I'm sure that Daisy can answer this for herself, but this is what she said in a prior thread: Posted by daisyduckworth (My Page) on Tue, Jul 18, 06 at 17:51 Peppermint is the preferred variety for flavouring ice cream and other desserts, confectionery, especially chocolates. Leaves may be crystallised. Delicious as an iced tea. Add leftover stems and leaves to tea or coffee. Spearmint is the preferred mint variety for traditional mint sauces to serve with lamb, peas and potatoes. Meat, fish, vegetables, salads, fruit salads, stewed pears/apples. Use in lamb dishes, jellies, with cold cuts, cheese, peas, Middle Eastern dishes. Mint Chutney 1 cup lightly packed mint leaves, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup chopped green onions (white and pale green parts) 3 tablespoons parsley 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 clove garlic 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon curry powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

There's a whole, big, wide world of chutneys out there, and a bazillion recipes. Google is great for this, and it's fun to find all the different ideas. Search for any of the following, followed by "chutney" - Apple, mint, cilantro, peach, mango, plum, mixed fruit, banana, pineapple, cranberry. Then add the word "fresh" and then put two together, like "cranberry mixed fruit" - all kinds of fun stuff. We do a family favorite using home-dried cherries, dried slices of beef steak tomato, and dried, powdered chipotle pepper, with brown sugar and cider vinegar. That,on a peanut butter sandwich, is pretty tasty. As well as mixing it up with cranberries for festive holiday fare. Unfortunately, there aren't that many tested recipes for canning out there - I, personally, can it often if the ingredients are fruit, sugar, and vinegar, with a bit of spices. Hot pack, pint jars, 20 min BWB.

I have bought a couple of indian cookbooks over the years, but I've found that the recipes often call for things that aren't available or contain steps like "take the unpasteurized milk and make your own raw cheese and hang for a week to dry." or even just, "now simmer for 24 hours." Gee, thanks, I'll get right on that. I have devised several easier-to-make versions of some Indian dishes, the one that has turned out the best is a version of what restaurants call either Saag Paneer or Palak Paneer. The recipe is: 16oz frozen chopped spinach 1 cup water 4 tbsp Pataks mild curry paste 1 stick butter 1 tbsp mint chutney 1 tbsp sweet mango chutney 4 oz feta cheese (cut into ½ inch cubes) Put spinach and water in large pot, heat uncovered over medium heat until spinach is thawed and simmering. Add butter, curry paste, mint chutney and mango chutney, continue to stir and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, add feta cubes, stir thoroughly and serve with basmati rice and/or lightly toasted pita bread. Also when I make basmati rice to accompany Indian food I'll usually add about 1 tsp of tumeric, 8 to 10 whole cloves and a bay leaf to the 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water

