This recipe comes from Joan Chapman, who has won many a prize with her chutneys and vegetables at the Great Bedwyn Village Fête, so we are in very capable hands. Runner beans are long, flattish green beans, often sliced on the diagonal. The more you pick them, the more there seem to be the next day.
I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that my only real knowledge of chutney before this recipe was that one of the cavemen in those insurance commercials ordered roast duck with mango chutney. A quick glance at Wikipedia told me that chutney is an Indian cousin to relish, and that supposedly the Hindi translation of “to make chutney” is a common idiom meaning “to crush”. This is because the process of making chutney often involves the crushing together of the ingredients. What I do know now is that Mrs. Chapman makes a very fine chutney. So let’s get to it!
Here’s another first for me: runner beans. I’ve always been a fan of green beans, and they were one of the few “green” things I would eat as a child. Runner beans however, are totally new to me, so I was flabbergasted to see them available at a local supermarket. I had already resigned myself into trying to grow them so I could make this recipe, but luck decided to give me a little hand.
The runner beans were cleaned …
… chopped …
… and then blanched in salted water.
While the runner beans cooked, my wife chopped roughly 3/4′s of a pound of shallots for me. I’m not sure how she does it, but the chemical compounds in onions and shallots that make me tear up just do not effect her in the least. To say I’m jealous would be an understatement. The chopped shallots were dropped into a pot with some malt vinegar and softened for a little while.
This is a bowl of Demerara sugar. When I found a bag of it at the supermarket, I almost decided to just pick up a cheaper box of Sugar In The Raw since they are so similar in appearance. To stay true to the recipe, I bought the Demerara. After a bit of research though, I’m not really finding much difference. Oh well. I mixed the Demerara sugar in with the cooked shallots along with some Coleman’s Mustard Powder and some turmeric for color.
The blanched runner beans were added as well, and left to cook for half an hour so that the flavors could get to know each other. Finally, cornstarch was introduced to give the chutney a bit of firmness.
I decanted the chutney into a sterilized jar, and then placed it into a cupboard for a few weeks to sit. Last night, we cracked open the jar to find ourselves with an intensely sweet, tangy chutney with bits of bean that will squeak against your teeth and slightly crunchy shallots that add just the right amount of kick.
Since this is my first chutney, I’m not really sure what to do with it. We’ve been spreading the chutney on slices of bread and eating it like preserves. If anyone has suggestions, I’d be more than happy to run with them.
One down, one hundred to go.
All manner of sweet chutneys make fabulous sandwiches with leftover roast pork.
I grew up in Hong Kong, and when we ate simple dishes like congee or soup noodles, we would put out different kinds of pickled beans and root vegetables as condiments. This sounds like it would be awesome next time you make instant ramen (if such a thing doesn’t count as heresy!)
Love your blog.
I’ve been making this chutney since the first book came out (I work round the corner from St. John and go there at least a couple of times a week btw). My secret addition is a tsp of chilli powder and 2 black cardamom (these aren’t the usual green caradamom – I got them from Sikkim where they grow, but you might be able to get them here – they have a weird creosote smell when crushed which just seems to work perfectly with this chutney). Fergus serves this chutney with cold middlewhite pork often. It’s a perfect foil.
Good luck with your task. You have to make pheasant and pig trotter pie from the first book (that’s trotter gear you’re making there, but he doesn’t reveal that till the next book) – you will be blown away by the best thing you have ever, ever tasted in your life – ok, I’m a little biased.
Westie
Oh, given your in the US, Middlewhite is an old English breed of pig, very succulent fat – any outdoor reared porker would do fine I’m sure.
Westie
finefuriouslife: Thank you very much for the compliment. I know my writing isn’t the greatest, but I’m trying to make up for it with the pictures. Thousands of words and all that.
Roast pork sandwiches, and ramen, hrm. As luck would have it, I’ve got a pork sholder brining right now. I think I’ll be giving both suggestions a shot with the leftovers, thanks!
Westie: Okay, now I’m supremely jealous of you. I was set to fly out to London this Christmas, but the weakness of the dollar killed that for me. I’m going to try again next year, and I’d love to have you along for dinner one of those nights if you’re up for it.
Depending on how sweet this is, I bet it would go pretty well with a lot of different duck preparations, or a good coconut curry, or a variety of pâtés. You could also try it with sharp cheddar on the bread as well, kind of in the Branston pickle mode.
Sorry… I just fixed my profile so you can see who I am. (That’s my comment right above.)
Looks good Ryan. Chutney like this is different than the Indian one although it’s origin is probably from the Indian ones. Any Indian buffet here will have a few chutneys, like coconut and cilantro. They are usually more soupy looking. The British Chutneys can include a myriad of vegetables and/or fruit and are typically sweet and sour with a kick of spice. I love Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipe for it. He calls it Glutney and uses it as a flexible recipe that can be adapted to whatever produce you have on hand (from green tomato to pumpkin). Google the recipe, I think it is on his website.
As to what to serve it with. Well almost anything. It goes great with cheese sandwiches, stirred into stews or -like everyone mentioned- cold or hot roast beef and pork.
Peter: Those are great suggestions as well. Mmmm, Branston pickles!
Enassar: It’s good to see you my friend! I found the recipe you mentioned here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/aug/11/features.weekend
I’m boiling a picnic ham tonight, so I’ll be giving it a go with that.
Great Ryan. I’m actually making a batch now using butternut squash and a rutabaga instead of the large zucchini. Looks promising. BTW, on a semi-related note. His River Cottage Meat book is a fantastic tome (and includes this recipe). It has recipes from simple roasts to adventurous offal and amazing essays about meat from farm to butcher counter. Buy a copy or put it on your Xmas wish list. Because of it I am now thinking of picking up his other River Cottage books.
Done, I’ve placed the River Cottage Meat book on my Amazon wishlist. Oh, on another note, I’m looking at getting a Bradly smoker so I can make my own bacon. Thank you again for the generous offer to send me some from your own larder.
It sounds great it will go great with smoked fish an fried rice