Food decays very quickly, due to the
enzymes and micro-organisms that attack it. Apparently 10.000
years ago, farmers started using heat and salt to preserve the fruit and vegetables, that they had harvested
at the height of perfection, in order to enjoy them, months later.
Today, home cooks use rather sophisticated but easy preserving techniques and with the help of heat, salt, sugar, alcohol, vinegar,
and oil, produce jams, jellies, marmalades, pickles, olives and chutneys,
toffees, and home made liqueurs. As for the Greek Food Industry, it seems like
alchemy. The most delicious cured fish, meat, hams, pickles, sauces, cheese,
chocolates filled with ganache, praline, gianduia, wines and liqueurs,
elaborate jams and jellies are produced.
Fortunately most are exported.
APPLE SPOON
SWEET
“Firikia” are small, sweet green apples with a delicate aroma. You could stuff each apple with a toasted almond if you wish.
1 kg (2 lb) firikia or any other small
apples
2 lemons, the juice
1 kg (2 lbs) sugar
625 ml (2½ cups) water
Cloves (one for each apple)
1 cinnamon stick
Wash, peel and core the apples and cover with water and the juice of a
lemon to prevent discolouring.
Meanwhile prepare the syrup. Boil
the water and sugar with 1 tbsp of lemon juice and the cinnamon stick, for 5-10
minutes. Drain the apples, pierce the
top of each with a clove, and place them in the hot syrup and simmer gently
until they are tender. Remove the
saucepan from the fire and set aside for 24 hours.
The next day discard the cinnamon stick and simmer the spoon sweet until
the syrup thickens. Taste and add little more lemon juice, if preferred.
Cool the apples, before placing them in
prepared jars.
APRICOT JAM
This is a favourite jam. You can prepare peach jam the same way.
1 kg (2 lb) apricots, halved and stoned
750 g (1½ lb) sugar
Place the apricots with a little
water (about ¼ cup) and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the sugar and cook for 15
minutes more. Remove the saucepan from
the fire and set aside for 24 hours. The
next day simmer for about ½ hour or until the jam thickens.
Fill prepared jars with the
scalding jam, seal and turn them upside down.
Leave them undisturbed until the next day or until they are completely
cold. Then turn the jars over and store
them in a cupboard. When you open a
jar, be sure to refrigerate it.
(Makes about 1 litre (4 cups) jam)
APRICOT CHUTNEY
One 850g ( 1lb 11 2/3 oz) tin apricots in their
juice
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
40 g fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1/8 tbsp Cayenne pepper
180 ml vinegar
½ kg
(1 lb) sugar
¼ - ½ tbsp salt
Boil the apricots with their juice and the sugar, stirring until the
sugar melts.
Meanwhile process the garlic, ginger,
Cayenne pepper and a little vinegar until smooth.
When the apricot mixture thickens, add the processed ingredients, (
garlic-ginger-Cayenne-vinegar) and boil another 10 minutes and then add the
rest of the vinegar and the salt.
Simmer until it reaches the consistency of jam ( 1-1,5 hours)
Pour the hot chutney into sterilized jars and cover with rounds of
greaseproof paper. This chutney keeps
very well.
CARAMEL ALMOND SQUARES FROM CEPHALONIA
These almond squares are called “barboule” and they keep fresh for about
a month, layered in biscuit tins, with greaseproof paper in between.
1 kg (2 lb) sugar
½ -1 tsp lemon juice
½ kg (1 lb) almonds, peeled and dried in a
hot oven for 5-7 minutes
Corn oil for the dish
Melt the sugar with the lemon juice, over very low heat until the syrup
turns light golden in colour.
Add
the almonds and mix thoroughly. When the
mixture starts simmering again, transfer to an oiled baking sheet and spread
evenly. It should not be over 1cm (about
1/3 in) thick. Let the caramel cool slightly
and cut evenly, in bite-size squares
FIG JAM
The common fig tree (Ficus
Carica) is renowned for its luscious fruit, which also contains many nutrients
and antioxidants, beneficial to the human body.
Figs can be eaten fresh, dried or cooked. Here is a recipe for an unusual fig jam that
I had promised on a previous post.
