Chutney

Well, I have this problem with mango chutney.

Actually, it's not a problem with the chutney itself - I like mango chutney. But whenever considering making mango chutney, I'm always stopped by the very first step, which calls for, say, eight ripe mangoes to be pitted, peeled, chopped and stewed.

Why, I wonder, would I want to cook and preserve eight perfectly good ripe mangoes? It's hard enough to find eight perfectly good ripe mangoes around here. How could anything improve upon this creamy fruit in its pure, ripe state?

That thought, then, usually recalls the best mango I've ever eaten: a few winters back, in Paris, of all places. Our hosts there returned from a Christmas trip to the Ivory Coast bearing fresh coconuts, pineapples and mangoes, all picked the previous day. There was no possibility of slicing this particular mango: It was so perfectly ripe that all we could do was cut it in half and spoon out the smooth orange fruit. No ice cream could be more rich or more flavorful than that mango.

In tropical climates, however, where mangoes are commonplace, they are taken more for granted, and dishes are developed using even green mangoes (perhaps not unlike during autumn in the Northwest, when green-tomato recipes abound). A common ingredient in Indian cooking is amchoor, a dried powder made from unripe mangoes and used to give food a slightly sweet sourness.

India, of course, is where most people presume mango chutney originated. But chutneys historically were not sweetened - it was the colonial British who added sugar to the traditional Indian condiments. Along the way, legend has it, a British officer by the name of Major Grey somehow had his name associated with a particular strain of sweetened mango chutney. Little is known about the good major, except that he did not manage to copyright his concoction. Thus, today, Major Grey has become more or less a generic name for mango chutney.

Chutneys, in general, are fresh or cooked relishes featuring chopped fruit or vegetables and including several spices and an acidic liquid, such as vinegar or lime juice. Chutneys can be spicy hot, sweet, sour, sweet-and-sour, salty, hot or cold. In the south of India, they generally include coconut; in the north, mangoes. Chutneys are used on the subcontinent to help perk up sluggish bodies, sharpen and clear the palate, stimulate the appetite, add flavor, provide a coolant and aid digestion.

Although many people know of chutney as a standard accompaniment to curried dishes, it can enliven a variety of other dishes: as a dip with fried foods; as a spread, alone or with cold cuts; as a baste for ham, lamb or pork chops; as a relish for hot dogs and hamburgers; as a condiment with stews, poultry, meat and eggs; even as a vegetable on its own.

This Indian tradition is not incongruous with the Northwest. In fact, it almost calls for the development of regional chutneys, making exotic relishes out of common fruits and vegetables, rather than starting with the exotic.

Some local supermarket shelves already reflect a growing awareness of the chutney potential. One section at Larry's Markets carries not only the now relatively mundane mango, peach and tomato varieties, but also tomato-mint, tomato-chili, cranberry-walnut, cranberry-tangerine, peach-clove, rhubarb-ginger, apple-pear, apple-pear-jalapeno, apple-walnut, spicy apple and spicy carrot-lemon.

One trick in making some chutneys is to use hard, green, unripe fruit or vegetables, which add a pleasing tartness and also hold their shape despite lengthy simmering. This provides a use for early peaches and pears, before birds and squirrels get to them. It opens the door for a salsa alternative when gardeners are looking for something to do with bushels of fresh red or green tomatoes.

This, for Northwest gardeners, might raise the question: ``Zucchini chutney?'' Well, why not? One possibility features zucchini combined with onions, raisins, brown sugar, allspice and black peppercorns.

Stuffed poultry, for example, can be spiced up by mixing a small amount of chutney with the stuffing. A tablespoon or two of chutney added to a cup of basic vinaigrette will produce a tangy but simple salad dressing.

When cooking chutneys, as with most mixtures that include vinegar, it is best to use enamel, Teflon or oven-proof glass saucepans rather than uncoated metals (brass, copper, iron), which can affect color and flavor. Iodized salt also tends to darken chutneys.

