Fresh Fig Chutney

It’s fresh fig season and I’m loving it. Out come the preserving pans once again and it’s Fresh Fig Chutney time!

This recipe is pretty traditional, adapted from past foodie extraordinaire Digby Law’s Pickle and Chutney Cookbook. If you haven’t heard of him before, he was an Auckland-based food writer and cook (sadly died of AIDS in 1987) who championed vegetables. He has written many a book on how fruit and vegetables can be souped, served and preserved. You name it in your garden and he will have a way of cooking it! I would highly recommend you tracking down a cookbook or two of his as they are perfect for anyone who is likely to have an excess harvest from the veggie patch or backyard orchard.

I didn’t mess with the recipe too much, to be frank. ‘Back in the day’ food writers would measure their ingredients in grams but not so much these days. New Zealander’s tend to use ‘cups’ and ‘teaspoons’ as our kitchen measures for small amounts. Kilograms still apply for bulk ingredients such as the hero fruit.

My copy of his book is sun-faded with dog-eared pages…it has been my bible ever since I have lived rural and had a productive edible garden.

He describes this as “A sweet spicy chutney with the wonderful earthy flavour of the figs featuring prominently. Superb with cheeses”.

The figs will hold their form mostly (despite a long slow cook), so the larger the chunks of figs cut, the chunkier the chutney. You decide what texture you prefer and run with that.

Fresh Fig Chutney

Makes: approx 1.5 litres

Ingredients

• 1kg ripe figs
• 3/4 cup pitted dates
• 1/4 cup crystallised ginger, finely cut
• 3 medium onions
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cayenne pepper
• 2 cups malt vinegar
• 1 cup brown sugar

Method

1. Slice the figs and finely chop the dates, cyrstallised ginger and onions; add to a large saucepan along with raisins, salt and cayenne pepper. Combine well. Do not heat.
2. In a smaller saucepan, bring the vinegar and brown sugar to the boil. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the prepared fruit, mix well, cover and let stand overnight.
3. Next day bring the chutney to the boil, reduce to a low simmer and coo very slowly for about 3 hours. When thick and dark, spoon into hot sterilised jars and seal.