1 kg (2 lbs) figs, peeled and chopped
750 g (1 lb 5 oz) caster sugar
1 liqueur glass of brandy or rum
1 cinnamon stick
A twist of lemon rind
A pinch of salt
Place all the ingredients in large bowl and stir well together. Cover the bowl with cling-film and
refrigerate, overnight.
The next day, bring the fruit to a bubbling boil, in a heavy saucepan. Then lower the heat and simmer gently for
10-15 minutes, stirring often with a spatula to avoid sticking. Discard the
cinnamon stick, lemon rind, and pour the hot jam into prepared jars. When cold,
cover with rounds of greaseproof paper and seal tightly
HOMEMADE CHERRY BRANDY
This is an easy homemade liqueur.
Don’t forget to shake the bottle daily.
1 ½ litres (6 cups) good brandy
1 ½ kg (3 lb) Morello cherries, stalks
removed
1 kg (5 cups) caster sugar
Place the brandy in a large, dark bottle that will hold everything
comfortably. Add the cherries and sugar, shake thoroughly
and seal. Set aside for a fortnight,
shaking the bottle once a day.
When you make your own olives
you could flavour them with lemon and orange slices, fresh rosemary and thyme
sprigs, or celery cuttings. You could
even spice them with small chilli peppers, if you wish.
1 kg (2 lb) ripe, firm Kalamata olives
250 g (1/2 lb) coarse salt
Water
250 ml (1 cup) vinegar diluted in
500 ml (2 cups) water
250 ml (1 cup) or more olive oil
Wash, dry and slit the olives,
lengthwise, being careful not to reach the kernel. Place them in a large container and cover
with water, changing the water daily for a fortnight. Taste for bitterness.
Prepare brine with the salt and
water. Test it by immersing an uncooked egg into the brine. It
should float, showing only a small part of the shell, a bit larger than the
size of a 2-Euro coin.
Strain the olives and place
them in the brine for about 2 days, stirring once or twice. Check for taste and leave longer, if
preferred.
Strain the olives. Immerse them into the vinegar and water
solution for 2 days. Check for acidity and proceed according to taste. Then discard half (or more) of the vinegar
solution and cover with olive oil. The
olives should be completely covered. Now is the time to add the herbs and fruit,
if using.
HONEY AND SESAME BITES
Παστέλι
This tasty and healthy snack
must have been invented to make life easier during the long fasting periods of
the Greek Orthodox Church.
200 g (½ cup) honey
About 150 g (1 cup) sesame seeds, roasted
25 g (¼ cup) almonds, peeled, roasted and
finely chopped
1 ½ tsp ground dried tangerine skin, or
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg.
Boil the honey to slightly reduce it, and skim off the foam. Add all the other ingredients, mix well
together and simmer a few minutes more.
Transfer the mixture to a baking dish, lined with baking parchment or
marble surface, brushed with oil and spread evenly. Cut the pasteli in squares and let cool.
PICKLED BABY ARTICHOKES IN OIL
Serve this pickle with fish, meat or poultry or only with fresh, brown
bread. If you like artichokes, try this
very easy recipe.
750 g (1.5 lb) baby artichokes (stems and
hard leaves cut off, and chokes removed if
possible) or, use frozen baby
artichokes
500 ml (2 cups) water
125 ml (1/2 cup) good wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
Olive oil
Lemon slices
Place the artichokes in a saucepan, pour in the water, vinegar and salt
and bring to the boil. Lower the heat
and cover with baking parchment and the lid, and simmer gently until the
artichokes are tender but not falling apart. Then strain, cool and pat dry on kitchen
paper.
Pile the artichokes in prepared jars, cover with lemon slices and olive
oil, and seal.
PELION PEAR CHUTNEY
This is a very old recipe of my Mother’s, called “Sweet Mango
Chutney”. I use less sugar than original recipe, and
prepare it with any available fruit, even tinned fruit like apricots or
peaches. Also the procedure is much easier. Cooked like a jam, in 1½ - 2 hours
time, one can enjoy a very tasty chutney.
1 kg (2 lbs) Crystallia pears (I cannot
find the botanical name), cored, peeled and
cubed
650 g (1 lb 5 oz) sugar
330 ml (1 1/3 cup) good quality vinegar
40 g (1 1/3 oz) fresh ginger, grated
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
330 g (11 oz) raisins, optional
Bring the sugar and vinegar to the boil, over low heat in a large heavy
saucepan, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves.
