Mango Chutney

We have this combo that never fails to come out perfect. I'm thinking they all originally came from the Colorado Collage cookbook, from the Denver Junior League, or maybe just two out of the three did. But they work together both on the plate and during preparation.

(Left: mango chutney chicken with rice pilaf and grilled eggplant)


The combo is a mango chutney chicken, with a rice pilaf and oven-roasted tomatoes on the side. You prep the chicken, bake it for a while, cover it with chutney and finish baking it. While it's baking the first time, you prep the rice and tomatoes. You put the rice on the stove and the tomatoes in the oven during the chicken intermission. And there's no hands-on for the last ten minutes or so, so you can get everything cleaned up. Henry Ford would be proud of the assembly line efficiency.

But here's the one thing I don't like about the ensemble: the mango chutney. Now, I love mango chutney, or just about any type, for that matter. But come on, five or six bucks for the tiniest jar. And those jars. They typically have a tiny mouth that keeps you from sticking a spoon in there, but also a curve in the bottle that keeps a knife from getting the last ounce out of the jar. If I'm going to pay five bucks for a jar of something, I'm going to get every drop onto my plate.

I just assumed chutney was some terribly difficult thing to concoct. It's sort of like jelly, so there had to be boiling of jars and canning and vacuum seals, right? If I had been thinking more clearly, I would have realized that it's more like cranberry dressing, and our cranberry chutney takes all of about five minutes to whip up.

So I took the time to actually read the instructions for a mango chutney that's in The Dutch Oven Cookbook, by Sharon Kramis and Julie Kramis Hearne. Super simple, it turns out ... but ... for whatever reason, this recipe, like nearly every other one out there, calls for a metric ton of mangoes and a few dozen onions, and makes enough to feed the Royal British Air Force. Not sure what the thought process is there ... maybe because it freezes well, so you can jar 9/10ths of it and pull it out as you need it.

Next time I may try the Dutch oven version that makes six cups, but there wasn't room in the freezer thanks to chili and stew, so we whittled it down to about six servings.

Mango Chutney

2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 mangoes, chopped into 1 inch cubes
(or 2 cups frozen mango)
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup dried currants or golden raisins
1 Tbs ginger, finely chopped
dash red pepper flakes
dash ground turmeric or curry powder (or, both)
dash cinnamon
1 Tbs lime juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Like all good non-recipes, the details aren't important and nearly all of the ingredients are negotiable. Heck, leave out the mangoes, for crying outside, and make it with apples or whatever. Go heavy on the red chili flakes, or leave 'em out. Add nuts, like pecans or macadamias. Add cardamom to the curry powder, or try it with green or red curry pastes. Lots of ways to play around with this one.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and then add the onion, garlic, mango, red pepper, currants, and ginger. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, then add everything else. Continue to sauté on medium heat for about ten minutes, stirring frequently. Then lower the heat and simmer on low for about an hour. Cool and serve. Will store for about a week in the fridge or longer in the freezer.

Grilled Naan

Two reasons to make your own flatbreads:

1. They sell naan in packs of two for $3.00, and for three bucks in ingredients you can make a dozen or more.

2. Store-bought never tastes as good as right off the grill or out of the oven.

3. It's a lot easier than you might think.

4. For the sake of argument, let's say it's not all that easy. But you can still make it easy-ish by making a large batch and freezing most, to pull out later when you need it. Move it from the freezer to the fridge the morning you want to use it, then take it out to thaw completely about an hour before you need it.

5. The conventional wisdom says that cooking is more art and baking more science. In other words, when you're cooking, there are a lot of ways you can wing it, but baking requires precise measurements for everything to work just right. Could argue that from a lot of angles, but today let's just say, flatbreads are way forgiving. No reason to fear the flatbread.

Okay, that's more than two, but you get the idea.

Grilled Naan

1 ½ tsps dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 ½ tsps sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
6 Tbs clarified butter (called ghee in most Indian recipes) — divided
3 Tbs yogurt
2-3 Tbs sesame seeds, minced onion or garlic, or a dash red pepper flakes, or other flavoring
olive oil


Mix the dry yeast and sugar and add to the warm water. Stir till the yeast is dissolved. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. The mixture should begin to froth.

Mix the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture, 3 Tbs of butter, and the yogurt.

Very gently mix this into a soft dough.

Flour a large work surface (counter top or cutting board) and knead until elastic, which should take at least five minutes.

Coat a large bowl with a few drops of olive oil, and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for 90 minutes. The dough should approximately double.

Punch the dough down and knead for 10 minutes. About half way into this, sprinkle your seeds or onion into the dough.

Divide the dough in half, then each half in half, and then once again. Roll the divided dough into balls. At this point, if you don't want to grill all of the dough, you can put some of it in zip lock bags and freeze it for another time.

Re-flour your work surface and roll out each ball until you have a circle about one-half inch thick. Naan should then be gently pulled into a tear-drop shape.

