Spicy kumquat chutney

With the recent unseasonably warm temperatures in Athens I find the sole kumquat tree in our garden begging for attention as its fruit starts threatening to drop from old age (such is the stunted lifespan of a kumquat) . Such a shame to let these sweet, sour babies go to waste. After a mouthful or two of freshly plucked fruit I have decided to make something we can savour over the next coming months, eventually with cheese or something else: chutney! So her goes…

INGREDIENTS

2 mugs of ripe kumquats, washed and scrubbed

1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 small chilli pepper (or ground chilli)

1tbsp chopped fresh ginger

1 big onion, chopped

cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander corns, star anise, Jamaican pepper corns (or black pepper), 1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tbsp salt

Chop up garlic, chilli pepper, onion and fresh ginger and saute briefly with olive oil in a pan together with turmeric powder and cumin till onion mixture is translucent, but not overcooked. Add the rest of the spices (coriander corns, star anise, cinnamon stick, Jamaican pepper) and stir well to envelope them in the mixture, then add the washed and prepped kumquats (sliced in half, longways). Add 1/2 cup of sugar and a full tbsp of salt and cook for another 5 min till sugar has dissolved and fruit has softened and most of the liquid has evaporated. You should be left with a slight jammy consistency. Let cool and then store in a glass jar in the fridge. Goes well with smoked turkey, roast duck, cheese and for those serendipitous improvised sandwiches that come about in moments of dire need.