I have been experimenting with chutneys lately. It is an interesting endeavor because there are so many kinds and variations. The word "chutney" is borrowed from the Hindi "chatni" that means "pasty sauce" or "strong, sweet relish"(sources vary on the meaning and I narrowed it down to these two). They can be sweet or sour, spicy or mild, or any combination of these. What I like about chutneys is that the flavor combinations are almost limitless so they are totally customizable to your own tastes. That is a lovely thing.
Green tomatoes are hanging about at the farmers market so I grabbed a few. I did a little research to find something different to do with them besides fry them or cook them with okra (my favorite food when I was growing up) which is not available this late in the season in this neck of the woods. I found this recipe for apple chutney from
Joy of Cooking
where the green tomato is interchangeable with apples as the main ingredient. Green tomatoes might be hard to find right now unless you are in the south then you can substitute green Granny Smith apples or a combination of the the two. I am in southern PA and am still finding green tomatoes which is nothing short than amazing. What a long summer we have had this year!
Chutney is a condiment and here in the US of A it is usually served with a grilled meat like pork, chicken or turkey.
