Preserves
Page 12
The best time to make this preserve is in August or September, when British tomatoes are at their cropping peak – smelling strong, sweet and aromatic when picked from the vine. This recipe uses 2kg fruit but, if you are using bought tomatoes as opposed to home-grown ones, I suggest you negotiate a good deal with your local grower and buy a boxful or two. You certainly won’t regret it. You can’t buy passata like this one!
Makes 2 x 500ml jars
2kg ripe tomatoes
200g shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
3–4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
A few rosemary, thyme, basil or oregano sprigs
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
50ml olive, sunflower or rapeseed oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
Cut the tomatoes in half and place them, cut side up, in a single layer in a large roasting pan. Scatter the shallots, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, sugar and oil over the top. Roast for about 1 hour, or until they are well softened. Remove from the oven and rub the tomatoes through a nylon sieve, or purée with a passata machine or mouli.
Have your hot, sterilised jars ready. Put the tomato purée into a saucepan and bring to boiling point. Pour it into the jars, filling them to the brim, and seal immediately with caps, clips or screw-bands. If you’re using screw-bands, remember to release the lid by a quarter of a turn (see here).
Stand the jars in a large saucepan with a folded tea towel on the base. Cover with warm water and bring to simmering point (88°C) over a period of 25 minutes, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the jars and stand them on a wooden surface or folded tea towel. Tighten the screw-bands, if using. Leave undisturbed until cold, then check the seal. Use within 12 months. Once opened, refrigerate and use within a few days.
Mulled pears
Season: late August to October
It always amazes me just how much fruit a gnarled old pear tree can bear in a good season. However, it’s still a little tricky to catch pears at their point of perfect ripeness – somewhere between bullet hard and soft and woolly. Never mind, should you find yourself with a boxful of under-ripe specimens, this recipe turns them into a preserve ‘pear excellence’.
These pears are particularly delicious served with thick vanilla custard, or used as a base for a winter fruit salad. Alternatively, try serving them with terrines and pâtés, or mix with chicory leaves drizzled with a honey mustard dressing and crumbly blue cheese.
Makes 2 x 1 litre jars
125g granulated sugar
500ml cider (dry, medium or sweet)
1.5kg small pears
Small handful of cloves
2 x 5cm pieces of cinnamon stick
Preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2.
Start by making a cider syrup: mix the sugar with 500ml water in a pan and bring slowly to the boil to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, add the cider, cover and keep warm.
Peel the pears, keeping the stalks attached. As you do so, place them in a bowl of lightly salted water to stop them browning. When all the pears are peeled, cut them in half and stud each half with a clove or two. Pack them into warm, sterilised jars, adding a piece of cinnamon to each. Pears are very bottom-heavy of course, and I find the best way to pack them is head-to-toe.
Bring the cider syrup to the boil and pour over the pears. Cover the jars with lids, but do not fasten the clips or put on the screw-bands. Place the jars 5cm apart, in the oven, for 1 hour.
Remove the jars, seal with the screw-bands or clips immediately and place on a wooden surface, newspaper or folded cloth. Leave undisturbed until completely cool and check the seal the following day. Keep for up to 12 months.
Variation
Try replacing the cider with red wine and add a star anise to each jar if you like.
Mulled pears
Spiced brandy plums
Season: August to early October
The Brogdale Trust in Kent is home to the National Fruit Collection – a bit like a Noah’s Ark for the fruits of the earth. Among their many living specimens, they grow over 300 different cultivars of Prunus domestica, the European plum – also known as dessert plums. These fruits crop from high summer right through into October, giving us plenty to eat fresh, and loads to preserve for later in the year.
One of our great national fruits, plums are grown all over Britain and are often easy to find at farmer’s markets and roadside stalls. So even if you miss the Early Rivers of late July, and you’re away on holiday for the August Victorias, you should still be able to catch the Marjorie’s Seedlings in September. Or you can bottle peaches, nectarines or apricot halves in the same way.
Makes 2 x 500ml jars
100g honey
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
100ml brandy
1kg plums, stalks removed
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
Start by making a brandy syrup: put the honey and 400ml water into a pan, heat gently until the honey is dissolved, then add the orange zest and brandy. Set aside.
Halve the plums lengthwise with a sharp knife. Twist them apart and remove the stone with the point of the knife. Pack the plums into warmed, sterilised jars with the rounded sides of the fruit following the curve of the jar (you’ll fit more in this way). Prod a cinnamon stick and a star anise down the side of each jar.
Pour the hot brandy syrup (at 60°C) over the fruit until the jars are full to the brim. Tap to remove any air bubbles. Seal with clips or screw-bands, remembering to release the screw-band by a quarter of a turn, if using this type of jar (see here).
Choose a large pan, deep enough for your jars to sit in and be totally immersed in water. Put a folded tea towel on the base and fill with warm water (at 38°C). Put the jars into the pan, making sure they are completely covered with the water. Bring to simmering point (88°C) over a period of 25 minutes, then maintain this temperature for 20 minutes.
Transfer the jars to a wooden surface or place on a folded tea towel. Tighten the screw-bands, if using. Leave undisturbed for 24 hours then check the seal is secure. Use within a year.
