In a 4- to 6-quart saucepan, Dutch oven or soup pot, combine vinegar, sugar, garlic, peppers, ginger, salt, cloves and dried fruit. Bring to a boil. Add pineapple; return to the boil and simmer about one hour or until pineapple is tender and syrup is thick. Taste and alter seasonings.

Place in sterile jars and process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Makes about 11 cups of chutney.

When you say banana ketchup to most people, they look at you like you're nuts. What they don't understand is that ketchup is not a dish, it's a technique; you can make ketchup from many different kinds of fruit, not just tomatoes. The technique is very similar to chutney-making, except that you cook the sugar, fruit, acid and spices and then puree the mixture to a thick paste, reheat the paste, correct the seasonings and you've got ketchup. I've been making this banana ketchup, from Helen Witty's "Fancy Pantry" (Workman, 1986), for years.

Once you've made the ketchup one time, to get a feel for the technique, you can alter the recipe to suit your taste: Add chilies, make it sweeter, use different spices, use different dried fruit.

If you use decorative jars with cork tops, as shown in the photo, you won't be able to can the ketchup and you'll need to refrigerate it until you give it away; it will last only about a month. To store it for longer than a month, use proper canning jars and process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. You can always decant it into fancy jars just before giving it away at holiday time.

BANANA KETCHUP

In a blender or food processor, combine raisins, onion, garlic, tomato paste; puree. Add vinegar as needed to make it liquid enough to puree. Place in large saucepan, Dutch oven or soup pot.

Peel bananas, cut into chunks, add to pureed mixture. Add remaining vinegar, 4 cups water, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Lower heat to medium low and cook uncovered 1 1/4 hours, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add water as needed, up to 2 additional cups.

Add corn syrup and spices. Cook 15 minutes. Do a saucer test: Place a spoonful on a cool saucer; if the mixture sits up and doesn't release a lot of liquid within the first minute, the ketchup is done.

In a blender or food processor, puree to satin-smooth. Rinse pan and return ketchup to pan. Taste and correct seasonings. Boil, stirring, and add rum; remove from heat.

Ladle into clean, sterilized jars. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Age for 2 weeks before giving. Makes 7 cups.

Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.