This roasted feijoa chutney is a excellent kind of spicy relish. The feijoa add that tropical fruit aroma and taste. The chili adds some heat. The other ingredients add the indian flavors.
Ingredients
2 lb feijoas (about 16 fruits)
1 medium red onion (about 1 cups chopped)
2 large sweet lemons
1 2 inch piece of rosemary branch, with leaves, washed
6 large green chilies
2 habanero chilies
1 lb white sugar (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
Getting ready
Put the unpeeled feijoas through the mincer, or whiz them in batches in the food processor. You don’t want a complete puree, just a lumpy sludge.
Do the same with the red onions and the whole lemons. (It’s a good idea to cut the lemons into quarters and flick out any pips first.) If you like a lumpier texture, you could just chop everything fairly finely with a knife, and I sometimes do that with a few of the feijoas and one lemon.
Remove the stems from the green chillies, cut them in half and flick out the seeds. (If you do this under a running cold tap you will avoid chilli burns on your fingers.)
Put the prepared fruit, onions and chilies into a large bowl with the salt and vinegar and pour over the sugar. Cover the bowl and leave on the bench overnight.
Cooking the chutney
Preheat the oven to 356º F.
Give the mixture in the bowl a good stir, add the cinnamon, cardamoms and the chillies and pour it carefully into a roasting dish. The dish can be quite full since the mixture will reduce in volume as it cooks.
Put it in the oven and cook for 2 -3 hours. Give it a stir with a wooden spoon every half hour or so. It is cooked when the mixture is a reddish brown and most of the moisture has evaporated.
Put it into clean jars, seal and leave for at least a week before eating. This allows the flavors to mellow a little. It will keep for at least a year in a cool, dark place. Makes about 2 pints of chutney.
Original recipe
2 lbs peeled red onions, finely sliced
8 large green chilies,stems removed, cut into fine strips
4 lbs sugar
4 teaspoons sea salt
12 ounces cider vinegar
5 large sweet lemons -the juice and the zest cut into fine strips
1 4 inch piece of rosemary branch, with leaves, washed
1 cinnamon quill, broken up roughly (or substitute 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
6 green cardamon and 6 black cardamon pods, crushed (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon)
2 teaspoons dried chili flakes