Mango Chutney

Chutney, originally, was made to be eaten fresh and not kept lying around a refrigerator or jam cellar. It's traditionally a combination of sweet and spicy ingredients. Many of the chutneys sold at the supermarket contain preservatives and ingredients most people wouldn't find in their own home, not to mention they are expensive. That rubs me the wrong way. It really chokes my goat.

I never really thought about making chutney until I had some last week at an English pub in Grand Rapids. They had a mango chutney there with little red things in it. I assumed these were sweet red pepper, and so that's what I'm using in this recipe. The chutney at G.C. was served with three or four large fried corn tortillas. Regular tortilla chips will work in a pinch -- or even better -- toasted seed bread.

Ingredients:
1 mango (semi-ripe)
1 medium size sweet red pepper
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 to 2 inches of ginger



















Mince the ginger and dice the mango and red pepper and add them to a sauce pot. Try to dice the red pepper a little smaller than the mango. Depending on how spicy you want the chutney, you might want to add the veins and seeds of the pepper.















Add the vinegar and brown sugar. Bring the pot to a boil, stirring occasionally.















Once the chutney has boiled for about 10 minutes, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes.















If the chutney seems a little soupy, don't worry. After you let it cool, the sugars will thicken up and you will have a delicious side to whatever you are dipping.















Variations:
There are countless ways to make chutney. You can use apples, pears, cranberries, raisins apricots...really, whatever you want. The trick is to match the sweet with spicy, so follow a recipe and try not to get too creative your first few times.