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Monthly Mingle – A Taste of Yellow
This post is my first contribution to Meeta’s Monthly Mingle, her lovely project of a virtual mingle which she has started many years ago.
Jeanne of cooksister! hosts the July mingle in honour of Barbara Harris.
I have not personally known Barbara of Winos & Foodies who recently lost her long battle against cancer. But I was very touched by the tributes in her honour and I wanted to contribute my recipe.
Here are the rules: “in honour of Barbara’s annual Taste of Yellow event which raised cancer awareness, we have decided to paint the food blogs yellow with dishes or ingredients in every shade of yellow, and we hope you can join us! Feel free also to share memories and pictures of Barbara in your post if you wish.”
This Monthly Mingle is for her.
I have chosen one of my favourite recipes: mango chutney, because of its beautiful colours of yellow and red and because it combines all flavours – sweet, spicy, salty, sour. The strong and vibrant colours symbolize a life lived to its fullest and it is calling us to celebrate life.
In different religions and culture there is an obligation to celebrate life when faced with death and I heartily agree with it. Do we not say our sad farewell to our beloved ones and afterwards partake of a hearty meal in their honour? There is a deep meaning in those rituals and sitting down to a meal with family and friends sharing our memories of the parted will lessen the pain, tears will dry and laughter fill the vacuum.
Cancer and death: my father died of cancer at 39 when I was 8 years old. I was far too young to deal with sadness, loss and feeling guilty and it scarred me for life. My mother was a young and beautiful widow of 35 who thereafter dedicated her life to raising her children. She taught us to appreciate food and how to cook.
Mangoes in the sun
Mango Chutney
For 4 persons
Ingredients
1 big mature mango
1 red chilli
100 g brown sugar
1 garlic clove
2 cm grated ginger
1 dl water
4 TSP white balsamico
1 pinch of sea salt
Method
Peel and finely dice mango
Wash chilli and cut in fine rings (leave the seeds in if you want further spiciness, otherwise discard them)
Put mango, chilli, sugar and water in a pot and boil at medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes.
Add peeled and finely diced garlic, grated ginger and balsamico and simmer for another five minutes.
Some ingredients for our mango chutney
As I had a whole box of Alfonso mangoes I used the following ingredients:
5 mangoes
4 red chilli
4 garlic cloves
10 cm grated ginger
5 TSP brown sugar
5 TSP white balsamico
5 TSP water
sea salt
Proceed as above
Fill the piping hot chutney into hot and sterilized jars and sterilize them in a steamer or in the hot water bath. They will keep for 1 year.
A tower of mango chutney jars
Once opened put jars in fridge and consume within days.
Labelled mango chutney jars
This mango chutney goes well with all Indian food but also with boiled potatoes and cheese in winter. Or serve it with your pot-au-feu (boiled meat).
And may we all sit down at the same table and share lovely meals, stories and laughter in celebration of life.
Comments 28
Can you just put it on a chip? Chip-n-dip? Sounds delicious…………
Cooking is cool; I’m hungry………….just sayin’………….
@bdorman264 Hi, normal! Just have come back from your place, what a hilarious post, love it!
Yes, you can put it on a chip – but why would you? Chip will get soaked and catastrophe in the air! Better use naan, Indian flat bread, or a spoon.
Cooking is cool? YOU? In September I am starting a new category on my site YOUR TURN! Will you share your favourite recipe (you know this long promised GP?) or dinner experience or whatever, as long as it is healthy, not too greasy, not too manipulated (foodwise) – well, you know what I mean.
Good to see you and have a healthy week!
@Late_Bloomers What? I’m a southerner, we fry everything….even ice cream….:). Just kidding…..kind of; I rarely eat fried foods, but I loves some of that fried chicken every once in awhile.
My wife does not like me cheesing up the kitchen, but I love to cook.
Probably the greasiest food I eat is pizza…..
@bdorman264 Ok, you are up for fried chicken then, ok?
No wonder your wife does not like you cheesing up the kitchen, who is cleaning?
Nothing greasy about my pizza, do not tell me you eat healthy food? What about your reputation?
@Late_Bloomers Shhhh…….
@bdorman264 Exactly, could not agree more ….
Lovely thoughts here Barbara, We must celebrate life everyday. It’s precious! I enjoyed reading this post, imagining your gently voice and sing-song accent in my head LOL! Thank you for being a part of the Monthly Mingle
@MeetaWFLH Hi, Meeta, thank you so much for your lovely comment and offering the opportunity of the Monthly Mingle.
Yes, life is precious and I am aware of it each and every day.
Do I really have a gentle voice? Is it not strange the way we perceive our own voice and in most cases we are not that enamored of it, I think of my own as being rather loud (maybe it is only my thoughts doing somersaults in my head?). Love ya!
Absolutely lovely post and tribute Barbara! What a great way to celebrate life, with food and camaraderie! And the chutney sounds delicious!
@jonesbabie Thank you so much, Cathy!
