Crabby in a nice way

It's the last week of peaches and if you're looking for something to make with them where the overwhelming after-taste is not sugary, then give this chutney a try. It is based on my apricot chutney but I think I might like this better and I'll tell you why: the crabapples are so tart that I didn't need to use as much vinegar as was called for in the apricot chutney. The vinegar therefore takes a back-seat in this chutney!

I made this chutney in August when crabapples first appeared on the trees in our Open Spaces. I was far more bold this year than I was last year about "stealing" fruit from these trees. Labor Day last year saw me and my friend Lisa picking fruit from the crabapple trees at one of our several neighborhood annual picnics in a local park. I'm ashamed to say that I was not able to do much with them as I was slammed by work soon thereafter. I vowed that things would be different this year.

foraged crabapples

Read on...

In a Chutney with Apricots

It's been raining apricots around here. Literally, so. It's a hazard to walk into some of my neighbors' yards. Or it might just be me that those trees are aiming for, as I have been the target of many an apricot in free fall.

Organic apricots from my neighbor's tree

These aren't your regular supermarket apricots. They are much smaller, less than two inches in diameter, and very sweet. When firm, they are quite tart and ripen quickly to near-mush, if not eaten immediately. I picked slightly firm apricots from the stash that was given to me and roasted them, strawberry-style. While that was tasty, roasted apricots weren't as popular with my family as balsamic roasted strawberries always are. I should have tried one of Suvir's suggestions at Culinary India: add a smidge of black pepper or hot green chiles to bring out the natural sweetness of a fruit. He recommends trying it while making roasted strawberries, to cut down on the amount of sugar one would normally add to sweeten them.

Apart from tearing the fruit apart and feasting on the ripe apricots, I made apricot chicken with a batch that I picked from my neighbor's tree. It's not your usual chicken curry and is sweet, sour and spicy, all at the same time. That set the tone for what I wanted to do with yet another batch of apricots that were delivered to my doorstep by another neighbor. Something spicy. A jelly or a jam would not do; it had to be a chutney of sorts—fruit and sugar cooked down in vinegar to a reduction. Anita's mango relish had triggered memories of gulchaat—green mangoes cooked with jaggery and spices—so I knew that I was going to use jaggery instead of sugar. But I had no recipe!

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Of Tamarind and Titlis

I'm sure most of you are wondering what Tamarind and Titlis have in common, or, if this is yet another quiz to buy time before my next travelogue post. The answer to the quiz is here, in case you missed it; as for Tamarind and Titlis, they have absolutely nothing in common. One is found in multiple instances in tropical and warm climes; the other manifests itself in a single occurrence at 10,000ft in the Swiss Alps. One can be used to make a delectably tangy chutney; hanging out at the other in winter will freeze all thoughts, immediately.

Before I hit you with my pictures of Titlis and Engelberg, I would like to thank you for all your reassuring feedback that too much other stuff rocks as much as Indian food does! For those of you who want the recipe for my tamarind chutney, I'll spare you the scrolling down: take me to the recipe already!

Mt. Titlis, 10Kft

Titlis is the highest peak in the Urner Alps of Switzerland. My first thought was: only 10K ft and that makes it the highest peak? Seriously? I hiked up to a little over 12K ft on my birthday! We have so many fourteeners in our Rockies, one of which is in my daily view, so I wasn't expecting anything spectacular. I couldn't have been more wrong.

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Where do I begin?

Thank you for the wonderful response to the guest post by my talented friend Jen, while I was away. I'm back after a four-week vacation where we spent three very cold but exhilarating days in Switzerland and the rest in India. I have so much to say and share that I don't know where to begin! How about at the beginning, you say? That is a very good place to start...And, I will. Eventually. Except that I need to precede it with the end which ties in very nicely with meeting good friends and Europe.

When I think of my friend, Gabi Helfert, I think of Europe and the spectacular images she has shared of her life and travels in Europe. Gabi has this incredible ability of making you see patterns, lines, themes in everyday surroundings because of the magic she does with her camera. I am also in awe of her handheld, low-light skills just as I am enthralled by her architectural series. Gabi is also one of the most intelligent women I have the good fortune to know, albeit only virtually until now. Mediocre is not a word she is familiar with, for she excels at anything she touches. Especially Lexulous. There is no word that Gabi does not know. Period.

Joey and Gabi

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Chutney Matters: Spicy Spirals

What do you do when one of your favorite serving plates falls off a stack of plates, smack into the middle of your head, bounces off the counter and shatters into a million pieces after barely missing your feet? Well, if you are me, you take it as a chastisement from above for procrastinating over posting your entry for Jihvā: Greens.

On May 1 2007, it will be a whole year of watching and drooling over Indira's Jihvā for Ingredients, one of the most successful online events that celebrates the various ingredients we use in our cooking. On the eve of the anniversary, I raise a toast to Indira and 11 other entreprising hostesses and several hundred creative participants! Thank you all very much!!

So with a huge bump on my head, a slowly progressing headache and eyes that are beginning to have a tough time focusing, I bring you what can only be called Green Chutney Redux!

Spicy Spirals

An hors d'oeuvre that rocks!

• One sheet Pillsbury Pepperidge Farm's frozen puff pastry sheet
• 2 containers frozen coriander chutney
• 2 cubes, frozen chilli-cilantro paste^**optional

1. Thaw the frozen pastry sheet according to the instructions on the package
2. Thaw the chutneys and the additional green chili-cilantro cubes and mix them well. Drain off as much excess liquid as possible. This is important otherwise your pastry sheet could quickly become soggy.
3. Dust your work surface with some all-purpose flour and roll out the thawed puff pastry till it is about 1/8th inch thick. If this proves tricky, stop rolling before the pastry tears!
4. Spread the thickened chutney mix liberally over the pastry.
   
   
5. Start rolling from one side. Roll tightly until you have a firm log. Wipe off excess chutney that may ooze out from the edges.
6. Wrap this in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes. The log will become firmer, making it easier to cut into thin spiral slices. Set a timer so that you don't end up with a rock hard frozen log!
7. Heat your oven to 400F
8. Slice into 1/2 inch pieces along the cross-section.
   
   
   
   I end up with about 25 slices depending on the thickness. Don't make them too thin or too thick.
   
   
   
   
9. Place them on a baking tray or cookie sheet about an inch apart and bake for 12-15 minutes till golden-brown. Some will balloon up in the center, looking very much like a Mexican hat!
   
   
10. Resist the temptation to dig into them immediately as they are very hot and will burn your tongue. Experience speaks volumes here!
11. Allow to cool and enjoy with your choice of a drink, hot or cold.

Needless to say, the star ingredient in this is cilantro.

The essential oils of the cilantro leaves contain antibacterial properties and can be used as a fungicide.

Coriander seeds are considered to have cholesterol lowering properties.

For a Thanksgiving party many years ago, I made two logs: one with cilantro chutney and the other with cranberry-jalapeno-orange chutney. It made for a very colorful hors d'oeuvre!

I am rushing this over to JFI-Greens: Jihva for Ingredients, hosted once again by Indira as a joint event with Nandita's WBB before the doors close on the month of April!

And now, I will go nurse that bump on my head...

Indian Snacks, Spicy Spirals, cilantro, Coriander, Green Chutney.