The Turks have a proper respect for the aubergine, and have probably made more use of it in their cooking than any other culture. A food writer once told a joke about a visitor to Istanbul who, at the end of a veritable feast, was asked if he wanted anything else; ‘A glass of water’, he replied, ‘but hold the aubergine’.
An exaggeration, no doubt, but Turkish cuisine has many exquisite dishes based on the humble eggplant. Imam bayildi (literally, ‘the Imam fainted’, probably from the cost of all the olive oil used along with onion, garlic and tomatoes); the Ali nazik kebab, where aubergine puree is topped first with yoghurt and then with fried seasoned minced lamb and slices of peppers; or even the aubergine borek, those little stuffed pastries which make such a satisfying snack when you’re sitting contemplating the Golden Horn
But my ambition was to make an aubergine chutney, dark, rich and with the heat balanced by something sweet. With hints of central Asia and the Silk Road, bringing both spices and subtlety. But enough of the fancy talk, I reckon you’ll want to get to the recipe, and this is my homage to the most noble cousin of the potato.
David’s Aubergine Chutney
2.3kg aubergines
700g onions
4 long red chillies, deseeded and chopped
750ml white malt vinegar
100g tomato puree
7 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2x 15ml measuring spoons hot smoked paprika
2x 5ml teaspoons ground fenugreek
2x 15ml spoons cumin seeds
1x 15ml spoon ground coriander
1x 15ml spoon tamarind paste
¼ tsp ground cloves
770g soft dark brown sugar
Cut the aubergines in half lengthways. Place cut-side down, and cut into 4 lengthways, then into slices 1cm across. Finely chop the onions, place in a large pan with the aubergines and chillies, add everything but the sugar and stew gently until much reduced, with almost all the liquid evaporated. Add the sugar (which will make the mixture go liquid again), cook down once more making sure the temperature doesn’t go above 105ºC.
Sterilise your jam jars in the oven at 140ºC for at least 10 minutes. Remove jars from the oven, cool for a few minutes, then pour in the hot chutney, and cover immediately. If you use acid- and vinegar-proof screw-top metal lids, the chutney will retain its moisture content and remain quite soft, but if you use cellophane covers held in place with elastic bands, some of the moisture will gradually evaporate, giving you a denser chutney.
Oh, and the headline? Well, an aubergine walked into a bar and asked for a pint of lager. After serving him, the barman said “We don’t get many aubergines in here”. And the aubergine replied “At £4.50 a pint, I’m not surprised”.
