Out of the Debauched Sloth

Chaz Brenchley's fortnightly newsletter

…er, whoops. Guess who wholly forgot to post this, for, oh dear, almost a fortnight…?

No excuses. Extra KP all round. (Which is actually most of what I’ve been doing since I wrote this one, cleaning and sorting and reorganising the kitchen. Which, wierdly, I am thoroughly enjoying. Who am I, and what have I done with me?)

Anyway:

“This is California. Rain is always news. Sometimes it’s the headline.” - me

Seriously, that is almost all the news I have for you this time: that it’s been a rainy couple of weeks, that it’s been lovely, and that we’re hoping for more yet. *crosses fingers, tries not to jinx anything, etc*

Workwise, I have finally finished proofreading through the scanned text of Outremer vol 3, A DARK WAY TO GLORY. We don’t have a date for this yet, but we’re thinking maybe February?

I am still mid-text on both the short stories I started last month; “Barazion” has been set aside for now, until I can finish “Grace and Favour”, as that’s the one on deadline. I am still fond of both, oddly enough.

Anyway: absent other excitements,, and poised as we may be between two feasts, here’s Mrs Bailey’s recipe for cranberry chutney. She makes this by the gallon, of course; you need not.

One twelve-ounce pack of cranberries

One onion, finely chopped

The flesh of one tart apple, finely chopped

The zest and juice of two oranges

150g sultanas (or golden raisins in the US)

A couple of garlic cloves, crushed and worked to a paste with a little salt

Two inches of fresh ginger, grated (no need to peel)

150g molasses sugar (or muscovado)

85g honey

150g water

85g cider vinegar

One level teaspoon ground cinnamon

Half a level teaspoon ground cloves

The same of ground coriander

The same of chilli flakes

Mix everything together in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down, cover with a lid and simmer for forty minutes, stirring as needed; remove the lid and give it another twenty minutes or so.

Ladle into heated jars, and seal according to the customs of your country.

Enjoy.

- Chaz