As a child I did not understand that adults could make merry after a funeral and often consume far too much food and beverages. But sharing the sadness is halving the weight, is it not?
Will you make the mango chutney yourself? Let’s hear about your experiences!
Nice! We usually make it the same way though sometimes we do add onion seeds too.
The one I am having right now is the raw mango chutney version, No cooking involved. It just has to be consumed within a week.
@Hajra Thank you, Hajra, coming from a connaisseur like you!
Mmhhhh, raw mango chutney, I love it too, I love everything with mangoes, it is a pity we only get the Alfonso mangoes for a short time and the rest of the year it is that vile mango which I described below. Is it easy to get nice mangoes in Dubai?
Hope you are feeling better!
@Late_Bloomers We don’t really make chutneys out of Alfonso.. they are usually better eaten just as they are. We have a lot of other varieties. It is pretty easy getting mangoes in Abu Dhabi (that’s where I live!) but the ones from Pakistan are much more delicious somehow. My mom makes sure she visits India during the mango season… my grandpa has a mango orchard! 😉
I love Mango Chutney – have never made it though… suspect I shall be giving it a go at some point soon. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
@kittiewalker Hi, Kittie,
Thank you and you are more than welcome. Give it a go and share your experiences.
Btw, how is your garden doing with that dismal weather? I had to throw out nearly a third of my tomatoes because they had bottom rot (I love this word!), but this has probably nothing to do with the lousy weather conditions. On the other hand, my peperoncini finally blossomed and now carry “fruit”, funny how the tiny green chili stick up into the air, I have to post a picture of it and only later they will follow gravity.
@Late_Bloomers Our garden has faired pretty much the same as yours. We have some beautiful large tomatoes for making relish that are just starting to ripen. Yes! They are still green.We also have raspberries and a huge amount of apples, but that is it. /sigh
@kittiewalker I love raspberries! They are so regal.
Have you ever made a green tomato relish? It must be sooo good, I have to start looking for recipes, in case you have one ….
@Late_Bloomers Nope I’ve only ever made fried green tomatoes, which are lovely if done right. Love to try a green tomato relish though might make a nice change 🙂
Lovely post, Barbara. It’s funny how food is often tied up with precious memories.
@sweepyjean Thanks, Adrienne, and good morning (I got up very early today, 5.30!) to you.
It reminds me of your poem which has a lot of food tied up into it, will you always think of it when eating chocolate or mayonnaise now? I find the strongest sense for bringing back precious moments is my olfactory sense. Hot tree bark and wild thyme = summer in Tuscany, crisp mountain air (hell, what does it smell like again?) – ozone, freezing cool air = mountain winters.
Have a great day!
Oh Barbara, how sad to lose your father so young! My mom’s mother also died (probably of a brain haemorrage) when she was eight, She came home from school one day and her mom was just gone. She certainly carried the scars with her all her life – sending you huge hugs. And thank you for taking part in this very special Mingle – I love mangoes and I love how your beautiful chutney preserves their sunny yellow flavours to enjoy all year round!
@Cooksister Thank you, Jeanne, for your lovely empathy and hugs. This is the reason I hesitated for such a long time to participating in this Mingle. Thinking of your mom who carried the same burden, I have always thought a mother is so vital in your early years but I wonder whether it really makes a difference, half of your most precious has just gone, why.
And strangely enough, even only remembering that sunny yellow colour makes me feel lighter.
Thankn you so much!
@Cooksister
Thank you, Jeanne, for your lovely empathy and hugs. This is the reason I hesitated for such a long time to participating in this Mingle. Thinking of your mom who carried the same burden, I have always thought a mother is so vital in your early years but I wonder whether it really makes a difference, half of your most precious has just gone, why.
And strangely enough, even only remembering that sunny yellow colour makes me feel lighter.
Thank you so much!
Drool! I love Mango in any form, ripe, raw, anything! We make a variety of recipes with mango. This sounds very yummy! What a lovely tribute to Barbara!
So sad to learn you were so young when you lost your father, Barbara. But I admire your Mom very much from what you’ve said.
Much love – and yes, we shall relax, cook, eat and enjoy conversation!
@Vidya Sury A sunny day to you, Vidya!
Absolutely, mangoes are the best (closely followed by raspberries), let’s shovel some mango chutney on a papadam and start a long meal!
Yes, my mom’s a very courageous lady and it is so sad old age is not very gentle with her. Next month I will take her to Tuscany for a late summer holiday, this will rejuvenate her.
We will put up that table in the garden under a shadow spending tree!
Big hugs,
Barbara
Another lovely recipe and a perfect tribute! I am so sorry for the loss of your dad at such a young age. Keep cooking, Barbara!
@JSJ2020 Hi, Muriel, are you back from the States yet? With the hot weather finally arriving here in Switzerland my timing sucks!
Thank you for your lovely words, we all have our backpack filled, do we not? And the scars may not be visible, but they are here.
And I will heed your advice, the best ever and keep cooking – thank you!
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