wild garlic chutney

Normally at this time of year I am doing lots of shinrinyoku in Knocksink Woods, near Enniskerry, having a heyday picking wild garlic which grows in abundance as floorcover in the woods. However, this year, the woods are beyond the 2 km limit. Luckily we have been "cultivating" wild garlic below our fuschia hedge, and so there is a small amount to make things with.

This year, one of my nieces sent me a recipe for wild garlic chutney, so I thought I would try it. I did make a few changes to the recipe and it was delicious, so that is the recipe I'll share. First things first, the recipe called for 100g wild garlic leaves. I was surprised at how much this was - about 40-50 leaves. But the recipe asks for you to wilt the leaves (pour some boiling water over them for a couple of seconds) and then refresh in cold water, so this definitely shrinks the volume down. I am not sure what the point of this is, because I don't do it when making pesto and I don't have any problem with leaves being too fibrous to digest (this was the only reason I could imagine...).

Other ingredients: coriander 25g, juice of 2 limes, 3 green apples (peeled & cored), 1 tsp brown sugar, 2 dried hot peppers (use scissors to cut), and fresh ginger (as if making tea for 2).

Whizz all the ingredients together in a food processor. It is delicious eaten with crackers and cheese, or with anything else that you would eat a chutney with -- halloumi, potatoes, naan bread... I think next time I make it I would only use juice of 1 lime and perhaps only one hot pepper. I have not tried freezing it as the batch wasn't that big (and I gifted some away), but I can imagine that it could be frozen for future use.

Mustard fruit

A number of years ago, my husband was watching a cooking show on xmas eve, where the chef talked about a super easy recipe to make as an accompaniment to the xmas ham. This recipe, with origins in Italy, is so easy to make that he set about immediately to make it in order that we could eat it the next day! Mustard fruit is so delicious though, it should not be hidden away to have only once a year. This accompaniment to the xmas ham also makes a fabulous chutney to have with cheeses and the other usual party snacks year round. Here goes!

Use any and all of your dried fruit that happens to be in your cupboard or fridge but make sure you have a varied mix. Your chutney may actually have a slightly different flavour every time you make it, depending on what's available for your mix. This year we had raisins, dried apricots, maraschino cherries, dates, dried figs, and candied peel.

The recipe is: 1 cup chopped dried fruit, half cup brown sugar, half cup vinegar, at least 1 tblsp dried mustard (add more if you wish!).

Mix all ingredients in a pot and bring to a hard boil; simmer for 5-10 mins stirring regularly so as not to stick to the bottom of the pot.

As it cools, the mixture becomes fairly thick. Spoon generously over your ham. Enjoy!