Chutney

There's something about the clean, crisp taste of chutney, the mixture of hot and sweet flavors and the chunky texture that pleases immensely.This lemon-apricot chutney is delicious on broiled lamb chops.Lamb chops with lemon-apricot chutneyMakes 4 servings3 large garlic cloves, smashed2 teaspoons salt or to taste1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepperL 8 (1-inch-thick) loin or rib lamb chops (3 to 4 ounces each)lemon-apricot chutney, at room temperatureHeat broiler and arrange rack 4 to 5 inches from heat source.

O n a day that is supposed to bring families together, this dish has a tendency to push them apart. I am talking about cranberries, those tart little berries that everyone feels obligated to serve in some form on Thanksgiving Day. I have nothing against cranberries. I like them, as long as they're fixed the "right way." That means with fresh grated ginger, minced garlic and a can of cranberry jelly. This produces a chutney that has zest, fruit and presence. It livens up the slices of roast turkey served on Thanksgiving Day and is positively essential as a flavorful lubricant for the leftover roast turkey sandwiches that are served ad infinitum on the days after the feast.

Like Mexican salsa, Indian chutney has become a global condiment. In the United States and United Kingdom, chutneys tend to be thought of as thick, sweet-sour preserves to eat with baked ham or roast pork. But there's another side to chutney.In India, chutneys are prepared fresh daily. Made from a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and herbs combined with chilies and spices, these fresh chutneys can be intensely hot and spicy. They are eaten sparingly throughout the meal to add flavor, stimulate appetite and promote digestion.

The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking and Entertaining By Cheryl and Bill Jamison Grilling Exciting International Flavors From the World's Premier Culinary College By the Culinary Institute of America Lebhar-Friedman Books / 2006 / $35 As you might expect, this book has a more formal, instructional style than The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking. It includes lots of vital information for the beginning griller, from cooking times for meat, poultry and seafood to instructions for filleting a round fish.

A fresh summer chutney can enliven the simplest dinner, as shown here with this menu for ham and chutney with roasted potatoes. It's a perfect combination for a carefree evening meal after a hectic, hot summer day.You can roast the onions, potatoes and warm the ham all at once in the same oven. Microwave the scrubbed potatoes first to soften, and then spray with nonstick coating. Have the ingredients for the chutney mixed and ready to go after the onions are roasted. Purchase a fully cooked, sliced ham and then wrap in foil while heating.

My earliest memory of sampling cranberries is at our family's Christmas dinners when, each year, my mother would serve canned cranberry jelly along with roast turkey and corn bread dressing. I loved the tangy taste of this fruit, and for me the berries became quintessential holiday food. Like countless others, I rely on these tart, crimson-hued morsels to add verve to menus during this season. Unlike my mom, however, who preferred canned berries, I use fresh ones.In fact, almost every year I devise some new recipe for this fruit whether it's a relish, sauce, chutney or salsa.

One day last week, my culinary assistant, Charles Worthington, came to work excited about a recipe he had created for a dinner that he had catered the evening before. His golden rhubarb and apricot chutney served with roast duck had been a smashing success. Guests had returned for seconds and even thirds of this dish. Although the chutney had worked beautifully with the duck, the young chef suggested that it would be equally good with pork.I had planned a small party for a group of good friends the next weekend and decided to make the chutney and serve it with grilled pork tenderloins.

As I look back on my early days as a chef, I recall my fascination with watching the experienced chefs create a variety of homemade relishes and chutneys. It amazed me that they could take different fruit, herbs and vegetables and blend them together to make something so delicious that it truly enhanced the flavor of the dish it accompanied. I learned over the years, through extensive training, practice and experimenting, which chutney and relishes work best with meat and which with fish, pork or poultry.

Cheers for chutney, a versatile relishTake a seat, salsa. Chutney is stepping up to the plate. According to the July-August issue of Metropolitan Home, chutney is the newest condiment to dazzle American cooks. This versatile Indian relish, with its range of spiciness and textures, adds interesting flavors to ordinary dishes. The magazine's editors suggest coconut chutney to perk up a sandwich or a pear-cranberry version to go with roast duck or chicken.The selling of couscousCheck out the new TV commercial on couscous.

A TURKEY and pasta recipe by Julie L. Bowman won the "National Turkey Lovers Recipe Contest for Teens." It was sponsored by the National Turkey Federation.Chutneys are available in the gourmet aisle of most supermarkets. If you can't find mango chutney, another may be substituted.The ten winning recipes are available by sending a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to: Teen Brochure, National Turkey Federation, 11319 Sunset Hills Rd., Reston, Va., 22090.Curried Turkey Twist1 pound turkey breast cutlets or tenderloins, cut into 1/2 x2-inch strips2 teaspoons peanut oil1/4 teaspoon garlic powder1/4 teaspoon curry powder1/8 teaspoon ground gingerNon-stick cooking spray2 ounces snow peas, blanched1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced8 cherry tomatoes, halved1/4 cup each red and green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4 x2-inch strips2 cups cooked rotini pastaChutney dressing, recipe belowIn small bowl combine turkey, oil and spices.

