There’s such a glut of Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) at the moment – yes even in mid-January – and I have always wanted to turn it into chutney, so putting on my thinking cap I went to work to create this gorgeous Alexanders recipe.
I based it on an old chutney recipe that my grandmother used to make when I was a young boy.
Ingredients
- 500g alexanders stems (chopped)
- 3 x onions (chopped)
- 7.5oz sugar
- ¼ cup sherry vinegar
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1½ tsp mustard powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- eighth pint of water
Suggested Instructions
- Boil alexanders stems and onions in just enough salted water to cover, cook until al dente then strain.
- Put back in the pan with the sugar and vinegar, and boil for 15 minutes. Meanwhile mix the mustard, turmeric, cornflour and eighth pint of water into a smooth paste, then stir into the alexanders and boil for 15 minutes or longer if the mixture needs thickening more.
- Sterilise your jars, then fill with chutney and cap.
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
How much is ‘ ? pint of water ‘ ??
Martin: eighth pint of water
Sounds good. I am collecting recipes for chutneys and jams for a course I am running later this year and I am always interested in old recipes and the way things were preserved years ago. Will; give this recipe a bash. Thanks
John
Alexanders (Smyrnium olasatrum) ????? What are they and where do I find them? There is absolutely nothing about them on the net??.. John
Will have to give this a try. Looks very similar to Delia’s Spiced Pickled Runner beans, which I make every year. She uses brown sugar and demerara and ordinary malt vinegar. Did you consider these options?
Thanks.
Smyrnium olusatrum is correct spelling, I think?
John, try looking in ‘images’ where there are a lot of pictures.
John take a look at http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexanders
Mon, 16/01/12. Thanks for the email and recipe for Alexanders Chutney, but I don’t know what Alexanders is/are or what they look like. Please advise. David
Dear Sir, my email address is registered with your organsation but I don’t recall receiving a FREE copy of the Classic Wild Food Collection. Would you kindly send me one. Cheers, David
Hi. I’m looking for a general chutney recipe which I can use for for sloes. I was listening in the car a couple of months ago to the Food Programme (Radio4) which was being broadcast from Welbeck and they were talking about making a “grown up’s” chutney using the discarded fruit from sloe gin. I’m just about to bottle my sloe gin and would like to make use of the alcoholic fruit – any suggestions?
It is also known, as mentioned above, as Black lovage. Look on google images.
Thanks for the chutney recipe.will give it a go sometime.
I have asked for your free booklet,but as yet have not received one.
Happy hunting John
Please tell me what is Alexander stems fro what plant? thanks.
Like David I to am registered on your site but have not received my copy of “Classic Wild Food Collection” Would you please be so kind as to send me a copy. Thank you very much. Brian.
hii there, can i have a FREE copy of the Classic Wild Food Collection please ?
i am just crazy about food that were made originally, and more about organic and own made.
I don’t like the foods in supermarket now a day, because they are so tasteless and so much chemical in it.
The world totally changed.. to worst.
My email is andrew_ysk@yahoo.com
thanks a lot.
I can not wait to try this one. As a family we eat a lot of foraged food. I too would love a copy of the Classic Wild Food Collection.
Steve: Delia? Gawd knows, I should think variations of the recipe have been kicking around for yonks as I see it being sold in numerous farmer’s markets etc.
Judy: Thanks, just changed it.
David, John, Brian, Andrew, Beverley: Have emailed you the ‘collection’.
There are masses of Alexanders here. Have never eaten them though. I was going to ask what they taste like but realise the best thing would be to go out and try! I’m not a great fan of chutney. Would they be good as a vegetable? If so, would I use the stems as in the chutney or are the leaves good too? Is any part of the plant poisonous?
Hi
Chutney looks delicious. Can I have a copy of the Wild Food collection please.
thanks
Hannah
Lucy: Here are some more Alexanders Recipes…
We dislike alexanders intensely-they’re everywhere in our large wildlife area at a primary school in Teignmouth Devon
We were advised by a wildflower expert that if we pulled off all the flowers before they go to seed then we’d get rid of our alexanders in 3 years-NOT TRUE-they are now flowering at ground level !!!
Our alexanders are the most prolific plant we have-alas far too many to dig out…
Damn those Romans for bringing them to the UK we say!
We want to remove them or failing that reduce them so we can enjoy the rest of our wildflowers
Having found the recipe for alexanders chutney on your website am wondering if we could offer our plants free to the local jam and chutney making lady?
Is there a recipe for the roots of Alexanders? I have just dug some out of a vegetable patch (like the commenter above, I am overrun with the damn things) and they have roots the size of parsnips.