Cranberry Chutney

I can no longer eat cranberries because they interfere with a medication I must take. This is a great loss since I love cranberries in everything-cakes, pies, muffins, salads-you name it. One recent discovery is how delicious they are in a chutney. Who would have guessed that the All- American cranberry would be delectable in an Indian relish? This recipe comes from The Indian Vegetarian by Neelam Batra, a fantastic cookbook for people interested in exploring the wonderful cuisine of India. I omitted a few ingredients which I didn't have and lengthened the cooking time. If you don't have all the spices listed, go ahead and make it anyway.

Ms. Batra writes that you can store the chutney in the refrigerator for over a year. Mine didn't last anywhere near that long. Cranberry chutney is delicious on turkey or cheese sandwiches, with broiled chicken and along side all sorts of Indian style dishes.

2 12 ounce packages fresh cranberries

4 cups sugar

3 cups water

10 black cardamom pods, pounded lightly to break the skin

1 3 inch stick cinnamon

1 tbl. fennel seeds

1 tsp. fenugreek seeds

1 tbl. ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

5 tbl. white vinegar

Place the cranberries, sugar, water, cardamom pods, cinnamon, fennel and fenugreek seeds, ginger and salt in a large, heavy stainless steel (or other nonreactive) saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover partially and cook stirring occasionally, until it turns slightly thick, 5-7 minutes.

Uncover the pan, add the vinegar and continue to cook until the chutney is quite thick, about 20 minutes. (Remember that the chutney will continue to thicken as it cools.)

Transfer to a bowl and set aside until cold. Store in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.

Makes about 6 cups

Notes: Try the chutney in plain yogurt or on toast

If the recipe makes too much chutney for you, share it with a friend or halve the main ingredients and adjust the spices accordingly