Then add all the other ingredients, except the raisins, and simmer
gently, uncovered, stirring from time to time.
After about 1 hour’s patient cooking, lower the heat even more, to a
bare simmer, add the raisins, if using, and stir often towards the end, as the
chutney thickens to the consistency of jam.
Then remove the saucepan from the fire.
The next day bring the chutney to the boil once more and cook, for 5
minutes stirring all the time. Pour the
hot chutney into prepared, sterilized jars and when cold cover with greaseproof
paper rounds, and seal tightly.
PRESERVED CAPERS
Capers are the unopened flower buds of the Capparis Spinoza, preserved
in salt or vinegar, or a mixture of both.
Freshly gathered capers
Water
Salt
Vinegar
Olive oil
Place
the capers in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Leave for about an hour and
strain. Fill prepared jars with the capers and then pour over a
mixture of water, vinegar and salt to your taste. Top with enough olive oil to cover the capers
well.
QUINCE
JELLY
The pectin in the fruit makes the jelly
set beautifully.
1 kg (2 lb) about 4 quinces, peeled and
quartered, peel and pips reserved
Sugar: 1 cup sugar to 1 cups quince juice
1 thick slice lemon, peeled
1-2 sweet geranium leaves
Tie the quince peel and pips in a piece of cheesecloth, cover with water
and simmer until soft. Then strain the
juice and measure it; set aside the quince pieces for preparing kydonopasto.
Add the sugar to the quince juice, the peeled lemon slice and a sweet
geranium leaves and simmer gently. It
should be ready in about 25 minutes.
Pour the jelly into suitable preserving jars, let cool and seal.
QUINCE PRESERVE
Κυδωνόπαστο
To prepare this preserve you could use the boiled quinces left over from
making quince jelly, but the result would lack the savour and character of fresh
fruit.
1 kg (2 lb) quinces (about 4 pieces)
½ kg (2 ½ cups) caster sugar and
¼ kg (1/2 lb) honey, or
750 g (3 ¾ cups) caster sugar only (without
the honey)
200 g (1 cup) roasted almonds
2-3 small sprigs sweet scented geranium
leaves, tied in a bouquet, or
1 medium-sized cinnamon stick
1 liqueur glass brandy
1 cup granulated sugar or more for coating
the preserve
Few bay leaves for storing, optional
Wrap the quinces in foil and bake until tender, then peel, seed and
puree in a blender. Reserve the seeds and tie them in a piece of muslin making
a pouch.
Place the quince puree in a saucepan, over low heat. Gradually add the sugar and honey (or sugar
only), the reserved quince seed pouch and the sweet-scented geranium bouquet
and simmer gently, stirring with a wooden spoon. When the mixture thickens and detaches
itself from the sides of the saucepan, add the almonds and cook 2-3 minutes
more, stirring continuously. Remove and
discard the bouquet and the seed pouch.
Spread the mixture in a tin,
lined with oiled baking parchment, drizzle with brandy and level the surface
evenly. It should not be over 2 cm (¾ in) in thickness.
Place in an oven preheated to 180 C and bake
for 45-50 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and cool a little. Turn over
the preserve, peel off the baking parchment and cut it into small squares or
diamond shapes. Roll in granulated sugar,
if using, and store in boxes, interspersed with bay leaves or baking parchment.
Kydonopasto is excellent cut in slivers, accompanied with cheese.
ROSE PETAL PRESERVE
The more fragrant the roses you use for this preserve, the better the
result. The whole kitchen fills with
masses of roses, and when cooked, the aroma lingers round the house for at
least a day!
½ kg (1 lb) rose petals, thoroughly washed,
the white base removed
Water
1 kg (2 lb) sugar
1 tbsp or more, lemon juice
Simmer the rose petals with a cup of water and a cup of sugar for half
an hour, with the lid on. Then, add ½
cup water and the remaining sugar, as well as the lemon juice. Boil uncovered, over high heat until the
syrup thickens.
Pour into scalded jars and seal.
Serve with yoghurt or mastic flavoured ice-cream.
STRAWBERRY JAM
1 kg (2 lb) ripe but firm strawberries,
washed and hulled
750 (1½ lb) sugar
62.5 ml (¼ cup) brandy
2 tbsp lemon juice
Cut the strawberries in half.
