Cumin-scented mango chutney

For as long as I can remember, my family has been having a love affair with condiments. As a kid, the refrigerator door was always heavy with jars. Even when the main fridge shelves got a little low between trips to the grocery store, the door had an abundant collection of spreadable things, pickled things, dipping things and more salad dressings than any trendy-at-the-time salad bar could match. While one mustard might be enough for most families, our family had at least four - one grainy, one Dijon, one honeyed, and one jar of your standard yellow mustard. Barbecues were quite the scene. Half the contents of the fridge door would occupy the middle of the dinner table as our knives and forks clinked in and out of jars, trying to get at the goodies inside. As my brother and I got older we would tease my parents about their condiment obsession, which continues to this day (the obsession and the teasing). But, truth be told, I'm starting to think the condiment obsession is genetic and has been passed down to me. Chutneys, barbecue sauces, dipping sauces, jams, jellies, relishes, pickles - I make them all. It's just another one of those things that confirms I'm slowly turning into my parents.

This small batch mango chutney is bright in colour and in flavour. Scented with whole cumin and mustard seeds, the result is a sweet and tangy chutney that is as much at home with some butter chicken as it is on a cheese-topped cracker. I've given instructions for canning it, but if you eat a lot of chutney in your home and you don't want to can it, you could just store the whole batch in the fridge for up to three months.

To prepare:

• I boiled my clean jars in the boiling water canner for 10 minutes, then left them in hot water until ready to be filled with hot chutney.
• The sealing discs and ring bands were brought to a boil in a small saucepan then left in hot water until ready for use.

Here's how I made it:
makes 5 half pint/250 ml jars

2 cups diced onion
1 tbsp cumin seed
6 cups diced mango (about 4 large mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced)
3 cups red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root

I warmed a large pot over medium heat, then added the onions, cooking for a couple minutes while stirring frequently just until they began to release some moisture. I added the cumin seeds to toast a little and stirred frequently while the onions cooked a couple minutes longer, without browning. The remaining ingredients were added and the mixture was brought to a boil over high heat. The chutney boiled on high heat for 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.

I ladled the hot chutney into my hot jars, leaving a 1/4-inch of headspace, then wiped the jar rims clean with a wet paper towel. The discs were secured in place with the bands just until finger tight, and my jars were lowered into the rack of my already-boiling water bath canner, resting 1-2 inches below the water surface. The jars were processed (boiled hard) for 15 minutes, then removed from the canner to a towel on the kitchen counter to form their seal and cool for 12-24 hours.

I absolutely loved this chutney spooned on turkey burgers. It now has a home on my fridge shelves as the cycle of obsessive condiment use passes down from generation to generation.

Did you grow up in a condiment family? What lives on the shelves of YOUR fridge door? Leave a comment and your condiment confessions.

Garlic pepper coleslaw with mint & toasted pine nuts

Barbecue season. I've lived in places where those two words are met with relief and celebration after living through month after frozen month of winter. I'd dig out my shorts and sandals and spend the first few sunny days of the season sitting on a lawn chair with my face turned toward the sun, eyes closed, and daydreaming about the beach trips and barbecue parties to come. Where I live now, on the southern end of Vancouver Island, barbecue season is more loosely defined. Grilling outdoors can be done all year round, and, although 'barbecue season' is a term used commonly by retailers to sell patio furniture and tiki torches in the warmer months, grilled chicken and steaks can end up on our dinner table any month of the year.

When it comes to a great meal, I love contrasts in flavour, temperature and texture. So, for me, one of the best companions for a tender piece of meat cooked on a hot grill is a cold and crunchy coleslaw. This recipe has plenty of garlic and cracked black pepper in the tangy vinaigrette. Then it gets some extra crunch from lightly toasted pine nuts and extra zip and colour from fresh mint leaves from the garden.

Here's how I made it:

makes 6-8 servings

1/2 cup raw pine nuts

2 lbs green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 14 cups)

1 large carrot, peeled and julienned (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp liquid honey

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

about 30 fresh mint leaves

To toast the pine nuts, I warmed a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. The pine nuts were added to the skillet and tossed frequently for two minutes until lightly toasted, then transferred to a dinner plate to cool. The cabbage and carrot were combined in a large salad bowl. In a glass jar with a lid, I combined the oil, vinegar, garlic, pepper, and salt and shook well. I poured the vinaigrette over the cabbage and carrot and tossed to coat. The coleslaw was stored in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before meal time (it can even be made 2-3 days in advance). To serve, I tossed the mint leaves into the coleslaw and sprinkled each serving with the toasted pine nuts.

Bring on the grilling!

When is barbecue season where you live? Do you grill all year long? Leave a comment and tell me what your favourite barbecue season salad is.

