Sutter Home Social Hour: May Book Club

Sutter Home’s May Book club pick is a scandalous story that uncovers secrets, second chances and the hidden connections that unite our lives. One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern recounts the tangled setbacks of journalist, Kitty Logan’s life. Constance, the woman who taught Kitty everything, is dying, but she has one last story to tell. Can Kitty uncover the secrets that Constance leaves behind?

Dig deep into the mysteries and investigation of this gripping novel with a night of good food, wine and friends. Share the author’s favorite recipe too – Courgette and Tomato Chutney. Yum!

Recipe:

In One Hundred Names, Kitty’s friend Steve quits the job he never liked and starts working in an allotment, in his quest to ground himself and get back to his true self. This was inspired by the allotment I keep with my family, in the seaside town in the Dublin suburbs where I live. I thought it would be a fantastic way for my children to see where food actually comes from, not just from supermarket shelves and so they enjoy planting, digging, terrorizing worms and generally getting their hands dirty. Since the children were small I’ve put courgettes in their meals and we have grown the most enormous courgettes in the allotment. As a way to manage the size and quantity without wasting them, my mom makes dozens of jars of courgette chutney. She made so many variations and my favorite is the spiced chutney as we use the onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes that we also grow. We’re still working our way through the jars…!

Spiced courgette and tomato chutney

2 onions, chopped

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

500g tomatoes, chopped

500g courgettes, diced

300ml white wine vinegar

1 tbsp tomato puree

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced

250g brown sugar

2 tbsps mixed spice

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp root ginger, grated

4 cloves garlic, crushed

It’s very simple. Put all of the ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring slowly to a simmer, stirring to stop the mixture sticking, and simmer uncovered on a low heat for two hours until dark and thick.

Pour the chutney into sterilized jars, then leave for two to three weeks before eating. It’s delicious with cold meats and cheeses.