Marinated Pimientos

Pimiento is simply another word for sweet peppers, which in this recipe are cooked and skinned before being marinated in a garlicky oil and vinegar dressing that goes well with their smoky flavour. Preserved peppers can be bought in cans or jars, but they are very much tastier when homemade. They create a delicious, healthy appetizer on their own or with other antipasti, and can also be used to top crostini or mini pizzas.

The marinated pimientos can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks covered in olive oil in a screw-top jar. The flavours will blend and improve with keeping.

Ingredients:

3 sweet red peppers

2 garlic cloves, crushed

45ml chopped parsley

15ml sherry vinegar

25ml olive oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Preheat the grill to high. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and grill for 8-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until the skins have blistered and blackened. Remove the peppers from the heat, place them in a heatproof plastic bag and leave for 5 minutes so that the steam softens the skin and makes it easier to peel.

Make a small cut in the bottom of each pepper and squeeze out any juice into a bowl. Peel away the skin and cut the peppers in half. Remove and discard the core and seeds.

Using a sharp knife, cut each pepper in half lengthways into 1cm-wide strips and place them in a bowl.

Whisk the garlic, parsley, vinegar and oil into the pepper juices. Add salt to taste. Pour this mixture over the pepper strips and toss well. Cover and chill, but bring the peppers back to room temperature before serving.

Yellow Cling Peaches and Onion Atchar

Delicious with mutton, cheese or chicken pie.

Ingredients:

3 kg yellow cling peaches - washed and cut into even sized segments

1 kg baby onions

30 ml coriander seeds

15 ml whole peppercorns

2 litres white vinegar

50 g cornflour (100 ml)

25 ml curry powder

10 ml turmeric

200 g white sugar (250 ml)

10 ml salt water

Method:

Boil the coriander, peppercorns and vinegar together.

Mix the cornflour, curry powder, turmeric  sugar, salt and enough water together to make a smooth paste.

Stir into the vinegar mixture and keep on stirring until the mixture is well dissolved.

Add the peaches and the onions and boil together for 10 minutes.

Spoon mixture into clean, dry sterilised jars and seal.

Makes ± 4 litres. 

Pickled Green Beans

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, mashed
1/2 cup Pickling Spice
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 lb green beans, trimmed
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
1/4 cup pickling salt

Method:
Evenly distribute the garlic, pickling spice, and red pepper flakes among the prepared pint jars.
Pack the beans tightly into the jars.
In a small bot, bring the vinegar, water, and salt to a boil over medium heat.
Pour the hot brine over the beans, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Seal the jars and process for 8 to 10 minutes. Store the pickles for at least 2 weeks before opening for maximum flavor development.

Variation:
Dilly Beans: Evenly distribute 2 bunches of dill among the jars along with the pickling spice and red pepper flakes.

Storage:
Processed, these pickles will keep for up to 6 months. Once jars have been opened, store them in the refrigerator, where they will keep for up to 5 days.

Brinjal Pickle

Ingredients:

1 kg long brinjals or large brinjals,  washed and chopped in 1 inch pieces

1 cup sunflower oil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 inch piece of ginger, chopped

30ml chilli flakes

10ml cumin seeds

5ml fenugreek seeds

5ml mustard powder

5ml powdered turmeric

2 cups brown vinegar

250ml sugar

15ml sea salt

Method:

Grind half the chilli flakes (15 ml), cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar to a powder.

Heat the oil in the pan and fry the prepared spices, remaining chilli flakes, mustard powder, turmeric, ginger and garlic in it for 5-10 minutes until the spices have fully permeated the oil.

Add the vinegar,  salt and sugar.

Bring to the boil and add the brinjals. Stir well and continue to cook on a very slow fire till the brinjals are cooked and the mixture has thickened.

This pickle can be served immediately or bottles and stored in a cool, dry place. The flavour improves on storing.

Sweet Cucumber and Red Onion Pickle

Ingredients:

1 English cucumber

1 large red onion

1 bunch of dill herb

450ml brown vinegar

50ml honey

50ml white sugar

5ml grainy mustard

Zest and juice of half a large lemon

5ml sea salt

Method:

Slice the cucumber into thin slices.

Peel the onion and halve it lengthwise before slicing it into thin slices.

