Kevin loves both cranberries and rhubarb, so I decided to combine them, just for him. You can enjoy this chutney right away, or put it up and save it to pull out at the holidays. Festive! As with any chutney, adjust to your taste — you can make it a little sweeter, a little tangier, a little spicier.
NOTE: Rhubarb leaves are toxic and humans should never ingest them. Please resist the urge to save them for a salad.
1 red onion, chopped fine
2 T chopped ginger
1 c. apple cider vinegar
about 2 c. cranberries
1 c. chopped dates or golden raisins
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T jaggery or dark brown sugar (or more to taste)
about 1 c. chopped rhubarb stalks
1. Combine all ingredients except rhubarb in a medium pot, bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have popped and you have a sauce-like consistency.
2. Add rhubarb (if you add it at the beginning, it’ll lose all definition) and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring. Rhubarb should be soft and cooked through.
Serve room temperature; chutney is a fabulous sandwich spread. Will keep for two weeks in the fridge, or may be canned for long-term storage.
I need more ginger. I was able to salvage just enough decent ginger out of the wrinkled pieces left in my fridge for this recipe. Ginger ginger ginger.
If I take photos while I’m making up recipes, it also helps me remember how much I put in of various things, since I usually write the recipe down AFTER making it. This is perhaps not best practice for recipes, but it seems to work for me. 🙂 1 c. apple cider vinegar.
I was going to make a rhubarb chutney, but I didn’t actually plant enough rhubarb! It’s okay. It turned into something else delicious. Next year, plant more rhubarb.
Simmering red onions and ginger in vinegar. Anand came down to get a snack, took one whiff, and said “That smells TERRIBLE.” I actually don’t mind the smell of cooking vinegar, but I admit that it is quite potent. 🙂
Zest of one lime, to brighten.
A little crushed red pepper. A little more. Maybe just a little more…
Cranberry is not exactly seasonal right now, and maybe it’s a little goofy to combine it with rhubarb, but they do taste quite nice together. It helps if you like the tang. We are a tang-appreciating household…well, except for Anand, but we’re going to work him around eventually, I hope.
