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Rim chutney

Combine your fruit, the apple and onion, cinnamon, cloves, raisins and vinegar in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and boil briskly for 10 to 15 minutes until the chutney begins to thicken. Cool to room temperature and remove the cinnamon stick. Chutney may be frozen.

The British acquired a taste for chutneys in India and spread them around the Western world. I once had too many ripe guavas in Alamos, Mexico, so I combined several recipes to make this all-purpose one, use whatever fruit is available. Below is one for cranberries for Christmas.

Cranberry chutney for an American Christmas turkey: If you use cranberries instead of plum tomatoes, cook all ingredients except the cranberries, raisins (I prefer sultanas here) and apple for about 10 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the cranberries, raisins and apples plus 1 cup (240 ml) of tomato sauce and cook until the skins began to pop on the cranberries. Don't over cook or the chutney will be too mushy. Add 1/2 to 1 cup (112 to 224 g) chopped walnuts or pecans to the chutney before serving if you like.

Cranberries are unique to North America. The American Indians first harvested cranberries, and later the settlers turned them into a European style sauce. The bushes grow in bogs and when the firm red berries are ripe, they float and are collected from the water's surface.