Roughly chop or snip the dill herb. Use half of this for the pickle and freeze the rest with a little water for later use.

In a sterilised pickle bottle, layer the cucumber, onion and dill herb so that the pickle is well mixed.

In a small pan over a low heat, bring to the boil all the remaining ingredients, ensuring that everything dissolves.

Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the cucumber mixture a little at a time, tapping the bottle to release any trapped air. Make sure that all the salt and mustard seeds go into the jar. Close firmly before shaking gently up and down. 

Stand for an hour or two before serving.

This pickle can be stored in the fridge. Use within 2 weeks.

Mint Jelly

This summer I have a mountain of mint in my garden, taking over about a quarter of the space I have! I planted a sprig left from a supermarket pot a couple of years ago and it has thrived so that it's now about 100 times the size it was to start with. It is luscious and fragrant and just begging me to use it, so I made it into a jelly that I can store and use all year through.

Mint jelly is just to die for if spread on lamb chops before grilling them. The flavour permeates the meat, tenderising it as it cooks so the result is not just flavoursome, but succulent and tender at the same time.

When making mint jelly, use tart apples like Granny Smiths or Bramleys. The tarter the apple, the more pectin it has. If you are using home picked apples, picking early in the season is best, and smaller apples will have proportionately more pectin as well. Don’t peel or core the apples as most of the pectin is found in the core, and almost all the rest is found in the peel.

Ingredients:
1.8-2 kg tart apples, unpeeled, chopped into big pieces, including the cores.
375-400ml fresh mint leaves, chopped and lightly packed.
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
500ml water
500ml white wine vinegar
875-1000ml sugar ( about 220ml for each 250ml of juice).

Method:
Combine the apple pieces with lemon zest, lemon juice, water and mint in a large pan. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until the apples are soft. Add the vinegar and return to the boil. Simmer covered for another 5 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash the apple pieces to the consistency of thin apple sauce.

Spoon the apple flesh into a clean tea towel in a colander or large strainer over a large bowl. Leave to strain for several hours. Most cooks say not to squeeze, but I do squeeze very carefully to get the last of the juice out of the apple mash without getting any of the pulp in the syrup. Note, if your apple mash is too thick you can add about 100-125ml more water to it. You should have between 1000-1250ml of resulting juice.

Measure the juice, then pour into a large pot. Add the sugar ( about 220ml for each 250ml of juice) and heat gently, stirring to make sure the sugar dissolves and does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Bring to the boil and continue to boil for about 10-15 minutes, using a metal spoon to skim off the surface scum. Continue to boil until a jam thermometer shows that the temperature has reached 105°C or 220-222°F, not quite at the thread stage. Additional time needed for cooking can be anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour or longer, depending on the amount of water, sugar, and apple pectin in the mix.

If you don’t have a jam thermometer, test by putting a small amount of jelly (half a teaspoon) on a chilled plate (chill the plate in the freezer in preparation for testing). Allow the jelly to cool a few seconds, then push it with your fingertip. If it wrinkles, it’s ready.

Pour the jelly into sterilised jars almost to the top of the jar and seal. This makes about 8 x 100ml jars.

Plum Jam

Makes about 4.5kg

Ingredients:

2.7kg plums
2.7kg sugar
A knob of butter

Method:

Put the plums in a preserving pan with 900ml of water and gently simmer for about 30 minutes, until the fruit is very soft and the contents of the pan are well reduced.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add the butter and blend well into the mixture. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the setting point is reached.
Take the pan off the heat. Using a slotted spoon, skim off any scum from the surface of the jam and remove the plum stones. Pour the hot preserve into warm sterilised jam jars, then cover and label.

Cooks Tips

If dessert plums are used, rather than the cooking variety, add the juice of 1 large lemon.
This jam can also be made with peaches, but the stones should be removed before putting in the pot and the juice of 2 lemons should be added.
For a more savoury variation on this jam, add 5ml crushed chillies. This jam is great added to sauces for pork and chicken.

Gooseberry and Elderflower Jam

Makes about 1.6kg

Ingredients:

900g green gooseberries, topped and tailed
900g granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
300ml elderflower cordial

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Put the gooseberries in a preserving pan with 150ml water, then cook over a low heat until the gooseberries are very soft. Meanwhile, put the sugar in a large roasting pan and warm in the oven for 10 minutes.
Add the lemon juice, elderflower cordial and warmed sugar to the gooseberries, bring to the boil and simmer gently until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and bubble for 25-30 minutes or until the jam is set. Pour the hot preserve into warm sterilised jam jars, then cover and label.

