food | style Preserving a masterclass in...
Since ancient times man has been preserving food. Whether he was air drying it, freezing it on ice or fermenting, preserving has been a method of saving food for harsh months since as early as 12,000 B.C.
The ability to survive in winter months when fresh food is unavailable meant that as time has gone on, we have refi ned our preserving methods to encompass not only freezing and drying but also canning, pickling and the making of jams and jellies. We may not need these now in order to survive but there is a huge amount of pleasure to be had from turning your own home grown fruit and veg, foraged berries or gluts into jars of delight.
There is nothing desperately complicated about making jam or chutney, it takes a bit of practice and some patience. So if you’re planning a preserving session, make sure that fi rstly you have the time to devote to the creation of a few jars of summer. When the winter comes, your efforts will be rewarded when you open the lid and the smell of sunshine fi lls your nose and the taste of summer tickles your taste buds.
simple apple chutney
Chutney is ideal for using up gluts of and fruit and veg and is wonderful for livening up a ham sandwich, ploughman’s lunch or cheese and biscuits.
Ingredients Makes 1.5 – 2.25 kg
1kg Cooking Apples, peeled, cored and fi nely chopped 500g Onions, fi nely chopped 125g Raisins 125g Sultanas
500g Demerara Sugar ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper ½ tsp Mustard Powder ½ tsp Ground Ginger 25g Salt
1l Malt Vinegar Method
Put the apples, onions, raisins, sultanas, cayenne, mustard, ginger, salt and 500ml of the vinegar into a large pan and simmer for 1 – 1½ hours over a low to medium heat. Stir regularly to make sure that it doesn’t burn and add the extra vinegar as the chutney reduces as necessary.
When there is a little free liquid left and you can draw a wooden spoon through the chutney and leave a clear trail you are ready for potting.
Warm 4-6 clean jars in a low oven.
Stir and pack the chutney into the jars and seal at once. Chutney improves with age so keep for at least a month before you open it.
70
www.styleofwight.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132