As tried at Uncle Sam's - still need to get Lita's original recipe!
1 kg ripe tomatoes
175 ml passionfruit pulp (approx 12 passionfruit)
6 passionfruit skins
1.1 kg sugar
Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain and skin them.
Finely chop tomatoes and place in preserving pan.
Add passionfruit pulp. Boil passionfruit skins for 1 hour - until pith is very soft.
Drain passionfruit skins, scoop out all pith and add to preserving pan.
Heat oven to 150* (C) - Heat sugar in oven for 5 minutes.
Add sugar to preserving pan, stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.
Boil fast 30 - 35 minutes.
Bottle in hot sterilised jars and seal.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Shaved fennel, pea and ricotta salad
90g fresh or frozen peas
150ml extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved and green tops reserved
5-6 sprigs mint leaves, torn
4 tbsp lemon juice
300g ricotta
Blanch peas in lightly salted boiling water. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season to taste. Slice fennel very finely and place in a bowl with mint and fennel sprigs. Whisk lemon juice and remaining oil and add to fennel mixture. Toss to combing. To servce, divide ricotta evently between each salad and season generously.
Serves 4.
150ml extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved and green tops reserved
5-6 sprigs mint leaves, torn
4 tbsp lemon juice
300g ricotta
Blanch peas in lightly salted boiling water. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season to taste. Slice fennel very finely and place in a bowl with mint and fennel sprigs. Whisk lemon juice and remaining oil and add to fennel mixture. Toss to combing. To servce, divide ricotta evently between each salad and season generously.
Serves 4.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Blackberry Jam
Handpicked and homemade
Degree of difficulty: Medium
Preparation Time: 20 minutes (plus fruit picking time)
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
You need:
1.5 kilograms freshly picked* blackberries
1.5 kilograms granulated sugar
1 packet Jamsetta
Lemon juice
4 sterilised large jam jars (or 8 small)
1 packet jam seals (the plastic that goes on top with rubber bands)
* When picking blackberries, remember to wear your rubber boots, long pants, old long sleeved shirt and take an old sheet or rug with you to throw over the bush so you can lean in to pick the best berries. And watch out for snakes!
John from North Shields says it's a good idea to wear two pairs of jeans when picking to save your legs from the thorns.
Method:
Firstly put a freeze-safe saucer into the freezer, you will use this to test the jam is set later.
Pour the fruit into the sink (don't forget to put the plug in) and cover with cold water. This not only washes the fruit, but any leaves, insects or unripe fruit floats to the surface and can be removed easily.
Using your hands to drain the fruit, place the berries into a large saucepan. When boiling, the jam will triple in volume, and this will save you cleaning up a hot, sticky mess.
Add about 1/4 cup of water, a squirt or two of lemon juice (for added tang) and bring to the boil.
While the fruit is boiling, place the sugar into a microwave safe container and heat on high for around 2 minutes (I did it in two batches).
The sugar is heated so as not to lower the temperature of the jam when it is added, and it dissolves much quicker too.
Slowly stir (wooden spoon - metal will get too hot) the sugar into the fruit (you might have to lower the temperature so you don't get hit by exploding bubbles of hot jam).
Once the sugar is in, add the packet of Jamsetta and stir.
When the sugar and Jamsetta have dissolved, let the jam boil for about 10 minutes before testing if it has set.
There are two ways I know of to test if a jam is set:
1 - Get the saucer from the freezer and put a teaspoon of the jam onto it. Leave for 30 seconds and if it has set, take the jam off the heat. If not, put the saucer back in the freezer and leave the jam to boil for another 3 minutes before testing again.
2 - Take an old glass and half fill with methylated spirits. Add a spoonful of jam into the jar and slowly stir. If the jam is set, it should come together to make a ball of jam.
Once the jam is set, leave it to cool for about ten minutes before spooning the mixture into jars (otherwise you may break the glass jars).
Once full, clean the jar of spills and follow the instructions on the jam seals packet to seal it off, and pop the rubber band over the top to hold in place.
Leave the jam to cool for a few hours, before storing it in a cool, dry place.
Enjoy!
Degree of difficulty: Medium
Preparation Time: 20 minutes (plus fruit picking time)
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
You need:
1.5 kilograms freshly picked* blackberries
1.5 kilograms granulated sugar
1 packet Jamsetta
Lemon juice
4 sterilised large jam jars (or 8 small)
1 packet jam seals (the plastic that goes on top with rubber bands)
* When picking blackberries, remember to wear your rubber boots, long pants, old long sleeved shirt and take an old sheet or rug with you to throw over the bush so you can lean in to pick the best berries. And watch out for snakes!
John from North Shields says it's a good idea to wear two pairs of jeans when picking to save your legs from the thorns.
Method:
Firstly put a freeze-safe saucer into the freezer, you will use this to test the jam is set later.
Pour the fruit into the sink (don't forget to put the plug in) and cover with cold water. This not only washes the fruit, but any leaves, insects or unripe fruit floats to the surface and can be removed easily.
Using your hands to drain the fruit, place the berries into a large saucepan. When boiling, the jam will triple in volume, and this will save you cleaning up a hot, sticky mess.