Place half the strawberries in one layer in a saucepan, add half the
sugar on top, arrange the remaining strawberries over and evenly cover with the
rest of the sugar. Cover the saucepan
and refrigerate overnight.
Next day simmer the fruit for 15
minutes, then remove the saucepan from the fire and set aside for 24 hours.
Then add the brandy and simmer for about ½ hour or, until the jam
thickens. Then add the lemon juice and
cook for 2-5 minutes more.
Fill prepared jars with the scalding jam, seal them and turn them upside
down. Leave them undisturbed until the
next day or until they are completely cold. Then turn the jars over and store
them in a cupboard. When you open a jar,
be sure to refrigerate it.
ZENA’S TOMATO PRESERVE
This is an excellent way of
preserving tomatoes, in summer, when they are at their best and cheap. Use the best quality tomatoes.
3 kg (6 lb) tomatoes, seeded and pureed in
a blender
1 tbsp or less salt
Simmer the tomato puree with
the salt until reduced by one third.
Turn off the heat, and while the mixture is still boiling, fill prepared
jars, seal them and turn them upside down.
Leave them undisturbed until the next day, or until completely
cold. Then turn them over and store in a
cupboard. Opened jars should be
refrigerated.
SWEET MANGO CHUTNEY
You can make this chutney with
almost any fruit, but for me, mangoes are the best choice.
500 g (1 lb) green mangoes, sliced
1 heaped tbsp ginger, grated, mixed with
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
125 ml (1/2 cup) vinegar
500 g (1 lb) sugar
Salt to taste
1/8 - ¼ tsp chilli powder or Cayenne pepper
1 cup sultanas
Mix the ginger and garlic with 1 tbsp of the vinegar. Then make syrup with half the sugar and the
remaining vinegar and set aside.
Simmer the fruit and the remaining sugar to the consistency of jam. Add the garlic and ginger mixture, salt, chilly
powder and cook 5 minutes more. Finally
add the syrup and the raisins to the fruit and simmer 10 minutes longer. Fill scalded jars up to the brim, cover with
baking parchment rounds, and seal.
CRYSTALLIZED CHESTNUS
Marrons Glaces
Almost everybody’s
favourite. It might be smarter to
double the recipe.
30 large chestnuts
562,5 g (2¼ cups) sugar
500 ml (2 cups ) water
½ tbsp lemon juice
Wash and parboil the chestnuts in slightly salted water with a piece of
lemon rind, then peel and set aside.
Place the sugar and water in a large saucepan, bring to the boil add the
chestnuts and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
Remove the pan from the fire and set aside to cool.
On the second day, remove the chestnuts with a slotted spoon and reduce
the syrup, boiling briskly for about 10 minutes. Then re-place the chestnuts
and simmer gently until the chestnuts are almost done. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set
aside.
Finally, on the third day, remove the chestnuts once more, and boil the
syrup with the lemon juice until thickened.
Then add the chestnuts to the syrup, but do not boil. Remove the saucepan from the fire, and, when
almost cold, lift the chestnuts from the syrup with a slotted spoon and let
them strain on a rack.
When completely cold wrap them in special
foil, lined with paper.
This pickle can last for a month or more in the fridge.
1 kg (2 lb) firm beetroots, boiled or
roasted, peeled and sliced
Vinegar brine
500ml (2 cups) water
125 ml (½ cup) good wine vinegar
2 tbsp sugar, or according to taste
2 ½ tsp salt, or according to taste
6-10 pepper corns
1 garlic clove, unpeeled (optional)
Olive oil to cover the jar
Some red wine, if necessary
Place the sliced beetroots in a prepared pickle jar.
Bring the vinegar brine ingredients to the
boil, remove the garlic, and pour immediately over the beetroots. If they are not completely covered with brine
add a little red wine, and set aside to cool. Pour olive oil up to the brim,
seal and refrigerate.
After 2 days the pickle is ready.
Serve sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil, and a few capers.
PICKLED FIGS
This pickle is excellent with
meat and poultry.
½ kg (1 lb) ripe, firm figs, stemmed,
peeled and thickly sliced
250 ml (1 cup) good quality wine vinegar
250 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) caster sugar
2-3 tbsp honey
2 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
1 small chilli pepper
Salt to taste
Place sugar, honey, vinegar and spices in a saucepan and bring to the
boil, stirring until the sugar melts, and simmer for 1-2 minutes more.
