Plum Chutney with Moroccan Spices

It must be madness to be making chutney or jam when the weather is so hot...but preserve we must whilst the season's pickings are available.  Janet emailed me and kindly offered several pounds of beautiful looking Opal dessert plums, just picked off her tree, which I picked up Friday evening.  I was very pleased to accept as my tree succumbed to disease a couple of years ago.

With the heat, I was just not ready to do lots of research, neither did I want to go out shopping for cooking apples which are normally used in most plum chutneys.  I therefore  decided to revisit Moroccan Spiced Plum Chutney, which I had made back in 2013.  Last time I used Victoria Plums and  white onions, but this time I used red onions and have tweaked the recipe, grinding a mixture of my own spices as I was running out of Ras el Hanout.

1.75Kg Opal Plums, or any other mediums sized plums
625g red onions, peeled and chopped
175g stoned dates, chopped
500g organic cider vinegar
175g soft brown sugar
100g pine nuts, gently roasted
3tsp Ras el Hanout...I ground a blend of Black Peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamom, dried ginger, turmeric, salt, cinnamon, and dried chilli.
1.5 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1.5 tbsp cummin seeds crushed gently
1/2 tsp salt

The plums were all cut up, after being washed and the stones removed.
They went into the large pan, with all the other ingredients other than the Ras el Hanout and the pine nuts.  After about ten minutes simmering, the rest was added, and with frequent stirring, the chutney started to thicken quite nicely taking another half an hour or so.

Meantime, I had the jars washed, and warming through in the oven.  With a ladle and jar funnel, 7 large and 2 medium jars were filled.  The jars now need to be stored in a dark place, and time allowed for the chutney to mature: two months should do it!

Spicy Mango Chutney with demerara sugar

No pictures of the fruit or the preparation...the chutney was made, potted, labelled and stashed away in the preserve cupboard in very short time.  Made on Friday day, and in the cupboard this morning.

The recipe is very similar to the one I made in 2015, except that I wanted a slightly richer flavour.  I used demerara sugar in place of white, and used some of my Cornish Chilli sea salt, as my little pepper plant is no more.  I also omitted the red sweet pepper.

Earlier this year in February, when there were some magnificent Mangoes in the shops, I made a batch similar to the one in 2015, but without the sweet red pepper, and that is now finished.  A little mango chutney in sandwiches with either cold meats or cheese adds a nice mellow tone.

Strawberry Jam

When my I received a picture of my Grand daughter's jamming session,  I knew it was time to get serious, and make a batch to stash away for the winter.

I picked up several punnets of strawberries in town, and then looked around for sugar.  Mr M likes his jam with a fairly firm set, but can also detect too much lemon juice too.

This year for the strawberry jam, I've resorted to adding Pectin alongside the juice of a lemon.  I did have half of bag of the preserving sugar to use, and had a few bags of the standard granulated sugar.  When I read that the liquid pectin Certo had sulphites as a preservative,

I thought to avoid it, then found some Tate and Lyle Pectin in Waitrose.  This is dried and has no preservatives listed on the packet.

Looking forward to scones and strawberry jam!

Apricot and Pistachio Conserve

There is something about a lovely apricot conserve that captures the essence summer.  The colour is like warm sunshine on golden blooms and fruits, and the flavour is mellow and comforting.  I love to use it to sandwich sponge cakes, to add to my plain sheep's yogurt, or add a dollop to a nice home made rice pudding, or to use in pastries and buns.

Usually I extract the apricot kernels and add that to the jam to give an extra 'amaretto' dimension.  For a change I have been inspired to add pistachios.  Let me confess immediately I love nuts and seeds, and very nearly every time I will go for pistachio icecream.  So I think this will be my preserve of the year.

I present my Apricot conserve with little green kernels of pistachios:

I had bought 1Kg of firm apricots and after preparation got just over 800g of chopped fruit.

rather than add a little water to the fruit, I added the juice of a large orange, a little of its zest, and the zest of a lemon.  The juice of the lemon was added when I added 830g of Tate & Lyle granulated white sugar, and also 50g of coarsely chopped pistacios.

With everything in a large pan..and for this smaller amount, I just used the pressure cooker base rather than my larger jamming pan.

Everything was brought slowly up to boiling, with a few stirs until the sugar had dissolved, then a fast rolling boil, with one of two stirs just to make sure the jam was not catching on the base, until setting was reached.  For the test I used the wrinkly skin on the top of jam cooled on a little plate method.

The batteries on my probe had gone...and I did dismantle it, and 'looked through his man drawer' to see if there were any of the special batteries...but I had to wait for him to come home, pull the wonderful internet to find the 'equivalent' battery, and there was one, but it did not have the same number on it!

Cranberry Sauce 2015

Its starting to feel a lot like Christmas....with the delicious smell of oranges and cooking cranberries.  In both 2013 and 2014, I made relishes with a twist, and in contrast this year I am making a different type of preserve with a couple of 200g baskets of cranberries.

