Cilantro Chutney

Like any great event in my life, my book club revolves around the menu. Sure we discuss the book, but its the food, drinks and girlfriend chatter that I look forward to the most. Last evening was no exception--great menu, fun talk. We read A Thousand Splendid Suns (see link below right for more info). The book is set in Afghanistan so much of our food was from that region. I found this recipe on http:///www.afghan-web.com and it was really tasty. I will definitely make it again--a good appetizer for any occasion.

I made a couple of simple changes to the original recipe--using a portion of a Jalapeno instead of the whole thing and used a combination of vinegar and lemon juice. Here's how I made it last night....

Ingredients
1 large bunch of cilantro or 2 medium ones
1/4 Jalapeno chili with the seeds removed
4 walnuts
1tbs granulated sugar
1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp salt


Instructions
Prepare this in a blender or food processor for an even texture.

Wash the chili and remove the seeds or the chutney will be too hot. Wash and roughly chop all but the very end of the stems from the cilantro. Keeping the part of the stems that are not brown gives this a great taste. Add both of the above to the blender. Then add all the of the rest of the ingredients and blend until the walnuts are well chopped and it has the consistency of a slightly chunky soup. If it is too chunky, blend until it is smoother or add 3 tbsp of water and blend again. In an airtight container, and if it is not contaminated when using, it will keep for at least 3 weeks.

I served with cut naan.