Cranberry & Orange Chutney with a Cajun Twist

When the Albertsons’ produce stocking manager pointed out that this was the last bag of cranberries left in his inventory — I grabbed it up. I love cranberries. Although Christmas and the holidays are over, I don’t mind extending the celebration; we can still enjoy cranberries. The tart, bright red berries make wonderful additions to cakes, cookies and bars, salads and sauces. In fact, cranberries can be used in recipes the entire year. Plus, I have one remaining cranberry sauce recipe which I have been eager to try. It was left behind in the hustle and bustle of Christmas. My recipe is a sweet and tart, cranberry-orange chutney with lots of aromatic seasonings as well as a spicy Cajun “twist.” The recipe caught my attention because it features kumquats — a type of citrus fruit grown in Louisiana. This is a “one pot” recipe — so easy to make. And, I’m proud of the results — it is the perfect accompaniment to a Christmas turkey dinner. Well, this holiday is past. The chutney pairs with other entrees and dishes, too — such as my “Turkey and Cranberry Quesadillas.”

Ah, those cranberries….

I love cranberries. Fresh cranberries make all kinds of great sauces and chutneys for holiday meals — much better than commercial, canned sauces. The sour, tart cranberries are versatile and colorful additions to many dishes and baked goods. The berries grow on low, creeping evergreen vines which ripen in autumn. Their habitat is shallow bogs. For commercial harvest, the bogs are flooded. Air pockets in the berries allow them to float to the top of the water where they are skimmed off. Commercially, cranberries are grown in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington as well as British Columbia.

Cranberries are rich in nutritional value. They are high in antioxidants and flavonoids which fight inflammation and help heart, urinary tract and gut health. They provide Vitamin C, manganese and fiber as well as trace amounts of other vitamins including Vitamin K1, E and minerals — potassium, sodium calcium and iron. In sum, they are a very heathy berry!

Cranberries can be stored in their original packaging in the crisper section of the refrigerator for a month or too. They can be frozen for a year. So, I like to stock up on extra packages whenever possible.

Recipe Inspiration with a Cajun touch

My recipe inspiration for this recipe is loosely based on one found in the small cookbook, “The Tabasco Cookbook”, from the McIlhenny family. For five generations and 120 years, this family has owned and operated the Tabasco Pepper Sauce brand plant in Avery Island, Louisiana.

The little cookbook contains vintage family favorites — Cajun cooking at its best. It includes an informative story of the family and their pepper plants and interesting bits of trivia.

This particular recipe caught my attention because it features kumquats. And, you don’t see many recipes using kumquats. Kumquats are the fruit of a small, citrus type of fruit. You can eat the entire fruit — peel, seeds and the tiny bit of pulp in each fruit. (However, I prefer to scoop out the seeds and pith and just cook with the peel.) It is very pungent — you don’t need many kumquats to season your dish. The tree is one of the more hardy citrus trees — and grows well in the climate of Louisiana. Here is my mother-in-law’s kumquat tree growing in Houston.

I like the Cajun “twist” of the McIlhenny recipe. It includes two of the Cajun trinity of seasonings — onions and bell pepper. (Celery is the third ingredient in the Cajun “trinity.” It would be great in this chutney, too.) Plus, the chutney has a dashes of Tabasco Pepper Sauce which give a “hot” element to this chutney.

The original recipe is made with oranges, kumquats and raisins. I simply swapped cranberries for raisins. Since my kumquat harvest was very small this year (only one kumquat), I supplemented the ingredients in the chutney with tangerines. Tangerines are intense in flavor and I didn’t find seeds in this fruit — an added plus.

Recipe

Chutney is a spicy, aromatic condiment containing fruits and/or vegetables which is used to accompany a variety of dishes including poultry. Chutneys originated in ancient India and were introduced to Europe by early British traders.

My recipe has all the characteristics of a traditional chutney. Here are the ingredients.

Aromatic spices are featured ingredients in chutneys. This one is full of autumn-theme spices which really spark up the chutney — ground cloves, ground allspice, a cinnamon stick and crystalized ginger. Don’t skip them. They add flavor! Salt and several dashes of Tabasco sauce round out the seasonings.

The main components are cranberries, a kumquat and tangerines for the fruit. The vegetables are onion and bell pepper.

Apple cider vinegar and dark brown sugar make the sweet and sour flavors.

Making the Recipe

To make the recipe, get all the ingredients prepped. Chop the onion and bell pepper. Seed the kumquat(s) and scoop out the pith and seeds. Chop the peel (rind) which is used in this recipe. Peel the tangerines and cut into small wedges. Chop the crystalized ginger. Sort the cranberries and discard any spoiled ones. Save a few cranberries and tangerine wedges for garnish.

Then, cooking the chutney is simple. Just dump all the ingredients (except the Tabasco Pepper Sauce) into a large, heavy pot. Add a little water so the mixture won’t burn. Bring to a boil stirring frequently. Then, lower the heat on the stove. Partially cover the pot. Let the mixture gently simmer on the stove for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cranberries will pop and the sauce with thicken. Add a little more water if needed.

Remove from stove, let cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon stick. Add 6 drops of Tabasco Pepper Sauce. Taste. This hot sauce is pungent, a little hot pepper sauce goes a long way. No need to ruin the chutney by adding too much sauce. If needed, add a few more drops of hot sauce to meet your taste preferences.

Finished! And we have the best “Cranberry & Orange Cranberry” ever. Although winter holiday dinners are finished; we can still enjoy cranberries. I hope you like this recipe as much as I do. Enjoy a taste of Louisiana with this Cajun-inspired chutney.