Chutney

Dropping her handbag on the seat next to her, she let her gaze glide out of the train window…shadows infiltrated with spots of lights and the colors of Berlin blended before her eyes into a blurry mix of bright and dark…her reflection on the smooth surface showed her messy hair , her lips all naked now the lipstick had gone, her glowing eyes. Nervously she looked at her watch. She would be late and she knew she would have to answer questions about where she had been.

Where have I been?

Her thoughts went back to the beginning of the night. She wore her best dress and new stockings when she entered the elevator. She wore her favorite pair of high heels, the shiny black ones with the red soles, but she didn’t wear her glasses and so she had to narrow her eyes until they were almost closed to see her reflection in the shiny steel wall. Good. She exhaled. She was looking good…at least ok. He will like what he sees. And of course this wasn’t a date…we are just friends, she thought, he just had invited her to spend some time talking and drinking and...and what? What did she really want it to be? Could she tell him the truth...could she tell him about her fantasies? No, never…how could she tell anyone about her dreams?

The hallway smelled like pears and thyme when she left the elevator and walked towards his open door. Inside, dark wooden floors, white walls and modern art was the backdrop for white sofas and a lot of chrome all over the apartment. “I’m here…” he yelled from the back of the apartment—where the kitchen would be? Elena walked through the shadows of the corridor until she could see the lights underneath the not fully closed kitchen door.


you already know why i cook chutney but did i also say that i really love that sticky spicy-sweet stuff??? yes i do..it taste perfect when its served cold together with grilled meat or fish..you can even use it to prepare salad souces or can eat it just with baguette or fresh country bread or along camembert or other kinds of cheese..you can use it with wok vegetables and..actually i could eat it with almost anything...like i said..i really love it..but for now i dont wanna make you wait any longer..my favorite chutneys..

plum-chutney
you need...

2 kilo plums cut into small pieces
2 onions cut into rough cubes
2 apples cut into rugh cubes
200 grams chopped tomatos
2-3 gramms of freshly grounded ginger
cinnamon as much as you like
2 garlic cloves
1-2 eating spoons of salt
500 ml of vinegar ( for example balsamico bianco)
400-500 grams of sugar (depending on how sweet you want your chutney to be)
3 cl whiskey
black pepper..as much as you want

cook it all together, blend and whisk it very well until it has the texture of really thick marmelade
now fill it into (sterilised)twist-off glasses
turn the glasses upside down (when they are closed of course) for about 5 minutes


apricot-tomato-chutney

you need..

250 grams fresh apricots cut into fine cubes
250 grams tomatos cut into fine cubes
200 grams carrots cut into thin stripes
200 cl wine vinegar
75 cl apricot juice ( you also can use peach juice which gives a different tasty taste)
2 small spoons of curry powder
some chili
250 grams of canning sugar
salt & pepper

just cut it all into small cubes and thin stripes and blend it in a pot together with the other ingredients...cook it for 10 minutes ..stirr the mixture properly the whole time and then fill it into glasses..turn the glasses upside down for about 5 minutes

peach-chutney

you need...

16 peaches / peeled and cut into small pieces
1000 grams of red onions cut into small cubes
500 ml aceto balsamico
833 grams brown sugar
salt & pepper
chilipowder

okay..this one is really easy too..just cut the peaches into quartes..then peel them (which isnt easy but ugly) and go on with cutting them into small pieces..do so as well with the red onions...
now blend peaches, onions, sugar, balsamico and the spices in a pot and cook it up...maybe somekind of foam will apear...if that is the case you got to ..er*..words are leaving me..just put the fucking foam off your chutney..:-)...keep on cooking the chutney on low heat for 1 1/2 hours...now put it in the freshly sterilised glasses..turn it upside down and..yeah..you are done!!!

fig-date-chutney

you need...

500 grams soft figs cut into small pieces (use dried ones because they have a wonderful arome in this case)
125 grams dates (dried, without core) cut into small pieces
350 grams of red onions cut into small cubes
250 ml aceto balsamico
1/2 spoon salt
2 eating spoons oil
1 eating spoon of paprika powder
1 small sppon of dijon mustard
1 small spoon of fresh ginger
200 ml of redwine vinegar
300 ml water
250 grams of canning sugar
1/2 spoon of cutet tarragon
1 1/2 spoons honey (or more if you like it to be more sweet)

now..start with the balsamico..cook it until it starts to reduce and get thicker..be aware..the steam bites..lol
heat the oil in a pot and braise the onions lightly..add the figs and the dates..braise them lightly too...add the balsamico..the salt, paprika, mustard and ginger..stirr it properly for a minute or two..then add the water and the redwine
add the canning sugar..keep on stirring it and cook the mixture up for 3 minutes...add the terragon and the honey...now if you like it chunkey you can keep it like that..if not just pull your stir-stick through the mixture..then fill it into glasses..put them upside down..and pour yourself another glas of wine..:-)

and now my favorite chutney ... pear-thyme-chutney

you need..

550 grams of pears
100 grams brown rock sugar
150 ml apple vinegar
100 grams of white onion
1 eating sppon of corn core oil
2 cl vermouth/ martini..if possible noilly prat
5 branches of thyme
a small spoon of salt

peel the pears, cut out the ..er*..inner part / seeds...cut them into small pieces
blend them with the sugar and the vinegar in a bowl and let the mixture rest for 30 minutes
now cut the onion into small pieces and braise them lightly in the corn core oil..deglaze the oinon with the vermouth and then pour the pears-rock sugar-vinegar mixture over it...now add the thyme..and make the blend cook on small fire for about 30 minutes..stirr it from time to time so it wouldnt burn...
now take the thyme branches out of the pot...add the salt..and fill it in sterilised glasses..turn them upside down..and give me a call to invite me to try your version of my favorite chutney...



and here are some pics of the chutneys: