Fig Chutney
figs preserves seasonal
A rich fig, onion, garlic, lemon, ginger, and spice chutney for late-summer fig abundance.
Ingredients
Base
- About 17 juicy ripe figs of all sizes, cut in halves
- 5 medium onions, cut however you like
- 2 bulbs garlic, cloves peeled
- Black pepper
- Sea salt
Flavor options
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 fresh cayenne peppers
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- A thumb of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- Cardamom
- Mustard seeds
- Star anise
- Cloves
- Pink pepper balls
- Bay leaf
- Smoked paprika
- Olive oil
Process
Base
- 1 In a frying pan, cover the bottom with onions and sprinkle with a good amount of salt.
- 2 Spread the garlic cloves and all spices and flavors on top of the onions.
- 3 Place the figs as the last layer, juicy sides down.
- 4 Cover with a lid and cook on a low fire for about 1 hour, untouched.
- 5 Scoop out the figs, garlic, ginger, and half of the onions.
- 6 Put them in a blender or bowl and blend into a creamy paste.
- 7 Leave spices that do not blend well, like cinnamon, bay leaf, and cloves, out of the blender.
- 8 If using cayenne peppers, leave them with the leftover onions.
- 9 Add the leftover onions and spices into the fig paste.
- 10 Taste and add salt if needed.
Flavor options
Choose the flavors you like and layer them over the onions before adding the figs.