My Gardening Year Flora and Fauna: 2010

Monday, November 22, 2010

Medlar Preserving ~ Spicy Medlar & Apple Chutney

Medlar in November
(and the chutney)

The tree before a frost

Two days later after a frost

The ripe but un-bletted fruit

Spicy Medlar and Apple Chutney

(Thanks to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
with slight variations)

Ingredients

3-4 tbsp sunflower oil
4 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp crushed black peppercorns
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp turmeric
5-7cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
6 fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
2kg Bramley apples, cored and chopped
500g dark Muscovado sugar
500ml cider vinegar
2 tbsp salt
The left over pulp from the medlar jelly, or about 700g pears, peeled, cored and chopped

Put a rubbish film on and sit a willing husband down with the pulp to push through the colander to get rid of any lumps, pips or hard skins ;-)

Measure the mustard seeds

Grind the black pepper and measure the spices

Chop the de-seeded chillies and grate the ginger

Warm the sunflower oil

1. Warm the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat and add the spices, stirring well and frying until the mustard seeds just begin to pop. This will only take a minute or so – be careful not to scorch the spices. Add the ginger and chillies, stir well, and fry gently for few minutes.

Add the cider vinegar

2. Tip the chopped apples into a large preserving pan and pour over the spices.

3. Add the sugar, vinegar and salt, along with the left over pulp from the medlar jelly, or the pears if you are using them instead.

4. Stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for about 2 hours until thickened, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if you think it’s beginning to look too thick.

5. Bottle in warm, sterilised jars, filling the jars really full as the mixture will shrink slightly as it cools. Seal with vinegar-proof lids.

It's nice to have saved some jars that match

A very satisfactory weekend's work

Medlar Preserving ~ Medlar Jelly

Medlar In November
(and the jelly)

Before a frost

Two days later after a frost

The ripe but un-bletted fruit

Medlar Jelly Recipe

(With thanks to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)

Medlars picked and bletted in the freezer as we don't get enough frost at this time of the year in Hampshire and we want the jelly and chutney as Christmas presents

Quartered and de-pipped medlars
The de-pipping at this stage makes the chutney making stage very much easier

1. Quarter the medlars. Peel and chop the apples and tip the fruit into a preserving pan, or any heavy-bottomed, deep, wide pan, with just enough water to cover.
Or better still ask your husband to do it ;-)

2. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes, until the medlars are soft and pulpy.

Gently add the medlar and apple mixture ~ do not rush this or the straining bag might fall into the bowl!

3. Strain through a jelly bag on a stand set over a large bowl. Don't be tempted to poke, squeeze or force the pulp through the bag or you'll get a cloudy jelly, just leave it to drip over the bowl for several hours or overnight.

The resulting pulp should be saved for various chutney recipes

4. Measure the juice, pour into a clean preserving pan and bring to boiling point before adding the sugar (for every 1l of juice, add 650g of sugar). Stir, in one direction only to reduce foam, until sugar is totally dissolved then boil rapidly for 8 minutes or until the setting point is reached. If you have a preserving thermometer, it should read 104.5°C; if you don’t have a thermometer, drop a little jelly onto a saucer which you have chilled in the fridge. Let the jelly cool for a minute then push it gently with your finger. If it crinkles, it has reached its setting point. Remove from the heat and skim off any scum using a slotted spoon.