Spiced brandy plums
Figpote
Season: August to September
The fig is a member of the mulberry family and generally best suited to warmer climates than our own. However, a contented, well-positioned home-grown tree can still crop well, usually in August. In addition, September is peak season for imported figs, and they should be inexpensive and widely available. There are countless varieties, ranging in colour from purply-black to yellowy-green – any can be used for this recipe. Just make sure, when picking or buying, that your figs are ripe, as they do not ripen after picking.
This recipe uses a simplified version of the oven method. Everything is cooked and hot to start with, so it’s not necessary to heat the jars for an extended time in the oven. A few jars of these honey-soaked fruits, stored away for the winter months, will be a blissful reminder that the hot days of summer were not just a fig-ment of your imagination...
Makes 2 x 250ml jars
12 figs (not too big)
150ml freshly squeezed orange juice
450ml Earl Grey tea or green tea
125g honey
Preheat the oven to 140°C/Gas Mark 1 and put your sterilised jars inside to heat.
Wash the figs and remove any hard, twiggy bits of stalk – but do not cut right back to the flesh, as this risks splitting the skin.
Put the orange juice, tea and honey into a pan and gently heat to simmering point to make a syrup. Add the figs and cook gently for 8–10 minutes, or until tender. Using a slotted spoon, take out the figs and carefully pack them into the hot jars (see here). It may be a bit of a squash, but figs quite like this. Return the filled jars to the oven to keep warm – it is important to keep the jars as hot as possible to create a successful seal.
Bring the fruit syrup to the boil and boil for 6�
��7 minutes to reduce it in volume. Stand the jars on a wooden surface or some newspaper and pour the hot syrup over the figs, filling the jars to the brim. Seal immediately with lids, clips or screw-bands. Leave undisturbed for 24 hours, then check the seal is secure. Use within a year.
Figpote
Winter fruit compote
Season: winter
It may seem somewhat unnecessary to bottle dried fruit but I love having a few jars of this compote on the shelf. The once shrivelled fruits become plump and luscious and are quite delicious served alone for breakfast, or with yogurt or crème fraîche as a pudding.
I like to make this in early November, when newly dried prunes, figs and apricots are available. Keep a lookout for small, dried wild figs, which will plump up perfectly to their original shapely selves. The glistening black prunes from the Agen area in southern France are also key players – I prefer to use these unstoned because they infuse the compote with their almond-like essence. A handful of full-flavoured, unsulphured, sun-dried apricots complete the mix.
A simplified version of the oven method is used – everything is cooked and hot to start with, so the jars don’t need to be heated for an extended time in the oven.
Makes 4 x 500ml jars
1 litre freshly made green tea, Earl Grey or breakfast tea
400g dried figs
200g unsulphured dried apricots
400g dried prunes, Agen prunes if possible, preferably with stones
200ml freshly squeezed orange juice
150g honey
Put the kettle on and make a large pot of tea (this is not for you, it’s for the compote).
Combine the dried fruit in a large bowl. Pour the hot tea and orange juice over it and mix together, making sure all the fruit is totally immersed. Cover and leave to steep for 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 140°C/Gas Mark 1 and place your sterilised jars inside. Carefully turn the fruit and liquid into a large pan. Bring slowly to simmering point and poach the fruit for 10 minutes.
Remove the pan of fruit from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the fruit and pack into the hot jars. Return the jars to the oven to keep warm. Add the honey to the tea/orange steeping juice. Bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes.
Carefully remove the jars from the oven and pour in the honeyed fruit juice so it comes to the very brim of the jars and completely covers the fruit. Seal immediately with lids, clips or screw-bands. Leave undisturbed for 24 hours, then check the seal is secure. Store in a cool, dry place and use within 12 months.
Winter fruit compote
Liz’s luscious raspberries
Season: July to late October
This recipe comes from Liz Neville, a virtuoso preserves maker with whom I run the River Cottage Preserved courses. You can make it with any raspberry, but we particularly like to use the big autumn berries which generously stretch the soft-fruit season well into October, even November. Bottle a few and you can extend your raspberry eating well into the dark winter months.
In an ideal world, the fruit for this preserve would be packed into the jars as you pick it from the canes. That may not be possible – but do make sure the fruit is in tip-top condition and handled as little as possible.
Makes 3 x 500ml jars
150g granulated sugar
1kg firm, just-ripe raspberries
100–150ml brandy, gin, vodka or raspberry liqueur
First make a syrup: put the sugar and 750ml water into a pan and heat slowly to dissolve the sugar then bring to the boil. Keep the syrup warm.
Pack the raspberries tightly into warm, sterilised jars. Make sure you don’t bruise the fruit – a chopstick or wooden spoon handle is useful for gently prodding it down. Pour the alcohol over the packed fruit. Fill the jars to the brim with the sugar syrup, tapping them to remove any air bubbles. Put the lids on the jars, loosening screw-bands by a quarter of a turn, if you’re using them, to allow the steam to escape (see here).
Stand the jars in a deep pan and cover with warm water (at 38°C). Heat to simmering point (88°C), over 25 minutes. Maintain this temperature for 2 minutes.
