Roasted Lemon Chutney Recipe
A beautiful roasted lemon chutney from Molly Steven's new book & some Mendocino coast photos.
I have so many photos to share with you I'm not quite sure where to start. AND I have more film to pick up today. Can't wait. Anyhow, I'm thinking that whatever I share needs to somehow circle back to the roasted lemon chutney I've been slathering on everything this week. I made it from a gem of a recipe tucked deep in the back of this book. The book was part of the stack of magazines, novels, and cookbooks I brought to read last weekend when we popped up the coast for a couple nights on the Mendocino coast.
Let me tell you a bit about the trip. The drive was pretty wild. We decided to cut over to the coast on a different road than normal. Wow - one of those decisions I'm glad we made, but probably won't repeat. A few of the things we experienced: plenty of single-lane hairpin turns, one pair of wild turkeys, end-of-day sunlight streaking through the redwoods and ferns, and(!) a huge buck leaping in front of the car in a blur of massive antlers. The road opens up to a sweet little general store on the coast where you can hear the seals and/or cows bellowing in the distance. You'd think it'd be easy to tell which is which, but not so much.
In the mornings, I'd sit in our little cottage, coffee in hand, and read with the front door open. Top of my pile was Molly's new book - All About Roasting. Molly is a friend, and this follow-up to her much-loved All About Braising, was eagerly anticipated by yours truly (and many of you, I'm sure). Her Roasted Apple Sauce jumped out at me immediately, and I was all set to make it.
Now, I'm still not entirely sure what happened, but I kept glancing at the Roasted Lemon Chutney recipe, which lives a few pages back from the applesauce - and here we are. No applesauce, chutney instead, no regrets whatsoever.
I slathered the chutney on thick slabs of toasted bread with a good amount of whipped goat cheese - that's what you see in the photos. But really, there are so many other things you can do with it. A couple ideas: a dollop stirred into brown rice, chopped sauteed spinach, topped with a fried/poached egg and a touch of soy sauce. Or incorporated into a hot pasta bowl. Or, inside a savory crepe. Or, tossed with hot roasted potatoes, or baked potatoes. You get the idea. It's super versatile, and I hope you like it as much as I did - thank you Molly :)!
More pics to come, hopefully from the film I'm picking up tonight. Fingers crossed. -h
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Roasted Lemon Chutney
Molly notes that because you use whole lemons here, you're going to want to wash them first in warm soapy water to remove any waxy reside. Organic lemons usually don't have that, so (for that reason, and others) go that route if possible. The chutney will last for several days, refrigerated, in a jar or tightly covered.
1/4 cup / 1 oz / 30g finely chopped shallots
3 small lemons (4 to 5 oz each)
1/4 cup / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 tablespoon honey, plus more to taste
kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped basil or mint
Heat the oven to 400F / 205C with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
Soak the shallots in a small bowl of cold water to reduce their strength a bit.
Set one of the lemons aside to use later. Slice about 1/4-inch off both ends of the remaining lemons and discard (this part is mostly pith which can make the chutney too bitter). Slice the lemons into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (see photo), and use the tip of a knife to remove any seeds. Arrange the lemons on the baking sheet and brush with a bit of olive oil. Turn and coat the second side with oil.
Roast the lemons, turning every 10 minutes, until they are very tender with just a few spots of brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Don't let the lemons crisp, and keep an eye on the bottoms, which tend to brown before the tops. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Transfer the lemons to a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. If there are any juices (not burned or blackened) on the baking sheet, add these. Molly notes there frequently aren't any, which was my experience as well. Drain the shallots, shaking off any excess water, and add to the processor. Add the honey and pulse several times until the lemons are coarsely chopped. Add the juice from half the remaining lemon and the 1/4 cup / 60 ml of olive oil. Continue pulsing until the chutney is fairly smooth and creamy, with just a few lemon chunks. Season generously with salt and pepper and more lemon juice or honey to taste. Keep tweaking until it really tastes great to you. For example, if it's too tart for you, just keep sweetening a bit at a time. Transfer to a small bowl and let sit for at least 2 hours to let the flavors meld. Just before serving stir in the fresh basil or mint, taste, make any final adjustments, and serve at room temperature.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Adapted from Molly Steven's All About Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art, W. W. Norton & Company, November 1, 2011
Prep time: 5 minutes - Cook time: 30 minutes
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Comments
Lovely photos! It's been a while since I my last holiday and I'm kind of jealous :) The chutney sounds fabulous! I can already imagine it spooned onto a some spicy crispy roasted chicken. Yum!
