Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Two of Summer's Favorites Are Back





Now Available and crafted from local farms and orchards, Middle Eastern Zucchini Relish and Plum Ketchup are making a triumphant return to summer shelves and pantries. Below, our original descriptions posted in 2010. Hey, they're both as delicious as ever so we saw no reason to change! 

(Note: this year's batch of zucchini relish is made from both yellow and green squash, courtesy of Goshen, NY's J Glebocki Farms.)

                                         MIDDLE EASTERN ZUCCHINI RELISH

Based upon a treasured family recipe from a Madison, WI home gardener friend of the Collective, our Middle Eastern Zucchini Relish draws inspiration from the exotic desert spice - sumac. (No, not the poisonous variety!) Used everywhere from Turkey to Iran (and pretty much nowhere else) sumac is harvested and produced from dried red berries of the plant itself and lends a tangy, vaguely citrus note and rich purple shade to many Mid-East dishes.

We've liberally added the intriguing spice to fresh zucchini and organic Roma tomatoes, along with nutmeg, cloves, chili flakes, fresh green chilies and onions, to bring you a deep fuchsia relish fit for a sultan. A great addition to stews and sauces, this relish happily garnishes all grilled and roasted meats and veggies. Try it with sliced turkey or provolone cheese and lettuce in your next awe-inspiring wrap sandwich and watch your co-workers swoon at lunchtime.


 PLUM KETCHUP

Did you know the original ketchup recipe had a centuries-old Chinese pedigree and was blended from various varieties of pickled fish? British sailors in the 18th century brought this unique (and we imagine rather smelly) concoction home to the U.K. and eventually re-gifted it to the West as a tomato-based, sweet and tangy condiment.

Historical research reveals more than a dozen variations popular in Colonial America, including Green Tomato, Mushroom and Green Pepper ketchups. The Collective merged these bold examples with a new take on the perennial throwaway Chinese take-out packet of syrupy, bland "Duck Sauce" and ended up with Plum Ketchup.

Sweet, slighty tart and spiced with nutmeg, cloves, garlic and malt vinegar, this is the ultimate French fry accessory, and equally luscious on beef or soy dogs, hamburgers and their veggie counterparts. But Plum Ketchup is a bit too fancy to be confined to "everyday use" and should also be basted on turkeys and roast chickens or spoon-brushed across plates (drizzling is too 80s, too Patrick Batemen, no?) as a "chef's sauce".

Wednesday, May 2, 2012




Announcing: Spring/Summer 2012 Product List

Currently Available:
Sweet Tomato Chutney with Black Mustard Seeds
Pear Cardamom Chutney
Curried Peach Chutney
Gingered Raisin Chutney (4 oz. only)
Shropshire Apple Chutney
Apricot and Red Pepper Chutney
Spice Route Citrus Chutney
Tomatillo Conserves
Black Tea Pickled Dried Plums
Mostarda di Frutteto
Hot Pear Mostarda

Available June 2012:
Strawberry and Coriander Ketchup
Plum Ketchup

Available July 2012:
Green Tomato and Horseradish Chutney
Sweet Green Tomato Pickles
Spiced and Pickled Cantaloupe

Limited Special Edition Seasonal Products:
(please contact us for availability)
Triple Berry and Bermuda Onion Chutney
Zesty Bell Pepper Ketchup
Earl Grey Plum Chutney
Fiery Carrot Chutney with Nigella Seeds
Middle Eastern Zucchini Relish
Punjab Corn Relish



Monday, January 23, 2012

Happy New Year!!

The Empire State Building celebrates the Year of the Dragon with red and yellow lights.


The DP Chutney Collective is thrilled to ring in the Year of the Dragon, especially given its iconic status as our signature logo! We're sure this Chinese lunar new year will usher in a variety of tasty surprises to our loyal (and new) fans. Look for debut products, holiday-themed special creations and lots more in the upcoming weeks.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Mostarda di Cripplebush


Excuse us for having too much fun with the posting title. At The DP Chutney Collective we're not only food fanatics but also history nerds, and the unfortunately monikered Cripplebush happens to be the original Dutch name of Williamsburg, Brooklyn circa mid-17th century. Who knew? Verbal gymnastic fun and puns aside, our newest products are based on the classic sweet and piquant Italian condiment best known as Mostarda di Cremona (the town from which it hails), or lightly brined fruits preserved in a mustard-flavored syrup. Variations abound across Italy and The Collective's interpretations actually resemble more the jammier concoctions of mostarda di Veneto. When we're really lazy we skip the wordy explanation and just call it Italian Chutney!

Our Mostarda di Frutteto ("orchard" to the rest of us) begins with apples, onions and selected dried fruits being soaked briefly in dry white wine.A hand-crafted DP Chutney top-secret mustard syrup of sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds and powder and the highest quality Dijon mustard is then simmered with the macerated fruits, seasoned with appropriate spices and carefully canned in The Collective kitchens.

Traditionally mostarda accompanies cheese platters, charcuterie spreads, pates and terrines of all sorts and most classically bollito misto, the Northern Italian "boiled dinner" feast of seven meats and seven veggies. We also think a tablespoon makes a terrific sandwich spread and our vegetarian friends love it atop soy dogs and meatless burgers!

Debuting very shortly is also The Collective's Hot Pear Mostarda. Please note our  mostardas should be refrigerated after opening but are best served at or just below room temperature.