Cranberry Chutney

(Photo by Taste of Home)

I enjoy chutney and have always thought I would like to try making some.  (Yankee Candle's Cranberry Chutney scent is a favorite of mine, too.) So this week I had a small amount of leftover roast chicken and was looking for ideas for some side dishes to stretch the sliced chicken into a meal.

What I ended up with was mashed potatoes, green beans with pearl onions, stuffing, and this Cranberry Chutney.

I needed to use ingredients I had on hand, as I was starting this rather late in the day.  I had no dried cherries, but plenty of dried cranberries, so I used them instead.  And I didn't want to bother grating lemon peel, so substituted a half teaspoon of pure lemon extract instead.  I did toast the walnuts the quick way, on a plate in the microwave.

The chutney was very good.  It wouldn't be for everyone; you need to appreciate somewhat unusual flavor combinations to enjoy this, but those around our table for supper the other night did.  The combination of flavors was very nice, with the toasted walnuts adding a very festive note.  I will be making this again.

Have you ever made chutney?  Might you have a favorite chutney recipe to share?