Little Red Bombs of Flavour

Recently, we had some work done in the garden by one of our local landscape specialists. On occasion in the past, we’ve called him in when we need heavy work done like repointing the stone boundary walls, trimming the (massive) mature trees, or replacing a gate. He’s become someone we can rely on and the jobs usually end in a little friendly natter. So, after finishing the job the other day, he and I were looking over my fruit shrubs, swapping recipes for this and that.

“They’re like little red bombs of flavour,” he said, pointing to clusters of red fruit. “Pop them in and they burst in your mouth.”

Not exactly how I would describe red currants, but in a way, he’s spot on in his description. His parting words of wisdom were a vague recipe for a red currant chutney, giving me the idea for this fresh chutney/relish type of condiment. I thought it a good trade for the pot containing a young loganberry plant he left with.

Red Currant Salsa
Based on a fresh Mexican salsa, Pico de Gallo, using a very British ingredient – red currants. Very easy to assemble and no cooking involved!

• 100g (approximately 1 cup) red currants
• 1 fresh green chilli, preferably a jalepeño
• 1 lime
• 1 small shallot
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• Sea salt to taste

Clean and de-stem the red currants. Crush/chop lightly, leaving some whole. Put currants into a bowl with the juice from the lime and the honey. De-seed and finely chop the green chilli pepper. Finely chip the shallot. Add both of these to the bowl and taste, adjusting with a pinch or two of salt. Let the mixture sit (covered) at room temperature for several hours before using.

Absolutely fabulous with grilled pork. If there is any left over, cover and refrigerate. Use within 2 days.