Home-Brew Recipes

Archive for the ‘Classic Preserves’ Category

This versatile mixed fruit jam uses a range of soft fruits, including blackcurrants, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. You can use any combustion, depending on what is available.

Ingredients:

450g – blackcurrants, 450g – blackberries, 450g – raspberries, 450g – strawberries, 1.8kg – warmed sugar.

Preparation Method:

1. Put the blackcurrants into a large preserving pan and add 150ml. Bring to the boil and simmer until the berries are almost cooked. Add the rest of the fruit and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the fruit is just turning soft.
2. Add the warm sugar to the pan and stir over a gentle heat until it is completely dissolved.
3. Bring to the boil and boil hard until setting point is reached. To test, put a spoonful of jam on to a cold saucer. Cool slightly, then push the surface. It is ready if a skin has formed and it wrinkles to the touch. If not, boil for longer and keep testing, until it sets.
4. Remove any scum from the surface of the jam and pour into warmed, sterilized jars. Cover immediately, leave to cool, then label. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.

This sour sambal can made with green mango, as here, or papaya. It is generally served in small quanitities as a relish to accompany fried fish and shellfish, spicy grilled foods and fiery curries, but it can also be served on its own as a refreshing snack at any time of the day.

Ingredients:

5ml – shrimp paste, 4 – fresh red chillies, 1 – green mango, ½ – lime juice, 7.5ml – salt, 5ml – sugar.

Preparation Method:

1. In a small, heavy pan, dry roast the shrimp paste until it is aromatic and crumbly.
2. Split the chillies in half lengthways and remove and discard the seeds, using the point in a sharp knife.
3. Using a mortar and pestle or food processor, grind the chillies with the salt to form a paste. Add the shrimp paste and sugar and pound into the spicy paste.
4. Peel and shred the mango, then add to the shrimp paste and moisten with the lime juice. Mix well and serve in little bowls.

This method of preserving mushroom is popular throughout Europe and it is a very good way to use a glut after a day’s for aging. The pickled mushrooms are delicious and served with chicken or grilld meat.

Ingredients:

500g – mushrooms such as small ceps, chestnut mushrooms, shitake and girolles, 300ml – water, 4-5 – fresh bay leaves, 8 – large fresh thyme sprigs, 15 – garlic cloves peeled and halved with any green shoots removed, 1 – small red onion halved and thinly sliced, 2-3 – small dried red chillies, a few strips of lemon rind, 300ml – white wine vinegar or cider vinegar, 15ml – table salt, 5ml – custard sugar, 5ml – coriander seeds which are lightly crushed, 1tsp – black peppercorns and 250ml – extra virgin olive oil.

Preparation Method:

1)      Trim and wipe the mushrooms and cut any large ones in half.

2)      Put the vinegar, salt, sugar and water in a pan and bring to the boil. Add the bay leaves, garlic, onion chilies, coriander seeds, peppercorns and lemon rind and simmer for 2 minutes.

3)      Add the mushrooms to the pan and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain the mushrooms through a serve, retaining all the herbs and spices, then set aside for few minutes more until the mushrooms are thoroughly drained.

4)      Fill one large or two small cooled, sterilized jar with the mushrooms. Distribute the garlic, onion, herbs and spices evenly among the layers of the mushrooms, then add enough olive oil to cover by at least 1cm. You may need to use extra oil if you are making two jars.

5)      Leave the pickle to settle, then tap the jars on the work surface to dispel any air bubbles. Seal the jars, then store in the refrigerator. Use within 2 weeks.

This delicious homemade winter jam is made with dried figs and pine nuts. Look for plump, succulent dried figs with a springy texture – available in some supermarkets, delicatessens and health food store.

Ingredients:

1 – juice of lemon, 5ml – ground aniseed, 700g – coarsely chopped dried figs, 45ml – pine nuts and 450g – sugar.

Preparation Method:

1)      Put the sugar and 600ml water into a heavy pan and bring to the boil, stirring all the time, until the sugar has dissolved.

2)      Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the syrup begins to thicken. Stir in the lemon juice, aniseed and figs to the sugar syrup.

3)      Bring to the boil once more, then lower the heat again and simmer for 10 minutes, until the figs are tender.

4)      Add the pine nuts and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Leave to cool in a pan before spooning into sterilized jars and sealing. Stored in a cool, dry place, the jam will keep for up to 6 months.

This chutney recipe is ideal for using up hard windfall pears. Its mellow flavor is excellent with cheese and oatcakes and also good with dishes made with grains, such as in pilaf or white tabbouleh.

Ingredients:

1.3kg – pears, 225g – tart apples, 225g – onions, 175g – sultanas, 1 – orange which is finely grated rind and juice, 115g – roughly chopped walnuts, 450ml – cider vinegar, 400g – sugar and 2.5ml – ground cinnamon.

Preparation Method:

1)      Peel and core the fruit, then chop into 2.5cm in chunks. Peel and quarter the onions, then chop into pieces the same size. Place in a preserving pan with the vinegar.

2)      Slowly, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, until tender, stirring the mixture occasionally.

3)      Meanwhile, put the sultanas, in a small bowl, pour over the orange juice and leave to soak.

4)      Add the sugar, sultanas and orange rind and juice to the pan. Gently heat until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for 30minutes, or until the chutney is thick and no excess liquid remains, stirring frequently.

5)      Toast the walnuts on a non-stick pan for 5 minutes, until lightly colored. Stir into the chutney with the cinnamon.

6)      Spoon the chutney into warmed, sterilized jars, cover and seal. Store in a cool, dark place and leave to mature for at least 1 month. Use within 1 year.

This delicious pickle is a Middle Eastern specialty, and it is a fantastic way to use these simple root vegetables. The turnips turn a rich red in their beetroot-spiked brine and look gorgeous stacked in the storecupboard.

Ingredients:

1kg – young turnips, 3-4 – raw beetroot, about 1.5 liters, 2 ½ pints, 6 ¼ cups water, juice of 1 lemon and about 45ml coarse sea salt.

Preparation Method:

1. Wash the turnips and beetroot , but do not peel them, then cut into slices about 5mm in thick.
2. Put the salt and water in a bowl, stir and leave to stand until the salt has completely dissolved.
3. Sprinkle the beetroot with lemon juice and place in the bottom of four 1.2 liter sterilized jars.
4. Top with sliced turnip, packing them in very tightly, then pour over the brine, making sure that the vegetables are covered.
5. Seal the jars and leave in a cool, dark place for at least for 7 days before serving.