8 reasons vinegar is my new kitchen cleaner

Anyone who's been in my kitchen knows, even if they're too kind to say it, that my kitchen could use a little more cleaning a little more often. The crumb-covered cutting board from breakfast is still sitting there by the toaster, the dishwasher needs emptying to make room for the dirty dishes blocking the coffee maker, and a few too many non-kitchen items like small toys and unopened mail are hanging around. I'm trying to change that. I'm trying to spend a little more time each day leaving the kitchen the way I want to find it when I'm ready to cook: clear of clutter and properly cleaned. 

I know me, and I know if I'm going to be successful at something it has to be enjoyable. That's why I've made the switch to cleaning with an easily-mixed vinegar and water solution in a cute spray bottle (turquoise, of course. Thank you, IKEA!). That bottle now lives by my kitchen sink with a mixture of water and pickling vinegar inside it. Why pickling vinegar? Because it's stronger than plain white distilled vinegar. While distilled vinegar is about 5 per cent acetic acid, pickling vinegar is about 7 per cent acetic acid, which means I can make it go further.

Here are 8 reasons I'm enjoying the switch to cleaning with vinegar:

1. It's cheap. Bottles of cleaning solutions can add up over time. A spray bottle of vinegar and water costs pennies.
2. It saves space. A large jug of vinegar can take up valuable kitchen space, sure, but I already use it in my kitchen for other uses like salad dressings, marinades and, of course, pickling. This is me just using what I've already got.
3. Vinegar is naturally antibacterial. Vinegar effectively kills most bacteria, molds and germs for everyday cleaning.
4. It works great. The surfaces of my kitchen look just as great after being cleaned with vinegar than they did cleaned with other solutions.
5. It's safe around food. I used to move the bread, the sugar bowl, and other consumable items off the counter when I cleaned with chemical solutions. With vinegar, I don't need to be so careful.
6. It's safe around kids. I'm more concerned about my kids getting getting their hands on a bottle full of chemicals that a bottle of vinegar and water. That's one less safety thing to worry about.
7. It's compost friendly. Our city recently switched to a kitchen scraps program, which means we need to produce less garbage and separate our compostables. I can't put paper towels soaked in chemicals into the green bin, but paper towels with a little vinegar and water on them are totally fine.
8. Vinegar smells nice. Okay, maybe this one depends on the individual. But I make a lot of pickles and I love the fresh and tangy smell of vinegar.

The vinegar and water solution is easy to prepare. Here's how I make it:

1/3 cup pickling vinegar (7% acid)
1 cup cold water

Using a funnel, I pour both ingredients into my spray bottle. To clean, I spray surfaces and wipe clean with a paper towel or dry cloth.

Do you use any natural cleaners? What's your go to kitchen cleaning solution?

Strawberry rhubarb crumble (not rhubarb strawberry)

Strawberry rhubarb is always said in that order. Strawberry. Rhubarb. Never rhubarb strawberry. Goodness knows why, but I think we can all agree it just doesn't sound right the other way. It's not the only food pair that has a set order. Pepper and salt? Nope, it's like my ears are allergic to that. I need an extra second to compute. When food pairs are said in the right order there's no confusion. I don't take sugar and milk in my tea, but I do take milk and sugar, even if I don't necessarily add them in that order (cuz I don't). Here are some other food pairs I can think of that just don't sound right when said in the reverse order: 

• Chips and fish
• Butter and bread
• Jelly and peanut butter
• Potatoes and meat

Can you think of any others? The order of food pairs was on my mind as I made this strawberry rhubarb crumble with spring's first harvest of rhubarb from my kitchen garden. Those tart stalks are chopped and, combined with chopped strawberries, tossed with sugar right in the baking dish. A simple crumble is sprinkled over top before going into the oven to bake until golden and bubbly. There's absolutely no confusion here, just a simple and scrumptious dessert. Strawberry. Rhubarb.

Here's how I made it:
makes 4-6 servings

1 1/2 lbs rhubarb stalks, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks (about 5 1/2 cups)
1/2 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 1/4 cups oats (either rolled or quick-cooking)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt

While my oven preheated to 375 degrees (F), I added the chunks of strawberries and rhubarb to my 9 x 9 baking dish. The sugar and flour were mixed in a small dish then tossed with the strawberries and rhubarb right in the baking dish to evenly coat. In a large mixing bowl, I combined the butter, oats, brown sugar and salt and blended with a hand pastry blender until evenly crumbly (a fork and a strong arm would work just as nicely). The crumble was sprinkled evenly over the strawberry rhubarb mixture, then the dish was popped in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the filling was bubbling and the crumble topping was golden.

Can you think of any other food pairs that are always said in the same order?