Apricot Jam

Makes about 3kg

Ingredients:

1.8kg apricots, halved and stoned, stones reserved
Juice of 1 lemon
1.8kg sugar
A knob of butter

Method:

Crack a few of the apricot stones with a nut cracker, take out the kernels and blanch them in boiling water for 1 minutes, then drain.
Put the apricots, lemon juice, apricot kernels and about 450ml of water in a preserving pan and simmer for about 15 minutes or until well reduced and the fruit is soft.
Off the heat, add the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Add the butter and boil rapidly for 15 minutes or until the setting point is reached.
Remove any scum with a slotted spoon. Pour the hot preserve into warm sterilised jam jars, then cover and label.

Strawberry and Redcurrant Jam

Makes about 1.4kg

Ingredients:
700g granulated or preserving sugar
1kg strawberries, hulled and halved if large
225g redcurrants, stripped from their stalks
Juice of 1 lemon

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Put the sugar in a roasting tin and warm in the oven for 10 minutes. Put half the strawberries and all the redcurrants in a preserving pan over a low heat and cook until soft and the juices run.
Add the remaining strawberries to the pan and bring to the boil. Add the lemon juice and warmed sugar to the pan, bring to the boil, then simmer until the sugar dissolves. Bubble for 25 minutes or until set.
Pour the hot preserve into warm sterilised jam jars, then cover and label.

Raspberry and Cinnamon Jam

Makes about 1kg

Ingredients:
900g granulated or preserving sugar
900g raspberries
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick, crushed and tied in muslin

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Put the sugar in a roasting tin and warm in the oven for 10 minutes. Put the raspberries in a preserving pan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until the juices run. Add the warmed sugar, lemon juice and the cinnamon stick.
Bring to the boil, then simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Bubble for 15 minutes or until set, then remove the cinnamon stick.
Pour the hot preserve into warm sterilised jam jars, then cover and label.

Making Jam and Preserves

The end of summer, when there is lots of fruit around, is a great time to make jam and preserves. Here are a few things you should know about making jams.

Tips

• Before you start, put four saucers in the fridge or freezer to chill ready to repeat testing for setting as needed.


• A large preserving pan with a wide top id essential for its size and shape – it helps the evaporation process, ensuring the finished preserve is not too runny. Stainless steel or non-stick pans are best.


• Preserving sugar is a superior quality course grain sugar that gives a clear set ideal for jellied preserves, but it’s not essential for marmalade and jam and it’s much more expensive than granulated sugar.


• Jam sugar is not the same as preserving sugar – it’s a granulated sugar with added pectin and citric acid to aid the setting of fruits that have a naturally low pectin content such as strawberries and cherries.
  

Setting Agents

• Preserving sugar produces less scum, dissolves easily and produces sparkling jellies and lams. Jam sugar is used for fruits with low pectin and acid level.


• Pectin makes preserves set when fruit is heated with sugar. However, many summer fruits are low in pectin, so if your jam or marmalade is not setting, add extra lemon juice – a good natural source of pectin. Alternatively, use an artificial pectin – add one sachet per 1 kg of granulated sugar.
  

Setting Point

When jam reaches setting point it’s ready to bottle. Test regularly for a set. If the preserve is boiled for too long it darkens and caramelises. There are two good ways of testing this stage:

• Spoon a little jam or marmalade on to a chilled plate, then chill for a minute or two. If it crinkles when you run your finger through it from the edge, setting point has been reached.


• Take the guess work out of getting the perfect set by using a jam thermometer. Generally speaking, the setting point will be around 105°C.
  

Bottling Tips

• Before use, wash jars in hot water, drain, then leave to dry in a warm oven (150°C). Boil the lids. Alternatively, a fast wash in the dish washer is ideal.


• Always pour hot preserves into warm jars.


• Always fill to the rim to allow for shrinkage on cooling.


• Cover with waxed discs, waxed side down, and dampened cellophane covers, dampened side up.


• For longer-term storage, cover the screw-on lids, too.


