Apricot Pear Chutney

This is delicious with cream cheese on crackers, as a condiment in a sandwich, or served with ham or turkey. Susan brought me some beautiful rosemary sprigs from her garden, so I added a tablespoon of fresh minced. Also ginger root was in short supply, so I substituted a teaspoon of ground dried.

Chutney makes a wonderful gift at this time of year: decorate with a twig of (rosemary) in a kitchen twine bow; cut pretty paper circles out of recycled auction catalogues or magazines to cover jar tops.

Apricot Chutney

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INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup minced Vidalia other yellow onion

1 tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 firm pears, peeled, cored, and diced

1 cup tart dried apricots, chopped

1/2 cup golden raisins

2 cups water or apple cider

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (perhaps more to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a sauce pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, and spices. Cook, stirring to prevent burning.

2. Add the garlic and continue cooking for a minute or so until the garlic begins to soften.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over a low heat until the apricots soften and the chutney thickens (30 minutes). Remove from the heat and adjust the seasonings as necessary (salt, sweet, and/or acid.) Cool before transferring to glass containers to store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.