I love the windowsill you've been shooting on lately, especially the lighting. I'm so jealous! I wish I could pop up to the Mendocino coast for the weekend like you. Unfortunately it would require a flight out from the east coast for me to visit. I've got it in my mind for a trip to SF with a detour to Mendocino. My plan is to get a hotel room with a kitchen in SF and go to the Ferry Plaza market. Go up to Mar Vista in Mendocino which you shared with us long ago. And bring home Rancho Gordo beans and other delicious things. Hope this happens soon.
HS: Sounds like a fantastic plan Monica :)
Heidi! a) Your trip just sounds incredible. I'm not jealous....AT ALL. b) I love love LOVE your photog talent. Your decisions on WHAT to shoot and WHERE to shoot it...so, so pimp. c) That roasted lemon chutney? Really? I wouldn't mind making a BODY WRAP out of it and sitting around for 7 hours in it. y.u.m. d) Go pick up your film! Dying here!
This sounds lovely!
I would never think to roast lemons. That is one thing I can say I've never roasted, but gosh...I want to! My daughter's teacher has a HUGE lemon tree in her yard and has tons of lemons...I need to try this b/c I never met a chutney I didn't like. Great recipe!
Oh I can imagine using this on absolutely everything in sight! Wonderful!
It is incredible how each and every of your recipe inspires me to run to the kitchen. They all end up in bookmarks, and when I make them, they always become regular. This lemon "chutney" reminds me of a recipe from Ottolenghi's first book. It is not vegetarian, a chicken roasted with spices, lemons and red onions: the roasted lemons were absolutely irresistible to me.
I love to put preserved lemons on everything, and I imagine this lemon chutney has a similar appeal.i will definitely try it....
I love Mendocino, but I remember getting so car sick one time it took me an hour to feel better. This is a very unusual recipe but it must taste great.
That sounds good - but to me (British) it's not a chutney! I think that what I call chutney you'd call pickle; I'm not sure what I would call your recipe, other than delicious...... I'm about to make jam and lemon curd and if I have a lemon or two over, I might have a go at this. Looking forward to seeing your photos and report on your London trip, by the way.
This looks absolutely wonderful. I know this will become a recipe to come back to time and time again. Bring on an hour in the kitchen.
What a great idea for chutney! Growing up, we had all kinds of chutney all the time with dinner, but never one made out of lemons. And pairing it with goat cheese sounds absolutely divine. So inspired, thanks for sharing!
The chutney sounds extraordinary. Do you think rosemary instead of basil or mint would work? (The rosemary at the local grocery store down the street tends to look better than the basil at the time of the year.) p.s. the first beach photo is especially great.
thanks for sharing this recipe. So much stuff has been done to death that gets posted, but this one is such a novel recipe and probably pretty versatile in it's use too. Sincere thanks! Pics are beautiful as always too..
I love to put preserved lemons on everything, and I imagine this lemon chutney has a similar appeal. I do like the idea of honey mixed in for a bit of sweet depth. Love the beach pictures- so grey and moody!
You are still using film? Must be one of the last ones out there! Good for you! Love the pics!
I really love the sound of this. Roasted lemon chutney sounds so unusual, but so delicious too as I absolutely adore lemons. Obviously this recipe was calling out to you to make it, and I am so glad you did. I am going to try this too. Thank you for sharing! :D
Oh wow. I'm in the throes of planning a possible trip up to Mendocino, and your photos look amazing! That part of the coast is so gorgeous. To say nothing of your lemon chutney, which sounds unusual and wonderful. Lovely post, Heidi!
the next time life gives me lemons, i will make chutney.
I think my mom would love this, since she is a big fan of citrus. It looks unexpectedly pretty on those slices of bread.
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