Add about 1/4 cup of water, a squirt or two of lemon juice (for added tang) and bring to the boil.
While the fruit is boiling, place the sugar into a microwave safe container and heat on high for around 2 minutes (I did it in two batches).
The sugar is heated so as not to lower the temperature of the jam when it is added, and it dissolves much quicker too.
Slowly stir (wooden spoon - metal will get too hot) the sugar into the fruit (you might have to lower the temperature so you don't get hit by exploding bubbles of hot jam).
Once the sugar is in, add the packet of Jamsetta and stir.
When the sugar and Jamsetta have dissolved, let the jam boil for about 10 minutes before testing if it has set.
There are two ways I know of to test if a jam is set:
1 - Get the saucer from the freezer and put a teaspoon of the jam onto it. Leave for 30 seconds and if it has set, take the jam off the heat. If not, put the saucer back in the freezer and leave the jam to boil for another 3 minutes before testing again.
2 - Take an old glass and half fill with methylated spirits. Add a spoonful of jam into the jar and slowly stir. If the jam is set, it should come together to make a ball of jam.
Once the jam is set, leave it to cool for about ten minutes before spooning the mixture into jars (otherwise you may break the glass jars).
Once full, clean the jar of spills and follow the instructions on the jam seals packet to seal it off, and pop the rubber band over the top to hold in place.
Leave the jam to cool for a few hours, before storing it in a cool, dry place.
Enjoy!
Bouillabaisse
There are may arguments about what constitutes “authentic” bouillabaisse. It is a soup of complex ingredients originating in the southern Marseille region of France. It is considered a hearty flavoursome filling dish.
Serves 4 hungry people
You need:
Olive oil
2 leeks, thinly sliced
2 small onions thinly sliced
1 fennel thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves
3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
900 g small fish (whiting)
700g snapper cut into 4 steaks
Bouquet garni
Peel of ½ orange
3 strands saffron
25 ml Pernod
8 small potatoes
450 g white fish
450 g yellow flesh fish
12 prawns
Method:
1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and add leaks, onions, fennel and garlic and sweat over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook a further 5 minutes. Add the small fish and cook for 15 minutes stirring regularly. Add water to cover, bouquet garni, saffron, and orange peel. Add half of the Pernod. Lower the heat and simmer for about an hour.
2. Crush the solid items in the pot with a heavy object and tip the whole pot full through a strainer.
3. Boil potatoes until nearly cooked.
4. In a casserole dish arrange the remaining fish. Remove potatoes from water, cut in half and spread among the fish. Sprinkle olive oil on top and tip in about half of the sieved liquid you made earlier. Add remaining Pernod. Bring to simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
5. A few minutes before the fish is cooked add the prawns and remaining liquid. Keep simmering.
6. Remove the solid ingredients and arrange on to serving plates or a serving platter. Ladel some hot liquid over the fish and serve the rest in a tureen or side dish.
7. Serve coutons and aioli on the side and dip into the liquid to eat.
For aioli
4 garlic cloves
Salt
3 strands saffron
1 egg yolk
50 ml olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Puree the garlic and salt in a blender and then add saffron and egg yolk until smooth. Then with the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow steady drizzle and it will “bind” with the other ingredients to form a thick mayonnaise. Add the lemon juice at the end.
Make croutons by cutting up crusty bread and toasting in the oven.
Wine Suggestion: Rose
Serves 4 hungry people
You need:
Olive oil
2 leeks, thinly sliced
2 small onions thinly sliced
1 fennel thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves
3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
900 g small fish (whiting)
700g snapper cut into 4 steaks
Bouquet garni
Peel of ½ orange
3 strands saffron
25 ml Pernod
8 small potatoes
450 g white fish
450 g yellow flesh fish
12 prawns
Method:
1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and add leaks, onions, fennel and garlic and sweat over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook a further 5 minutes. Add the small fish and cook for 15 minutes stirring regularly. Add water to cover, bouquet garni, saffron, and orange peel. Add half of the Pernod. Lower the heat and simmer for about an hour.
2. Crush the solid items in the pot with a heavy object and tip the whole pot full through a strainer.
3. Boil potatoes until nearly cooked.
4. In a casserole dish arrange the remaining fish. Remove potatoes from water, cut in half and spread among the fish. Sprinkle olive oil on top and tip in about half of the sieved liquid you made earlier. Add remaining Pernod. Bring to simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
5. A few minutes before the fish is cooked add the prawns and remaining liquid. Keep simmering.
6. Remove the solid ingredients and arrange on to serving plates or a serving platter. Ladel some hot liquid over the fish and serve the rest in a tureen or side dish.
7. Serve coutons and aioli on the side and dip into the liquid to eat.
For aioli
4 garlic cloves
Salt
3 strands saffron
1 egg yolk
50 ml olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Puree the garlic and salt in a blender and then add saffron and egg yolk until smooth. Then with the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow steady drizzle and it will “bind” with the other ingredients to form a thick mayonnaise. Add the lemon juice at the end.
Make croutons by cutting up crusty bread and toasting in the oven.
Wine Suggestion: Rose
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