Apricot Chutney

This is my take on Mrs Ball's chutney, the famous South African brand.

This delicious relish is a must for serving with curry.

It's also great on a sandwich with grated cheese on brown bread,

which reminds me of my Irish grandfather.

If you like chutney hotter than this you can double up on the chilli,

or add fresh chopped chilli.

Ingredients:

1 punnet of apricots (8-10)

250ml raisins

250ml white granulated sugar

250ml malt vinegar

1 large white onion, chopped fine

5ml ginger and garlic paste

2.5ml salt

2.5ml powdered cinnamon

2.5ml chilli pickle mix

8-10 whole cloves

Method:

Halve and stone the apricots and place them in a heavy based saucepan. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and bring to the boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for about half an hour to reduce the volume of the chutney and bring it to a thick consistency. Stir from time to time to prevent it from sticking to the base of the pot.

With a hand blender, whizz the mixture to break down the fruit but leave a chunky constituency.

Bottle while still hot in sterilised pickle jars, taking care not to bring any metal in contact with the pickle. (See "Tomato Chutney")

Cook's Note

Ginger and garlic paste is a paste made from equal quantities by volume of fresh ginger root and garlic cloves. Whizzed up in a mini blender, salt and oil are added to keep it fresh. It can be stored in an airtight glass or plastic container for up to 21 days in the fridge.

Chilli pickle mix is a standard masala where I come from;

It consists of course ground chilli and salt - 4 parts chilli to 1 part sea salt.