Friday, September 28, 2007

Waiter, there is something in my ... spicy gooseberry chutney

It's already the 9th installment of WTISIM foodblogging event, also known as Waiter, there is something in my ... My friend Johanna is hosting this round, and has chosen savoury preserves as the theme. She's put forward a rather delicious-looking Italian concoction, Pecorino sott'olio herself. My contribution for this month's WTISIM is a tangy little chutney made of gooseberries. Excellent with roasted chicken and pork - as you can see from the photo below.

[Update 2.10.2007: You can read Johanna's round-up here]

The original recipe used raisins, which I like in very few and carefully selected dishes. Also, as I wanted to keep the beautiful colour of the gooseberries (remember this oh-so-pretty-in-pink gooseberry sorbet?), I replaced the turmeric-laden curry powder with whole spices in my chutney.

Gooseberry Chutney
(Tikritšatni)



600 grams red gooseberries, topped & tailed
2 medium sized red onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil + 3 Tbsp water
1 tsp cumin seeds, slightly crushed
1 tsp coriander seeds, slightly crushed
0.5 tsp ginger powder
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp wine or sherry vinegar
200 grams caster sugar
1 tsp salt

Heat oil and water in a heavy saucepan, add garlic and onions and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Increase heat, add cumin and coriander seeds and stir for 2 minutes, to bring out the aromas.
Add ginger, gooseberries, lemon juice and vinegar and sugar. Stir thoroughly, bring to the boil. Reduce heat, season with salt, and simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes, until gooseberries are starting to break up and the chutney thickens.
Remove from the heat and spoon immediately into small sterilised glass jars.
Keep in the fridge or a very cold cellar.

Here are links to my previous Waiter there is something in my ... entries:
August 2007 (MEATLESS BBQ):
Roasted onions with blue cheese.
July 2007 (SAUCES):
Munakaste alias my grandma Senta's egg & smoked ham sauce.
June 2007 (DUMPLINGS):
Vareniki dumplings with curd cheese filling, served with home-made apricot jam & pistachios.
May 2007 (STUFFED VEGETABLES):
Stuffed tomatoes with two types of salad - cod liver salad & cucumber and wild garlic salad.
April 2007 (BREAD): a traditional Estonian quick mushroom bread,
Seenekarask.
March 2007 (EASTER BASKET): a selection of various
Easter delights.
February 2007 (PIE): a great Russian puff pastry and fish pie,
Salmon Kulebyaka.
January 2007 (STEW): my version (in collaboration with Anthony Bourdain:) of the French classic
Boeuf Bourguignon.

14 comments:

K and S said...

I love the color! I bet it tastes wonderful!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Well you've done a beautiful job keeping color and I'd think the flavor sounds divine! I think I've seen frozen gooseberries, that would work.

Evelin said...

ma veel mõtlesin, kas hakkan seda sel aastal ka tegema...minu jaoks maitses see tšatni täiesti võrratult. samas oli ta minu variandis ka parajlt erineva maitsega, sest kasutasin palsamiäädikat ja vist ka fariinsuhkrut - ma ei suutnud kummagist lihtsalt eemale hoida!:)

leib küüslaugutoorjuustu, karusmarjatšatni ja loomalihasingiga on üks parimaid võileibasid üldse.

thepassionatecook said...

i can so see this in a canape: savoury mini-scone, dollop of creme fraiche, smoked ham and your chutney... this is a sure winner!
thanks a lot for taking part in this round.

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I haven't seen any gooseberries around here. Would you suggest a substitution, because I love the other flavors in the recipe. Thanks, Pille!

Shaun said...

Pille - Add ginger in any form to anything and I am there. I have never seen pink gooseberries available in New Zealand, but since our seasons are opposite, I'll have a better look around come March next year. The texture of the chutney looks glorious, slick yet substantial. I especially love the sound of all those spice seeds and acids. What a complex chutney; I hope to one day make it.

desie said...

i've never had gooseberries (although i've seen a hoard of them in my in-laws freezer last time we visited). the colours looks great and i'm sure it would also be delicious with curry.

lobstersquad said...

I know this one!!! it´s so delicious. It didn´t last long, and now that I´m never going to see a gooseberry again til next summer, if I´m lucky enough to go to estonia again...cold turkey.

Tea said...

Oh, this looks so delicous! I am on a chutney kick lately--and I agree with you about raisins. They so rarely make me happy. What a gorgeous color this has, I bet it tastes just as good:-)

zlamushka said...

Wow, nami nami, this is a beautiful chutney. I never made one with goosberry, but why not. I love to give away mine as presents. I myself am hosting an event that is dedicated to giving food as a present. I would love you to have a look and maybe you could come up with something? http://www.burntmouth.com/2007/10/spoonful-of-christmas.html

Jeanne said...

That looks great! I have always been a hige fan of something sweetly spicy with pork, so this sounds like a little plate of heaven to me. Good call on avoiding the turmeric - look at that lovely pink colour!

Pille said...

K&S - yes, both the colour and the taste were lovely!

Tanna - if you use frozen gooseberries, then make sure to reduce the liquid accordingly! But it might just work, you're right.

Evelin- mul oli meeles jah, et Sa soovitasid seda retsepti. Aga arvan, et karripulbri väljajätmine oli õige otsus - ka raamatu fotol on see tšatni sellist ebamäärast pruuni värvi. Eelistan oma roosat tšatnit:)

Johanna - the pleasure was all mine. There's so much jam-making going on in our house, so it's fun to make something savoury for a change!

Susan - this might work with rhubarb, as they're both a bit sour. Failing that, just make any chutney you like:) (But you must grow gooseberries in the US, no??)

Shaun - I hope you'll have a chance to make this, too. K. opened the last jar yesterday, so we'll be soon out of our gooseberry chutney and must wait for next year, too!

Maybahay - it'd be nice with curry, I bet. Just like mango chutney:)

Lobstersquad - you absolutely MUST come again next year! Promise??

Tea - there's a curd cheese cake that requires raisins that I'll be blogging about soon. But that's (almost) about it:)

Zlamushka - we're often giving jams away as presents - it's always a good idea, I agree!

Jeanne - well, usually a tart n sweet lingonberry jam does, but yes, a chutney is a nice accompaniment to pork indeed.

Unknown said...

Can I use green gooseberries for this recipe?

Pille said...

Louise, you sure can! Taste for sugar, however!