Today is unofficial Ground Cherry Day. I had so many ground cherries, husked, cleaned and sitting in my fridge. Today was the day that I needed to make use of all this time stuffed into my home, watching the rain fall. Today, I decided to cook every last yellow, glistening gem.
Last week, I quickly pickled ground cherries. They were delicious on each bite of smoked-and-grilled pork loin. But a quick pickle can only satiate so much for so long.
This quick recipe for ground cherry chutney would do right by any pork or chicken sandwich. I may even dress up those pre-packaged bags of Indian food my husband insists on picking up from our local Trader Joe’s with this sweet and tangy delight.
On the stove, I caramelized a cup of sugar with two tablespoons of water. After a few minutes, the sugar got gooey, sticky and golden. I added 1/2 cup of minced white onion and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. That caused the mixture to boil up and bubble. After a few stirs, the golden sweet and sour onion concoction subsided and I tumbled in a cup of golden cherries. I let the fruit cook through, added salt and pepper, and pulled it off the stove to cool.
This ground cherry chutney is reminiscent of a mango relish, just a little looser and fresher tasting, as I had just made it. If I had found canning jars at my local housewares store earlier today, my first ever chutney would have found a home in pretty glassware. I’ll keep this batch in my fridge and aim to use it all up within the next two to three weeks.