Carefully remove the jars and stand them on a wooden surface or thick folded towel. Tighten the screw-bands then leave the jars undisturbed to cool. When cold, check the seal by removing the clips or screw-bands and lifting the jar by the lid. Use within 12 months.
Quince and apple sauce
Season: September to October
The raw flesh of the lumpy yellow quince is dry and disagreeably sour. However, once cooked, it becomes pink and highly perfumed. Lightly sweetened and combined with good fluffy cooking apples, such as Bramleys, it makes a delightful accompaniment for roast pork or duck. I also love this aromatic fruity sauce on a home-baked rice pudding.
Makes 4 x 250ml jars
500g quince, peeled, cored and chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
500g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
125g granulated sugar
Put the quince, lemon juice and 500ml water into a saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer for 8–10 minutes (quince takes longer to soften than apple and needs a bit of a head start). Add the apples and sugar and cook for a further 10–15 minutes until all the fruit is well softened. Remove from the heat and either beat to a smooth pulp with a wooden spoon or rub through a sieve.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 140°C/Gas Mark 1 and place your sterilised jars inside.
Return the pulp to the pan and bring to the boil, stirring to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Remove from the heat and pour immediately into the warm, sterilised jars. Seal with lids, clips or screw-bands, remembering to release the screw-band by a quarter of a turn if using this type of jar (see here). Place in a deep pan with a folded tea towel on the bottom. Cover with warm water, bring to simmering point (88°C), then simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the jars from the hot water and place on a wooden surface or folded tea towel. Tighten the screw-bands, if using, and leave the jars undisturbed until cold. Check the seal. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 12 months.
Sauces, pastes and condiments are among the tasty recipes in this chapter. Vinegar, sugar, salt and oil all come into play as preservatives; you will find more detailed information on these ingredients here. Oil has been used as an air-excluding ingredient since ancient times to keep foods from spoiling, but it is not a common preserving medium in this country. However, with the increasing availability of superb-quality oils, produced both here and abroad, this delicious and luxurious way of preserving is becoming much more accessible. It is certainly a branch of preserving that I find very exciting and rewarding.
This chapter will introduce you to the following range of preserves:
Sauces This is a generic term if ever there was one, but for the purposes of this book, I define a sauce as a smooth condiment generally made with similar ingredients to a chutney. The cooked, spiced fruits and vegetables are either sieved or puréed to give a thick, pourable consistency.
Ketchups Sometimes referred to in old recipe books as ‘catsups’ or ‘catchups’, these are generally thinner than sauces and made from a single fruit or vegetable with vinegar and seasonings.
Vegetables in oil The technique of using oil to preserve lightly blanched or brined vegetables is strongly associated with Mediterranean countries, where olive oil is abundant. It is particularly suited to vegetables with strong flavours, such as globe artichokes, asparagus, dried tomatoes and mushrooms – not least because they will flavour the oil, which can also be used.
Pesto and pastes These intense condiments are made from aromatic or strongly spiced ingredients and do not contain high levels of salt, vinegar or other preservatives. For this reason, they need to be sealed off from the air with a layer of oil, refrigerated, and generally should not be kept for more than a month or two. After some has been taken from the jar, the oil covering should always be replaced, which may mean topping up with a little more.
Flavoured oil
s Easily made by steeping herbs, spices or other robustly flavoured ingredients in oil, these are among the simplest and most rewarding of preserves to make. They enliven everything from salad dressings and mayonnaise to marinades and stir-fries. Use warm oil for firm ingredients such as chillies and spices, and cold oil for green herbs.
Coulis Made from very lightly sweetened fruit that is simply sieved or puréed, coulis are usually based on juicy summer berries and currants.
Garden pesto
Season: July to August
The big, plate-like leaves of the nasturtium plant (Tropaeolum majus) are abundant throughout the summer, and often well into the golden months of autumn. With their peppery flavour, they make the perfect base for a fiery pesto. Add a sprig or two of garden mint, a few golden marigold petals and some spicy nasturtium seeds and you have a wonderful sauce to stir into pasta, swirl on soups or just smear in a sandwich. Pick the leaves on a warm, dry day – ideally earlier in the summer, before the caterpillars have decided to feast on them.
Whenever I make pesto, I replace the traditional Parmesan with a local goat’s cheese called Capriano. Made by Dorset-based Woolsery Cheese (see the directory, this is a hard goat’s cheese, matured for a year. It makes an excellent alternative to Parmesan in all kinds of dishes. Using home-produced hemp oil instead of olive oil is another way to make your pesto more home-grown. If you find the pungent flavour of hemp oil a little too strong, you can combine it or replace it with rapeseed oil. See the directory for more details.
Makes 2 x 225g jars
50g nasturtium leaves
2–3 mint leaves (optional)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
6 or so nasturtium seed pods
50g pine nuts (optional)
75g mature, hard goat’s cheese or Parmesan, finely grated
Juice of ½ lemon (50ml)
150ml hemp, rapeseed or olive oil, plus extra to seal
Petals from 2 marigold flowers