Get your grill up to medium-high and then generously coat the grates with oil (paper towel and tongs works better than sprays).

Before putting the dough on the grill, spoon the rest of the butter onto each each piece of bread. Or, just spray with olive oil. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side, turning with tongs when done.

The temperature isn't all that important, so if you're cooking anything else, don't worry about having certain zones for each item. Just grill it until it's firm on the bottom.

Serve immediately, or transfer to a plate and cover with foil until your ready to eat.



Chicken and mixed veggies in chile-lime adobo, mixed green salad with creamy avocado dressing.

Mango Chutney Chicken and Friends

This one takes about an hour, but the chicken has about three seconds of hands-on time, so you have time to make the rice and clean up while it's in the oven. The grilled tomatoes can go in with the chicken and bake for the full hour, at the chicken's temperature, instead of the time/temp called for in the recipe.





The first night, make the chicken, rice, and tomatoes. Double the recipe if needed so you have leftovers. Then on the second night, substitute the stir-friend cauliflower for the tomatoes.




Mango Chicken Chutney

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons curry powder
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ cup dry white wine
2 pounds boneless, skinless
chicken breasts
1½ cups jarred mango chutney
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
½ cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add
curry powder and cardamom and cook 2–3 minutes. Stir in wine until well
blended and remove from heat.
Place chicken pieces in a casserole dish. Pour butter mixture over chicken
and bake 30 minutes. Spread chutney over chicken and continue baking
an additional 30 minutes, basting frequently. Sprinkle with coconut,
chives and raisins. Serve with Carrot Jasmine Rice Pilaf and Oven
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes.














Oven Roasted
Cherry Tomatoes

2 pints cherry tomatoes
1½ tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried orange zest
3 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Preheat oven to 425°. Put tomatoes
in a 9 x 13-inch glass dish or roasting
pan. Drizzle with olive oil and
sprinkle with salt, orange zest, garlic
and cardamom. Roast until dish
is fragrant and tomatoes are fully
cooked—about 20–25 minutes—
stirring once halfway through.















Carrot
Jasmine
Rice Pilaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
2–3 carrots, chopped
3 teaspoons dried grated
orange zest
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¹∕8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2¼ cups chicken broth, heated
½ teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon salt


Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan
over medium heat. Add shallots and
pine nuts and cook 4–6 minutes.
Stir in rice, carrots, orange zest,
cardamom and crushed red pepper.
Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Add chicken broth, honey, and
salt. Cover pan and simmer 12–15
minutes, until liquid is absorbed.


Indian Ginger Cauliflower and Green Peas

3 Tbs EVOO
1-3 chiles
1 Tbs ground coriander
1 tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin.
3 Tbs minced fresh ginger
1 jalepeno
One head of cauliflower (about two pounds or larger)
--> cut into 1 inch florets, about 6 cups
2 cups frozen green peas
1-2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp garam masala

At medium-high, heat the EVOO, then add the chiles, coriander, and cumin. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes. Add the ginger and jalapeno and stir quickly for another minute.
Add the cauliflower and stir vigorously until it is evenly coated with the spices. Cover and reduce the heat to medium, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the peas and salt, give the whole thing a quick stir to distribute the peas, cover and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the peas and cauliflower are tender. Uncover, turn up the heat to high, cook for two minutes until any liquid is gone, and then sprinkle with the garam masala.

Tonight's Menu: Grilled Tandoori Chicken with Rice Salad and Roasted Tomatoes

In the oven or on the grill, this is one of my favorite combos. The chicken and tomatoes have just a bit of a kick (spicy, not hot), and the rice salad makes a great left-over for lunch the next day.






Grilled Tandoori-style Chicken
Rice Salad
Grill-roasted Cherry Tomatoes

1) Grilled Tandoori -style Chicken
(Adapted from The Best of Fine Cooking Grilling)

1.5 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp curry powder
1.5 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne

2 Tbs oil
3 Tbs red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 2lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 Tbs chopped cilantro

Mix all of the powders in a medium, non-reactive bowl. Heat the oil in a pan over low heat. Stir in the spices and mix until the bubble, about a minute. Return the spice and oil mix to the bowl and stir in the yoghurt and vinegar. Add the chicken thighs, coating evenly. Put aside until you’re ready to grill, or cover and marinate in the fridge for up to 12 hours.

Throw the thighs on the grill and cook until done, depending on your grill and preferred grilling technique. Personally, I’m sold on Mark Bittman’s method of cooking the chicken over indirect heat for 12-15 minutes, then finishing over a hotter flame. Read more here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/13/dining/13mini.html?emc=eta1


Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

2. Rice Salad, from the New York Times Mark Bittman:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/dining/302mrex.html?ref=dining


3. Grill-roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Use the recipe from our cookbook, but instead of using a pan and the oven, wrap the tomatoes in foil and grill over indirect heat for 30-40 minutes, turning once or twice. Be careful folding you foil — make sure you have a tight package that won’t leak, and leave some air in the foil packet