I had an absolute blast writing this delicious chutney recipe last week. At first I didn’t know how I would like the addition of the chunks of pineapple, but it’s a nice addition. How could I not get in the mood to write an apple dish with all the ‘fall’ type weather surrounding us?
Our family has been enjoying just about every evening meal on our back porch this last week. The weather has been delightful and grilling has been the featured means of cooking. At work we are just embarking on Southern Gospel which keeps me pretty busy each day. On the home front I’m continuing to chase down all the recipes I want to include in the new cookbook. A couple of the dishes I plan on including have been hiding out and I am having a hard time reeling them all in. By the end of August if these little escapees don’t surface they just won’t get to be featured in print!
We had our first football game last night and the weather couldn’t have been better. Neither could the outcome of the game, yes, we won! I enjoy every minute on those benches watching Phillip play.
Let’s talk chutney for just a little bit. As chutneys go it’s a pretty wide open field as to what can and cannot go into the dish. In days past it used to mean a little bit of sweetness and more vinegar based recipes. For this cook they usually lean towards the sweeter side and no vinegars. This time you will note I have included some chopped onion and it’s actually a first for me. You will also notice that I left my apples and pears in slices. If you prefer yours to be chopped smaller, please do so.
For the liquid part of this recipe I was playing with several different options. I had pear nectar on hand, wine, apple juice, pineapple juice and a couple of other liquid ingredients. I settled on the pineapple juice and wine because I hate wasting the flavorful juice that was drained from the pineapple chunks.
If you had been here to see the dish as it was prepared you would have noticed the colorful and ‘large’ raisins in the chutney. If you live near a Trader Joe’s and can acquire some of their raisins you’ll be glad you did. I used the jumbo raisins that actually have 3-4 different colors/types of raisins included. If my luck holds I’ll get to Kansas City before I start my demos at Silver Dollar City. This way my chutney will look and taste even better!
I haven’t mentioned preserving the chutney. Don’t let fall slip by without putting a few jars of this side in the pantry. Once again this would also make great hostess gifts. It would be delicious served alongside pork or chicken. Guests will be asking for your recipe. Did I mention this recipe just barely made it into the new cookbook? It was actually the last one to roped and branded!
Get the stoves going folks, there’s no time like the present. Simply yours, The Covered Dish. www.thecovereddish.com
Apple, Pear & Pineapple Chutney
1 cup raisins
1 cup pinot wine*
1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped small
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups peeled, sliced apples
(For test purposes Gala was used.)
2 pears, peeled & sliced
1 (20 oz.) can chunk pineapple, drain & save juice
(Recommend packed in light ‘real’ juice.)
1 cup reserved pineapple juice
(Use extra wine if you don’t have a full cup.)
1/2 cup pinot wine
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-inch stub of fresh ginger root, peeled & grated
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecan halves snapped in half
The night before making or 8 hours before soak raisins in 1 cup of wine. Do not drain raisins. In a large pan/pot place the olive oil and sauté the onion until translucent, do not turn brown. Add prepared apples, pears, drained pineapple and raisins mixture. Sauté just a bit and then start adding in the reserved cup of pineapple juice, 1/2 of additional wine, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and cook about 30-35 minutes until the mixture is completely tender and the sauce has thickened. In the last few minutes of cooking at the pecans. Remove from the heat and allow to cool down. The flavors improve even more as the chutney returns to room temperature. This tastes like ‘fall’ in a jar!
*Substitute with apple juice instead of wine or more pineapple juice.
This would be the perfect side for pork or chicken. Chutneys are usually chunky. I enjoy the slices of the pear and apples; however you may prefer smaller pieces.
A nice touch would be to make a batch or two and preserve a portion for the pantry and additional to use as hostess gifts, etc.
