Sweet prune chutney

I’m dedicating this recipe to a mum, but this time not mine: my friend Jacek’s mum. He knows. I’ll explain why in a moment, but first…

This recipe came about because these prunes with honey and wine turned out so perfectly as an accompaniment to a sirloin steak that I couldn’t simply leave them to… digestion. They’re really easy to make too, so anyone can manage them.

But to the point. I recently had the pleasure of attending a rather unusual reunion of former pupils from my secondary school. The meeting was mainly about what I hope has lately been occupying all of Poland: giving away one per cent… in this case entirely legally, though 😉 Apart from that, it was a very pleasant gathering. Actually, it’s quite remarkable that so many people of different ages, from around 80 down to 21, who had attended Secondary School No. IV in Sosnowiec, managed to get together in Warsaw. It’s also good to know that such different people are willing to work together and support one another. Hearing their various stories was fascinating too.

That wasn’t quite what I meant to write about, though, so let’s get to it: you’re probably already wondering how to make this outstanding prune chutney. During the meeting, everyone introduced themselves and said a few words about their current work, their history or their interests. Naturally, apart from a few gentle digs at my former form teacher, I mentioned the website you’re reading now, Prymitywna Kuchnia. Nothing particularly special about that; I always mention it. In this story, though, that’s merely the background, or… how shall I put it? The cherry on top 🙂

After everyone had introduced themselves, and there were about 70 of us, two enthusiastic young women, decidedly younger than us, came over to our class’s table. They turned to Jacek, sitting next to me, and said:

“We’re fans!”

It crossed my mind that I’d missed something in Jacek’s life story and really ought to catch up, because for that tiny moment I had no idea what was going on. Fortunately, they quickly finished the sentence, saving me from having to dig into his biography:

“Of your MUM.”

Yes, Jacek’s mum had taught a subject at our school that was particularly interesting at the time: entrepreneurship. She didn’t teach our class because of Jacek, but the pupils generally liked and respected her. Apparently, not only those in our year groups. Fair enough, that’s lovely and all, but perhaps a little stab in Jacek’s heart: he was merely a link to the idol, rather than the idol himself 😉

But this happened twice more, and I think that was getting a bit much for Jacek. He kept sending his mum photographs of her fans. So there we were, standing around laughing about how Jacek’s mum had become the star of the party rather than anyone actually present, when another young woman, a good decade younger than us, headed our way. I was already preparing to interrupt the conversation again and listen to how wonderful Jacek’s mum was, so I moved slightly to one side. But the young woman came up to… me, ignored Jacek completely, and said she was delighted to have finally met me — YES, ME — because she was a fan of Prymitywna Kuchnia!

Jacek’s face fell a little, I floated up to the ceiling, and I told her how pleased I was and that I’d thought it was going to be about Jacek’s mum again. The young woman asked who Jacek’s mum was, then immediately said, “Oh, of course I know her, and I’m a fan too” 🙂

So I’d like to send my warmest greetings to Jacek’s mum, which is also why I’m dedicating this post to her. And of course to the Prymitywna fan, and all the other fans, if there are any more 🙂

Above all, though, I’m dedicating this recipe to Jacek: yes, you’re my idol! And you’ve got a fantastic mum 🙂

Now, from the heart, I really do recommend this chutney. I think I made it to mark such an extraordinary occasion — meeting a fan 😉 — and put so much heart into it that I can recommend it without hesitation. There’s enough sweetness in it to last you at least a week, once you’ve made it and eaten it. Definitely with a good steak. Highly recommended.

At a glance:

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Serves: two small portions, but you can multiply the quantities

Calories: heh, chutneys are so good there’s no point worrying

Ingredients for prunes with honey and sweet wine, to serve with steak:

• 12 prunes (I chose Sante — this isn’t an advert; I simply think they’re the best)
• 1 teaspoon buckwheat honey
• half a glass of sweet raspberry wine (the kind used for mulled wine)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• half a teaspoon of date syrup
• half a teaspoon of sugar

The perfect sweet chutney for steak:

Making this prune chutney is exceptionally easy. Since I only needed a little, roughly two servings to go with steak, I made it in my smallest frying pan.

First, I cut the prunes into thin strips. I melted the butter in the pan and, while it was still melting, added the prunes and half a teaspoon of sugar. I stirred the prunes, sugar and butter for a good while, then poured in half a glass of sweet raspberry wine for mulling. I mixed everything thoroughly and added the buckwheat honey and date syrup. I stirred again, and kept stirring for roughly 3 – 4 minutes. Then I turned the heat down as low as possible — on my induction hob — and left it to reduce for around 10 – 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch it so it doesn’t burn. I took it off the heat and, once it had cooled slightly, it was ready to serve. It needs to be quite thick. Highly recommended, and of course, enjoy!