Nigel Slater’s Dark and Sticky Fruit Chutney

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

Earlier this year, I couldn’t wait to share the UK edition of Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries II with you, even though the book was a little hard to pick up here in the United States. But now things have changed. As promised, Ten Speed Press has just released the US edition, titled Notes from the Larder, making it a little easier to find, and if you’re not up for messing with conversions or if you don’t have a kitchen scale that reads in grams, a little easier to use. Let’s take a peek at this edition though a favorite recipe, one that I have cooked several times: A Dark and Sticky Fruit Chutney.

Ingredients

1 generous cup brown sugar (250g)
8 large figs (about 2 1/2 pounds / 1kg)
2/3 cup malt vinegar (150ml)
2/3 cup cider vinegar (150ml)
9 ounces onions, chopped (250g)
9 ounces golden raisins (250g)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked
1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Instructions

Warm the sugar in a bowl in a low oven. Coarsely chop the figs, removing any tough stems as you go, then put them in a large stainless steel or enameled saucepan. Add the vinegars, onions, raisins, salt, allspice, cracked peppercorns, and coriander seeds, then bring to a boil. Simmer for thirty minutes, until the onions and fruit are soft.
Stir in the sugar. Bring slowly to a boil, then turn the heat down so that the chutney bubbles gently. Cook for ten to fifteen minutes, with the occasional stir to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the mixture is thick and jamlike. Bottle in sterilized jars while hot and seal.