Cranberry Persimmon Chutney

I have never prepared a dish with persimmons ever in my life. That seems like a strange statement to make. Persimmons are found around the world and many cuisines use the fruit in various dishes. I have seen them in grocery stores and simply continued to walk past them. 

So, when my beautiful Angel recently purchased a lot of persimmons, I had absolutely no idea what to make with them. I had to do a lot of research, mostly on the internet, to find recipes that I could make. 

One recipe caught my eye almost immediately. It was for a Cranberry Persimmon Chutney. My love of South Asian foods, from Nepal to Sri Lanka and everywhere in between (which basically includes Bhutan, Bangladesh and India), drew my attention to the word "chutney." The fact that the Thanksgiving holiday had just passed got me to thinking, "I have cranberries." It seemed that everything was coming together for me to make this recipe. 

Chutneys are a very old food, whose history can be traced back centuries on the Indian subcontinent, to at least 500 B.C.E. The historical preparation involved taking uncooked fruits, such as apples or mangoes, and adding an acid base, like vinegar or tamarind juice. These chutneys were meant to be consumed fresh, alongside other dishes. This is a practice that continues today, with generally made with fresh fruit and some spices that, much like sambals or sambols, are served with almost every meal. 

The combination of persimmon and cranberries, along with the use of mustard and cumin, provided a balance of sweet and tart, along with some earthiness. The use of agave syrup heightened the sweetness in the chutney, while the vinegar provided some more balance to the overall dish. After finishing this recipe, I began to think that I should have been buying persimmons rather than just simply passing them up at the grocery store. 

CRANBERRY PERSIMMON CHUTNEY

Recipe from Robin Asbell

Makes about a cup

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup cranberries
• 1 medium persimmon, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup agave syrup
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Put the spices in a small saucepan and dry toast over medium high heat until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, until thick. 

ENJOY!