Alison... This is a paragraph I posted some time ago from the book of recipes written by a friend of mine who had a great little curry menu in her restaurant. You may find something of use here: Here are recipes from a great cook and restaurant owner that I knew in Palma de Mallorca. She wrote her own cookbook of recipes that made her restaurant well known among the local people there. I've made many of these, including the garam masala. People would line up waiting to dine on her curries: Note: The original recipes are given in metric measures and I've tried to give the best equivalents in cups & spoons. If you have metric kitchen scales, use the original measurements for greater accuracy. GARAM MASA ********************* 3/4 cup (100 grams) ground black pepper corns 1/4 cup (100 grams) ground coriander seeds 1/2 cup (75 grams) ground caraway seeds 3.5 TBS (25 grams) ground cloves 20 large ground cardamons 3.5 TBS (25 grams) ground cinammon These are best ground in a coffee grinder, not too fine and kept in an airtight jar. LAMB CURRY ***************** 4.5 lbs (2 kilos) lamb - best is that trimmed from the leg and cut into (3/4 inch)(2 cm) squares 2.2 lbs (1 kilo) onion chopped 2.2 lbs (1 kilo) tomatoes chopped 2 good tablespoons garam masäla 1 cup water 1 sweet green (bell) pepper 1 teasp turmeric 1 teasp ginger - best is fresh, grated 1 teasp ground chillies vegetable oil or ghee garlic fresh herbs salt & pepper lemon small pot plain yoghourt 1) Cut the meat into pieces of the desired size, removing excess fat. 2) Fry the onions, garlic, ginger, peppers and herbs in the oil or butter. Add the turmeric and garam masäla, salt and pepper. 3) Mix well and let it simmer for a few minutes. Add the meat and keep stirring for a little longer. 4) Add tomatoes, fry for two to three minutes, put lid on saucepan and continue to simmer for about 40 minutes. If it gets too dry, add hot water. Simmer until tender, adding water when necessary. 5) Add a squeeze of lemon and finally a pot of yoghourt. Serve with boiled rice, chutneys, pickles and, if desired bananas. MIXED FRUIT CHUTNEY ****************************** 2.2 lbs (1 kilo) cooking apples 2.2 lbs (1 kilo) dried prunes 2.2 lbs (1 kilo) dried apricots 3/4 cup (200 grams) sultanas 1 packet brown sugar (not sure but think that's 1 lb) 2 cups (half litre) wine vinegar two teasp garam masäla 2 teasp ground chillies 12 cloves garlic mashed 3/4 cup (100 grams) ground ginger salt 1) Soak dried fruit and later cut them in small pieces. 2) Core and thinly peel the apples and cut into small pieces. 3) Put fruit and rest of ingredients in large enamel saucepan and boil on a medium heat for about 35 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. 4) Remove from heat, cool and bottle. INDIAN SAUCE ******************* 3 eating apples 2 small onions 3 peeled tomatoes 6 green chillies 1 large cucumber 4 green peppers salt 1 teaspoon cayenne vinegar 1) Cut up all the ingredients very finely and mix well together. 2) Add cayenne and salt and cover with vinegar. You can use it immediately but it will improve with age and keeps a long time. BEETROOT CHUTNEY ***************************** 2.2 lbs (1 kilo)of beets (beetroot) 1 lb (1/2 kilo) cooking apples, chopped 2 large onions, chopped 2 cups (1/2 liter) wine vinegar salt - sorry - here there are no amounts sugar " " ginger " " juice of 1 lemon 1) Boil the beetroots until tender. Peel and dice in small pieces. 2) Chop onions and apples. Put into enamel saucepan with vinegar, sugar and spices and boil for 20 minutes. 3) Add diced beets and boil for another quarter of an hour, stirring from time to time to prevent burning. 4) Cool and bottle. RÃITA ********* Strictly speaking Räita is curd but plain yoghurt either homemade or bought serves just as well with the following additions as a relish. MINT AND ONION ********************* 1 large carton plain yoghurt 1 1/2 teasp caraway seeds 1 teasp garam masäla 1 teasp chilli powder (hot red pepper - not for chili con carne) salt 3 medium onions finely sliced 3 TBS coarsely chopped mint Mix all the ingredients and keep in the refrigerator. CUCUMBER *************** Made as above except substitute raw finely diced cucumber instead of the onions and mint. CURRY FOR ONE ********************** This recipe from a friend of the book author who spent several years in Arabia and often had to fend for himself.Recipe is casually vague (!) 1 large onion chopped small 1 teaspoon curry powder - or garam masäla if you have made it 1 TBS tomato puree 1 TBS vinegar required amount of beef, lamb or fish handful of raisins few potatoes salt oil 1) Fry the onion in the oil until translucent. 2) Add the curry powder, tomato puree, vinegar, meat or fish, raisins, salt and diced potatoes. 3) Cook gently for about half an hour. Serve with boiled rice and chutney. MARROW CHUTNEY ************************** 4.5 lbs (2 kilos) marrow - must be green 2.2 lbs (1 kilo) onions 2 2/3 cups (600) grams sugar 2 TBS cornstarch 3.5 TBS (25 grams) turmeric 3.5 TBS (25 grams) powdered mustard 1.5 TBS (10 grams) powdered ginger 6 chillies 6 cups (1 1/2 liters) wine vinegar 1) Peel and clean marrow and cut into very small squares. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 12 hours. Drain for 3 hours and dry as much as possible. 2) Cut onions into small pieces. 3) Boil sugar in the vinegar. Mix all the powdered spices with a little of the vinegar left on the side. 4) Add marrow and onions. Boil together for half an hour or until tender. Stir well with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking and burning. 5) Turn into a pan to cool off, then bottle. Source: 'The Bar We Found' Anne Oates - Palma de Mallorca 1972 SharonCb