• For best results, store preserves in a cool dark place.
  

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Strawberry Jam

When thinking of strawberries, you are bound to think of strawberry jam. No country larder would be complete without it - come to think of it; no city larder worth speaking of would not have this wonderful preserve in it either. Everybody loves strawberry jam!

Sweet preserves or jams are common and traditional all over Europe. Before sugar became more readily available, in the 18th century, honey would have been used to preserve fruits. Normally jams would have been made when there was a glut of fruit so as to make the fruit last, hopefully, until the fruit season came around again. Although there is not this necessity nowadays, I still make this delicious preserve when there is a glut of strawberries and the prices are amenable. It's just such fun to make.

Even though strawberry jam is perhaps the most popular jam of all, of all fruits that are used to make preserves, strawberries are the most difficult to turn into jam as they lack the natural pectin vital for a good set. To get this jam to set it is essential to use lemon juice to supply the pectin. Redcurrant juice may also be used, as it is in this recipe - it adds a wonderful flavour over the top of the strawberries making this jam so absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:
1.1 kg strawberries
1.3 kg unrefined granulated sugar
150ml redcurrant juice
juice of 1 lemon
15g unsalted butter

Method:
Put the strawberries into a large heavy bottomed pan and heat gently. As the juice starts to come out of the berries, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the redcurrant juice and the lemon juice. Bring the mixture to the boil and remove any scum that rises to the surface. Boil rapidly, testing for setting point every 15 minutes. Take the pan off the heat to do this.

To test with a sugar thermometer: dip the thermometer in hot water, then sink the bulb end into the jam. If the temperature is around 105C, the jam has reached setting point.

To test with the saucer test: keep several small saucers in the fridge. When you think the jam has reached setting point, take the pan off the heat and put a teaspoon of jam on a cold saucer. Let it cool for a few seconds - count to ten - then push the surface at the side with your finger. If the surface wrinkles, the jam is ready, but if the jam moves loosely, it needs to be boiled for a few minutes more and tested again.

When setting point has been reached, add the butter. Allow the jam to cool slightly. Give the jam a stir to evenly distribute the fruit before putting into prepared sterilised jars. Seal and store in your larder for at least 3-4 days before using.

Chilli Jam

This zesty jam makes a great dip ingredient or fiery accompaniment to finger snacks and creamy cheeses.

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Ingredients:

1 head of garlic, cloves peeled

6-8 long red chillies, roughly chopped

200g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

2-3 kaffir lime leaves, deveined

525g caster sugar

Finely grated zest of 4 limes

125ml white wine vinegar

15ml soy sauce

Method:

Sterilise a 500ml pickling jar.

Purée the garlic, chillies, ginger and kaffir lime leaves to a coarse paste.

Place in a saucepan with the sugar, lime zest, vinegar, soy sauce and 125ml of water.

Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then boil for about 10 minutes or until reduced by a third. It will bubble up like jam.

Spoon the hot chilli jam into the warm sterilised jar until it is filled to within 3mm of the top. Seal with the screw cap. Once opened, store the chilli jam in the fridge, where it will keep for months.

Mother-in-law's Christmas Fruit Mincemeat

My Mother-in-law uses a different fruit mince for Christmas pies than I do,

so I nicked her recipe.

This recipe needs to be made up about a week before it is needed.

Ingredients:
500g raisins
500g saltanas
250g currants
250g butter
1ml nutmeg
375g brown sugar
150ml brandy
zest and juice of 1/2 orange
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
500g grated apples
15ml mixed spice

Method:
Mince all the fruit. Add all the other ingredients and mix well.
Place in a large sterilised jar and stir ecvery day for a week.

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Cranberry Preserve

This preserve is great served with turkey,

gammon or lamb

or spread as jam on scones, pancakes

or sweet breads.

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Ingredients:
500g cranberries, fresh or frozen
340ml sugar
250ml water
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped in fine dice
zest and of 1 orange
zest and juice of 1 lemon
125ml chopped walnuts
125ml raisins

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Method:
Put the cranberries, sugar and water in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer until the berries pop.
Add the apple, orange zest and juice, lemon zest and juice and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Ad the walnuts and raisins and mix into the cranberry mixture. Cook a further 5 minutes.
Store in sterilised jars until required.

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