Gorge yourself at Sofi's Crepes Where: 1723 N. Charles St. When: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, noon-8 p.m. Sundays. Why: Crepes are great, but laziness often keeps us from making them ourselves. Which is why we're so excited about Sofi's Crepes - a newish pint-sized cafe next to the Charles Theatre that serves the sweet and savory varieties. Popular choices include the ham, gruyere and Dijon mustard crepe and the sliced turkey, pesto mayo and cranberry chutney concoction. Of the sweeter sort, they serve a popular banana royal crepe with bananas and butterscotch sauce.

Sofi's is tucked into a prime - but tiny - space on North Charles Street, sandwiched between the Charles and Everyman theaters. The L-shaped eatery has room for only a couple of customers and a modest kitchen. So it was quite sensible for Sofi's owner to limit the menu to one thing - crepes, crepes and more crepes. Ooh, la, la, the Sofi's folks have quickly mastered the crepe thing. And this colorful boutique of a restaurant is a welcome addition to what has become one of the city's hopping nighttime blocks.

If Bicycle chef/owner Barry Rumsey had designed the new renovation of his restaurant to reflect his food, the rooms would be filled with eclectic furniture, sensuous curves, baroque ornamentation and a riot of color and pattern. Instead, he and his co-owner, Deborah Mazzoleni, who is also his wife, went with clean lines and a minimum of accessorizing when they recently expanded into the rowhouse next door. Behind the new front dining room and wine bar, painted in bold colors, is a smaller, quieter room where we were seated.

As I look back on my early days as a chef, I recall my fascination with watching the experienced chefs create a variety of homemade relishes and chutneys. It amazed me that they could take different fruit, herbs and vegetables and blend them together to make something so delicious that it truly enhanced the flavor of the dish it accompanied. I learned over the years, through extensive training, practice and experimenting, which chutney and relishes work best with meat and which with fish, pork or poultry.

The aroma of fresh-baked bread. The sweetness of fudge. And the flavor of homemade chutney. These can be among the most welcome of holiday gifts. If you have a favorite gift from your kitchen, we would like to hear about it. We are looking for a range of food- gift ideas -- sauces, tea blends, breads, candies and more that can be made in a fairly short time. We will print the best recipes in early December. Please send recipes, along with your name and daytime phone number, by Nov. 15 to Liz Atwood, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Balti- more, MD 21278, or e-mail to food@baltsun.

As a youngster growing up in the South, I remember that chicken salad was a dish often prepared by my mother and her friends as the main course for women's luncheons. Those chicken salads, so popular in the '50s, were made with a few basic ingredients -- chunks of poached or stewed chicken, diced celery, chopped hard-cooked eggs and mayonnaise (homemade or purchased, depending on the cook). These salads were usually served in whole tomatoes that had been partially sliced into wedges and set upon a bed of lettuce.

The crisp, cool days of fall arrive in many parts of the country attendant with annual rituals. As leaves turn from green to vibrant hues of orange, gold and red, people organize hikes or bicycling trips to view nature's impressive handiwork. For sports enthusiasts, weekends are filled with football games or soccer matches. By mid-autumn, pumpkins are so bountiful in many areas that families plan outings to harvest these fall squash, returning home to carve them into magical creatures. Such events are often combined with autumn picnics.

The aroma of fresh-baked bread. The sweetness of fudge. And the flavor of homemade chutney. These can be among the most welcome of holiday gifts. If you have a favorite gift from your kitchen, we would like to hear about it. We are looking for a range of food- gift ideas -- sauces, tea blends, breads, candies and more that can be made in a fairly short time. We will print the best recipes in early December. Please send recipes, along with your name and daytime phone number, by Nov. 15 to Liz Atwood, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Balti- more, MD 21278, or e-mail to food@baltsun.

AMER'S is one of those unexpected treats that sometimes can be found when you're willing to venture into one of the ubiquitous little shopping centers in these parts. Tucked in the back of Belair Beltway Plaza in Fullerton, the 3-month-old Mediterranean restaurant exudes warmth through its melon-colored walls, soft lighting and cheerfully attentive servers. And to fire up the ambience even more, a belly dancer gyrates through the dining room every other Friday. The food isn't bad, either, particularly the Egyptian dishes that owner Mohamed Amer makes from scratch.