Perhaps it's unfair to call this first recipe ``Mock Mango Chutney,'' because it produces a tasty peach preserve that doesn't necessarily have to imitate anything. But the idea is that unripe peaches retain their form and add a certain tartness that can help approximate their tropical cousins in chutney.

MOCK MANGO

CHUTNEY

Makes 2 cups

6 tablespoons light brown sugar

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime

juice

2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed

lemon juice

2 large unripe peaches

1 small onion

1/4 red bell pepper

1 small garlic clove

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

3 tablespoons sultana (golden)

raisins

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon dash to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne,

to taste

2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

1. Combine brown sugar, vinegar, lime juice and lemon juice in an enamel or oven-proof glass saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, pit, peel and coarsely chop the peaches, leaving some pieces one inch square or longer. (Chopped they should measure about 2 1/2 to 3 cups.) Peel onion; coarsely chop onion and red bell pepper. Peel and finely mince garlic.

3. After saucepan mixture has simmered for 5 minutes, add peaches, onion, red pepper, ginger, garlic, raisins, salt, cloves, cinnamon and cayenne, if desired. Simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Remove large pieces of peach and set aside. Add nuts, if desired. Simmer for 15 minutes. Return peach pieces to pan and simmer 5 more minutes. Ladle into jars. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to a week, or in freezer.

Note: Unripe green apples - or even mangoes - may be substituted for unripe peaches.

Chutney can enliven many mayonnaise- and yogurt-based dressings, and also complements chicken and apple. All three ingredients are prominent in this recipe, which is adapted from one in ``Northwest Bounty'' by Schuyler Ingle and Sharon Kramis. A crisp, tart apple is essential, and the 1990 crop of Granny Smiths from New Zealand is forthcoming.

This dish can stand alone as an elegant lunch or serve as a light dinner for busy days or warm evenings.

CHICKEN-APPLE SALAD

WITH CHUTNEY-LIME

DRESSING

Serves 2

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken

breasts

Chicken broth or water for

poaching

1/2 to 3/4 cup yogurt, to taste

1/4 cup mayonnaise juice of 1/2 lime

2 to 3 tablespoons mango or mock

mango chutney

1 crisp, tart apple, such as Granny

Smith

1 celery stalk, chopped red leaf lettuce

red seedless grapes and celery

stalks for garnish

1. Poach chicken in broth or water, drain and cool.

2. Combine in large bowl yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice and chutney. Mix well.

3. Cut cooled chicken into half-inch strips and add to dressing in bowl. (These first three steps can be done 24 hours in advance.) Refrigerate until just before serving.

4. Cut apple into quarters. Core and peel, and slice each quarter horizontally. Add apple and chopped celery stalk to chicken-dressing mixture.

5. Prepare plates with whole lettuce leaves as a base, topped with some torn lettuce. Spoon chicken-apple mixture onto lettuce. Garnish with grapes and celery.

There are two general categories of chutney. In this country, we're most familiar with cooked chutney, purchased like jam or relish. Preserved and unopened, some last up to a year on the shelf. Not canned but refrigerated, they can last a week. But in India, many chutneys are prepared fresh each day, and last two or three days at best.

The following fresh coriander chutney makes an invigorating dip for everything from vegetables to Indian pappadam, the thin crispy lentil cracker served as an appetizer. This refreshing relish takes on an added zing with the inclusion of jalapeno peppers. You can use milder varieties or leave out the peppers altogether, according to taste. It will keep in the refrigerator two to three days.

CORIANDER CHUTNEY

Makes 1 1/2 cups

2 cups packed fresh coriander

leaves

1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, or to taste

2 slices fresh ginger, 1/8 inch thick

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

salt to taste 1/3 to 1/2 cup water

1. Coarsely chop coriander, mint, jalapeno and ginger. Place in a food processor or blender.

2. Add sugar, lemon juice and salt; process, adding water as needed until the mixture is a coarse puree.

3. Cover and chill until just before using.