Call this sweet, sassy, make-meat-more-savory sauce peach mostarda or nectarine chutney. Call it nectarine mostarda or peach chutney. Either way, you’ll quite possibly enjoy it as much as we have.
Nectarines are to peaches as Channing Tatum is to Steve: basically the same thing, just without all the fuzz. (Steve acknowledges there may be additional differences between Channing Tatum and himself.) Indians and Italians may disagree, but some of their own authorities seem to think chutneys and mostardas are basically the same thing, too.
This Nigel Slater recipe, originally calling for plums, did not replace Michelle’s first love, cherry mostarda (Steve still weeps a little inside every time he spies a jar in the freezer). But it did satisfy her enough to warrant the purchase of a pork tenderloin (the small strip from our pig lamentably long gone). The wine-sharp chunks of peach and nectarine were spiced up nicely by chili and mustard seeds, and we think it would also go well with lamb or beef. We know it’s delicious on a grilled cheese sandwich.
So to repeat ourselves again: pick one from column “A” (peach/nectarine), one from column “B” (chutney/mostarda), then proceed to follow the recipe. Whatever you call it, you’ll have yourself a very nice relish—or condiment, if you’d like.
PEACH/NECTARINE CHUTNEY
(inspired by Nigel Slater’s “hot, sweet plum chutney” in Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard)
- 1-1/2 lbs. peaches and/or nectarines
- 12 oz. onions
- 3/4 c. raisins
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. dried pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. mustard seeds
- 2/3 c. cider vinegar
- 2/3 c. champagne vinegar
- 1 cinnamon stick
Peel and coarsely chops peaches/apricots, discarding the pits. Peel and coarsely chop the onions.
Put all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for about an hour. Stir occasionally and, if you want, mash the fruit up a bit.
Remove the cinnamon stick. Store in sterilized jars in refrigerator or freezer.
Gourmandistan 
Superb! Not that a jar has lasted for any length of time, but any idea how long this will last in the freezer? 3 months?
We’re just finishing up last summer’s jam from the freezer, and it’s still fine. So I imagine this would last around a year. (Though a real home economist might disagree with me. :))
‘Basically the same thing; but without all the fuzz…’
Very chuckle-worthy and totally worth the accidental snort into my morning coffee.
The peach-or-nectarine-chutney-or-mostard sounds mouthwatering and I can just imagine it crowning an crispy golden, oozing cheese toastie…
Goodness knows how he comes up with this stuff. 🙂 And, thanks, Angelica!
I love a good chutney/mostarda/who-cares-what-it’s-called-if-it-looks-and-sounds-like-that.
This is the summer of the chutney/mostarda. And now we’ve got plums!
This sounds very good, Michelle, and for a change I’ve got all of the ingredients on-hand, save one. I haven’t any empty jars. The ones that I have are already earmarked for jam, beets, and giardiniera. I need to call-in all those my friends have with a promise of peach mostarda in return. If that doesn’t work, I’ll call it chutney and hope for the best. 🙂
Thanks, too, for the tip about freezing. I’m definitely going to try that.
Thanks, John! I’m almost out of jars too. And there are some peaches I need to make jam out of. I always freeze my jammy things. Water bath canning makes the kitchen too hot, plus I’m always terrified I’m going to kill someone. We are lucky to have some extra freezers out in the garage. I know it’s much harder for city slickers. 😉
This sounds delicious! I’ve been cooking from Ripe recently but have overlooked this recipe! I enjoy seeing what other bloggers notice in cookbooks, especially when it turns out as well as this mostarda.
It is so interesting, isn’t it? There are cookbooks I’ve used for years and then I’ll see somebody make a recipe I had never even noticed.
I’m keen on both chutneys and mostarda. The mostarda seems to hit the spot in summer for me. Your pictures are really looking fab.
Aw, thanks, Roger!
Lovely, lovely plated picture.
I was channeling you, Rosemary. 🙂
Dazzling Steve/Channing analogy. Mostarda looks good, too.
Dazzling—ha! I never cease to be amazed by the stuff he comes up with. And only occasionally have to say: “No, you’re not saying that.”
Michelle, you have done some lovely stuff here. I’m with Rosemary on the plated picture. It tells a lovely story.
Oh, Conor, how nice!
That looks lovely! And the thought of cherry mostarda makes my mouth water. We just made a batch of plum mostarda to serve with a rabbit terrine — I haven’t tried it in a grilled cheese but I think that’s going on the menu this week!
I’m not sure we’ll ever surpass the cherry version. This was good, but I bet your plum was better … especially with rabbit terrine! I’ll take any one of them with grilled cheese. 🙂
This sounds PERFECT with pork. Also, I’m sure that Steve’s public life is very difficult, what with being mistaken for Channing Tatum all the time.
Not all the time. Mostly when it’s dark.
I call it delicious no matter what name it has. I have always liked spiced peaches with meat dishes and know your recipe has to be so much better.
Thanks, Karen! The peaches this year are so good. I can’t remember: do you have some in your fabulous orchard? (Do they grow that far north?)
We used to have peach trees in our orchard but they all died from a disease that attacks just peach trees in the Northeast. 😦
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too exotic for my husband’s taste, but I can dream…
Just tell him it’s peach jam. Maybe he won’t notice!
That looks wonderful! I still have those tart cherries tucked away in the freezer for your cherry mostarda. Must get to that… That is some beautiful stone fruit there! You really don’t get good apricots?
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Beautiful blog post. Chutney is yum.
The savory-sweet recipe is outstanding – so unique. 🙂 I adore the second and third photos. NICE.
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