Tamarillo Chutney

I’ve made this chutney in bulk (scaled up to 8 cups of tamarillo flesh) with roast lamb for a wedding feast.  But the sweetness and acidity go really really well with kangaroo fillet, cooked on a barbeque or pan fried.

Kangaroo is the red meat I believe is the most ethical choice for Australians, for all sorts of reasons, and tamarillos are one of the easiest things of all to grow in sub-tropical climates. The tree does not cope at all with frosts, but if you can find a frost free site, it is a small, attractive, short-lived perennial tree that bears a really prolific crop of fruit that are immune to most pests and fairly resistant to the ravages of flying foxes or birds.

Tamarillos are my daughter’s very favourite fruit, but for most tastes they are a bit acid for fresh eating but they go really well as a tomato substitute in many recipes.

The Recipe

Scoop the flesh out of 7 tamarillos.  A dessertspoon is the best tool for this.

Put them in a pot with a little splash of water over a low heat.

Add

• 1 tablespoon of vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
• a small thumb sized knob of ginger, grated
• a small thumb sized knob of fresh turmeric, grated
• pinch of cinnamon
• a small onion, finely diced

The longer it is cooked, the better, but you can get away with simmering, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes or so.  Add a little more water if it gets too thick.

Right at the end, add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped herbs.  A mixture of basil or Thai basil, mint, and coriander or culantro work best.

Serve alongside any kind of meat, or on a sandwich with meat or cheese, or  with savory omelette, or with pakoras, or … you get the idea.