raisin chutney

I didn't know what to expect from this recipe since I'm not a regular chutney eater nor a chutney maker. I tasted chutney only from time to time in some Indian restaurants. That's about it. Still, I wanted to try. It's easy and fun to make. And it tastes delicious. In the next post, I'll show you a way -that I'm crazy about- to use the chutney we just made.  Stay tuned.

raisin chutney

(adapted from the book Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon)

1 1/2 cups organic raisins, soaked in warm filtered water for 1 hour

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves

10 black peppercorns

1/4 ts red pepper flakes

1 tbs coriander seeds

1/2 tbs cumin seeds

1/2 tbs anise seeds

1/2 tbs freshly grated ginger

1 ts sea salt

2 tbs whey

1/2 cup filtered water

1. Place garlic and cilantro in food processor and pulse a few times.

2. Drain raisins and add to food processor along with peppercorns, red pepper flakes, seeds and ginger.

3. Pulse a few times until the mixture becomes a coarse paste.

4. Transfer to a pint-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down lightly with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer.

5. Mix salt and whey with water and pour into jar.  You may need to poke a few holes in the chutney to allow liquid to percolate through.  Add more water if necessary to cover the chutney.  The top of the chutney should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar.

6. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 2 days before transferring to refrigerator.

7. The chutney should be eaten with 2 months.

NB: If you don't have whey sitting around your house, take whole, cultured yogurt and strain for a couple of hours through a cheesecloth-lined colander or sieve.  Now you have whey to use in your ferments!