency, and the onions are translucent, 20-30 minutes. The chutney should look like a loose jam, and if you dip your spoon in and then make a line through the jam with your finger, the line should stay. (Pictured above).
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature before transferring to a storage container to keep in the refrigerator.
vtx kitchen 