I was gifted some pretty Italian plums this week, and I immediately got it in my head that I would make a plum chutney.
I’m not sure if I’d ever had a plum chutney, but with so many sweet fruit desserts and jams coming out of my kitchen this time of year, I was looking for an alternative—something savory and spicy. A Google search gave me many recipes from which to choose. I combined a few to allow for what I had on hand that day and was happy with the result, so I thought I’d share it here.
Spiced Plum Chutney
1.5 pounds plums, pitted and quartered
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 red onion, diced small
1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and chopped
1/8 cup currants
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 inch cinnamon stick
1 cardamom pod
1 clove
Grind the cinnamon stick, cardamom, and clove in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder (I used a mortar and pestle and had to pass it through a mesh sieve afterwords—I apparently don’t have the upper body strength to pulverize).
Combine your ground spices with all the other ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until soft and gelled, stirring occasionally (mine took 40 minutes). Cool and store in the fridge or freezer (or can it if you’ve made enough).
I paired my chutney with sharp white cheddar on wholegrain bread as a grilled cheese. It was delicious.