Add the figs to the honey and vinegar mixture and simmer gently for 2
minutes or so. Carefully pour
everything into a glass bowl, cover with cling film and set aside for at least
8 hours.
The next day transfer the figs carefully to prepared jars, with a
slotted spoon. Remove the chilli, and
reduce the sugar and vinegar solution by a third. Strain the hot vinegar syrup over the figs
and seal the jars immediately. Be
patient for a week to ten days before tasting.
EASY ORANGE
MARMALADE
This is really a very easy way of making marmalade, with excellent
results.
1 kg (2 lbs) non-treated, un-waxed oranges
Sugar (see instructions below)
Wash the oranges, place them in a saucepan, cover with hot water, and
simmer until soft. Strain and reserve
the cooking water. When cool enough to
handle, slice the oranges as thinly as possible, discarding any pips and hard
parts.
Mix the sliced oranges with the reserved liquid and measure the mixture
in cups (volume). Stir in the same
amount of sugar and simmer gently, skimming if necessary, until the marmalade
sets, about 30-40 minutes. Allow the
marmalade to cool a little, pour into prepared jars and seal.
PICKLED MUSHROOMS
This is a popular
hors-d’oeuvres and very easy to prepare.
1 kg (2 lbs) fresh button mushrooms in
Water and vinegar (see instructions below)
½ tsp salt
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp cracked black pepper
Olive oil to cover
Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth and
simmer in a mixture of 2/3 water and 1/3 vinegar and salt, until tender.
Dry the mushrooms very well and pack them in
jar/jars interspersed with the garlic, herbs and cracked black pepper. Cover with olive oil and seal. After 4 days they are ready to eat. They
last about a month in the fridge.
CONCENTRATED TOMATO PASTE
Years ago, tomato paste was
widely used in Greece
during winter, when fresh tomatoes were not available. Today, it is mainly used to accentuate the
colour and flavour of tomato sauces.
3 kg (6 lb) ripe tomatoes cut in half
1 tbsp or more, coarse salt
Sprinkle the tomatoes with the
salt and place them in a colander to drain, overnight. Next day sieve the tomatoes into a flat dish
and cover with double muslin.
Place the dish in the sun for 20-25 days,
not forgetting to bring it indoors, during the night.
Then transfer to prepared jars,
cover with olive oil, and seal. When you
open a jar, store it in the refrigerator.
CHERRY TOMATOES PRESERVED IN SYRUP
Tomatoes aren’t only used to
make tasty sauces and interesting salads.
Try this unusual preserve served with a glass of iced water and/or a cup
of good coffee.
1 kg (2 lbs) cherry tomatoes, blanched and
skinned
1 kg (2 lbs) sugar
A 2½ cm (1 inch) piece of cinnamon stick
1 tbsp lemon juice or
2 -3 tbsp glucose syrup
Make a small incision at
the stem end of each tomato, and press lightly so that the seeds drop out.
In a large saucepan, lay the
tomatoes in layers with the sugar in between. Place the cinnamon stick on
top. Turn on the heat and simmer for 5
minutes then remove the pan from the fire.
After 24 hours remove the
tomatoes with a slotted spoon, add the lemon juice or the glucose, if using,
and boil the syrup briskly for 15 minutes.
Return the tomatoes to the saucepan and
simmer until the syrup has thickened. Pour
into sterilized jars and seal.
SUN-DRIED TOMATOES WITH BASIL AND OLIVE OIL
You can use sun-dried tomatoes in salads and in fish or meat dishes.
Medium-sized ripe red tomatoes
Basil leaves
Garlic cloves, roughly chopped (optional)
Fine salt
Olive oil
Cut the tomatoes in half and
de-seed them. Place them on large
baking sheets, lined with baking parchment and sprinkle with salt. The traditional method is to cover the
tomatoes with fine muslin, and leave them in the sun for about 10 days, or
until they are dried but still slightly soft.
They should be taken indoors every evening.
It is much easier to dry them
in a very low oven for about 24 hours. When ready, remove the skin.
Place the tomatoes in jars interspersed with basil leaves and garlic, if
used, and cover with olive oil. In
about a week they will be ready to eat.
Always keep them well covered with olive oil. They will keep for several months.
