Local Loquat Chutney

Local Loquat Chutney

Those of you who have been following some of my recent loquat food adventures and misadventures will be interested to learn of my most recent loquat food triumph.

The effort to "marry up" loquat chutney, one of the three sister condiments I prepared this month, with her perfect food compliment, has been fraught with frustration and disappointment, at best.

Yesterday, still wondering what to do with the local loquat chutney, and growing a bit discouraged, I might add, I decided to give it another try.

Last night I roasted a panful of organic chicken thighs, (what could be simpler?), in the oven for dinner.  I made a pot of brown basmati rice in Brett and Charlotte's buttercup-colored Le Cruiset cook pot.  (I wish they still made that particularly food-compatible color of cookware by-the-way)  When the rice was cooked and fully tender I added the zest of one whole organic lemon, a squirt of two of lemon juice along with a generous handful of fresh minced parsley.  In addition, I prepared a side of cooked greens with crumbled feta.

As I plated up dinner last night I cautiously placed a spoonful of loquat chutney, seasoned with lemon, lemon rind, raisins, cumin, thyme, fennel seeds, coriander and red pepper flakes, beside each serving of basmati rice.  After a first hesitant nibble I decided to throw caution to the wind and stir the loquat chutney right into the rice to see what happened.

Voila!  Perfection!  Yes!  Food perfection!  I was SO excited.

Local loquat chutney is a fantastic accompaniment to rice!  It is a marriage made in heaven.

Initially, the true character and flavor of loquat chutney, obviously not readily apparent to me, remained undiscovered and unappreciated, until I combined it with its perfect food compliment, rice, and viola! an unmistakable distinctive Moroccan character came clearly through.

What would, otherwise, have been quite an ordinary meal suddenly became extraordinary.

The chutney fully lived up to expectation, in fact, exceeded expectation.  Not only did the loquat chutney make the rice taste better,(certainly the primary requirement of a condiment!), but, as an added bonus, the loquat chutney, with delicate flecks of orange fruit, bits of raisin and spice made the rice look better too!  To fully appreciate that particular food fact please consider what globs of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, or any other food condiment for that matter, do for the esthetics of a dish.