This Strawberry Rhubarb Fennel Chutney is a delicious, sweet and savory sauce that is wonderful with grilled meats.
Every summer there is a brief window of time – usually around the middle of June – where you’ll find both fresh rhubarb and fresh fennel in the produce section of the supermarket. That is the perfect time to make this delicious Strawberry Rhubarb Fennel Chutney!
Typically, fennel is harvested in the fall and winter because it grows best in cooler temperatures. But (thankfully) now, farmers are planting a crop of fennel in the spring, so you can also find freshly harvested fennel for a while in June. And – if you’re a fan of all sorts of strawberry rhubarb recipes, then you know that fresh rhubarb season runs from about April to June.
So, run to the supermarket this week and pick up the fresh strawberries, rhubarb and fennel you’ll need to make this easy Strawberry Rhubarb Fennel Chutney.
What is chutney?
A chutney is a combination of fresh fruit, vinegar, sugar and spices.
What make this Strawberry Rhubarb Fennel Chutney so delicious – and so distinctive – is the mix of sweet from the strawberries, tartness from the rhubarb, and the anise flavor from the fresh fennel. This chutney also has a champagne vinegar for a little extra bite, and brown sugar and apple juice for additional sweetness. Finally, a mix of ground cinnamon, ginger and cloves add a delicious spiciness and warmth that perfectly complements the strawberries, rhubarb and fennel.
Everything cooks down together into a luscious soft sauce, and the flavors all meld wonderfully together.
We especially like to serve this Strawberry Rhubarb Fennel Chutney with pork tenderloin or pork chops, but it is also delicious with just about any grilled meat as well. It can be served warm or cold – either way is equally delicious!
We cook up a big batch of Strawberry Rhubarb Fennel Chutney when the fresh ingredients are available – then freeze portions of the chutney in zipper seal bags to enjoy all year long.
You may also like these other cooked fruit recipes:
- Roasted Strawberries
- Roasted Peach Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Mostarda
- Poached Pears in Red Wine with Vanilla Custard Sauce
- Grilled Romaine Hearts and Pears with Bleu Cheese
Strawberry Rhubarb Fennel Chutney
This Strawberry Rhubarb Fennel Chutney is a delicious, sweet and savory sauce that is wonderful with grilled meats.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Category: sauce
- Method: simmer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium bulb of fennel, white only, cored and cut into 8 wedges
1 medium sweet onion sliced into thick vertical slices, such as Vidalia
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 quart of fresh strawberries, trimmed and diced
1 pound fresh rhubarb, diced
1/2 cup apple juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Line a sheet tray with foil and lay out the fennel wedges and onion slices. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on the kosher salt.
- Roast for 30 minutes and remove. Place in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop into raisin sized pieces.
- Place the cooked vegetables in a large sauce pan along with chopped strawberries, chopped rhubarb, apple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until rhubarb and strawberries are tender and the mixture has thickened.
- Serve along side our roasted pork tenderloin or other grilled meats.
Notes
Rhubarb may seem like it is hard as a rock and will take forever to cook, but it actually softens pretty fast once heated.
Only three Rhubarb recipes? Just wondering.
Hi Karen – I’m not sure I understand your question – I believe this is the only recipe we have on our site that included rhubarb. (We just don’t cook with it that much!)