I gathered from Penny that she preferred a more sweeter cranberry accompaniment, so I hope she likes this one.  I love to make sufficient to give away two or three jars to friends.  After all a present that does not hang around for months on end, can be shared and enjoyed by many, and if not liked...well there is the bin!

Not that I cannot think of various ways to adding it to other dishes to pep them up.  Since this one has neither salt, pepper nor vinegar, I can just imagine it as a sophisticated base layer with bread and butter pudding on top, or layered with more apple for a Christmassy Crumble for those that do not like mincemeat!

Ingredients

Zest and Juice from a plump Orange, preferably organic and waxless
1 Large Cooking Apple, chopped, or 250g eating apple grated
400g cranberries
200g sugar
1Tbsp soft rosemary chopped very small
1 Tbsp juniper berries bruised

The Melting Pot

Grate or zest the orange straight into the pan you will use, to catch all that flavorsome orange oil.
Dissolve the sugar and orange juice in the pan over a low heat together with the finely chopped rosemary, and crushed juniper berries.  The juniper berries add a wonderful flavour, and the preserve will continue to imbibe their flavour.  So if you don't like this, omit completely, or remove before potting up.

If using the cooking apple toss it in the juice, then decant the fruit and a little of the juice to another pan, and cook until soft and fluffy.  This takes only three or four minutes over a low to medium heat, if using , remove from the heat.

Meantime add the washed and sorted cranberries, and grated eating apple if using that, to the sugar and orange mixture, and cook over a gentle heat, until the cranberries are popping and becoming pulpy.  Stir from time to time over the heat, and to make sure that there is no sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Have some pretty containers to hand, having of course washed them well and sterilised them in the oven, and when filling, make sure to use a small spoon to dispel and air pockets which may have become trapped.  Once potted up, if covered immediately, the jars should store for a month or two.  If in a dish, cover with some clingfilm, and keep in the fridge.  Once opened I would recommend keeping in the fridge and using up within two or three weeks.

This accompaniment goes beautifully with hot and cold meats, whether it be game, fowl, ham, pork, or beef..and certainly with cheese and crackers.  I love it with cold meats in sandwiches....

New Pineapple Chutney Recipe in time for Christmas

When I raided the preserve cupboard for a few jars of chutney and jam for Janice, I realised that I was getting a little low, and wanted to make a light but brightly coloured chutney, which I hope will be ready in time for Christmas.

It will just be about mature enough to have along with cold meats, salads, stirred into stir fries.  Its over two years since I made a Pineapple Chutney, and as ever I reviewed my recipes and decided to devise something different.  I have really enjoyed Nigella seeds in a lime chutney I bought, and thought this would marry well with Pineapple.  This Chutney doesn't have any apple at all, but two lovely fresh pineapples, and some interesting spices.  I've tasted it 'unmatured' and it will really be just right.  I can see me folding a spoonful or two into some mayonnaise for something akin to spicy dressing to add to cold salmon, chicken or turkey.

You need to prepare the pineapples by removing all the skin and eyes

I like to cut the central woody core out as it rarely softens sufficiently

Recipe

3 tablespoons cold pressed rapeseed oil or whatever oil you wish to use
3 - 4 medium white onions, peeled and chopped small
1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1tbsp nigella seeds
1tbsp turmeric powder
Fresh ginger about the size of your thumb, peeled, and very finely sliced
1 tsp salt
1 red chilli, deseeded, and finely chopped
2 pineapples peeled, and prepared, and cut into the size of pieces you want in the chutney
250g white sugar
200ml organic cider vinegar
2 desertspoons cornflour

Add the oil and onions to a large jamming pan or other pan, and cook over a medium heat, stirring for about 5 minutes, without browning.  I find adding the salt after a minute or so helps to draw out some of the moisture.

Add the mustard seeds, and turmeric powder, and chopped ginger and continue stirring, for another 4 minutes or so, then add the chopped pineapple and chilli.

Stir until the whole lot is hot, and the juices are running from the pineapple, add 175g of the vinegar, and cook for a further twenty minutes over a medium heat so that it bubbles gently during which time the pineapple softens more easily without the sugar.

Add the sugar, and continue cooking until the juices are  reduced.  It needs to be a little runnier than the chutney will be when it is ready to eat.  Stirring regularly with a wooden spoon is a must to ensure nothing is 'catching' at the bottom of the pan.

Mix the cornflour with the remaining vinegar, and add it to the pan, stir it in, and continue stirring until the whole is thickened and bubbling again.  I like to do this to achieve a piccalli consistency sauce.  If you have thickened it a little too much, add a little more vinegar, and cook for a few more minutes stirring.

Pot into clean and sterilised jar...I wash mine and have them in the oven for 10 minutes before filling.
Tap the chutney down into the jars to just below the top, to remove any little gaps or air pockets.

Award winning Preserves again

I still haven't tasted the Mango Chutney which won first prize!