Preserves and pickles

Preserved Lemons

All you need are 20 good lemons, salt, lemon juice, a preserving jar and one month.  Clean the lemons and cut in quarters lengthwise, leaving the quarters still joined at one end.  Sprinkle coarse sea salt (you'll need about a cup) on the flesh.  Close up each fruit, and place in a large, sterilised jar.  

Do about 15 lemons then press them down hard in the jar to release some of the juice.  Tuck in a few sticks of cinnamon and cloves, peppercorns and bay leaves.  Juice the remaining fruit to cover the lemons in' the jar.  Seal and leave in a warmish place for 30 days, turning upside down each day to redistribute the salt.  To use, rinse well, scrape off the flesh and pith, and use only the rind.

Punjabi Chicken Pickle

From Borough Market, London

• 1 kg boneless chicken

• 100 gr salt

• 100 gr red chilli powder

• 100 gr coriander seeds

• 50 gr Poppy seeds

• 50gr ginger powder

• 50gr garlic

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds

• 15 Cloves

• 2 cm stick cinnamon

• 15 Cardamom seeds

• 6 large lemons

• ½kg oil - mustard oil or good vegetable oil

• 50 gr cashews

Method:

1. Cook cut up chicken (Small) pieces in small amount water.  Add 1 tsp turmeric and ½ tsp salt until evaporated.

2. Fry cashews on hugh for 1 minute.  

3. Fry poppy seeds – 1 minute

4. Fry mustard & fenugreek seeds - 1 minute

5. Next cardamom, cinnamon & cloves - 1 minute on high

6. When chicken cooked, blend with cashew, poppy, fenugreek and mustard seeds

7. Then add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and coriander seeds

8. Next, juice of 6 lemons

9. Blend ginger, garlic to a paste.

10. Heat ¼ kg oil, add chicken, fry until golden, then remove.

11. Fry ginger & garlic paste on high flame.  Add chilli powder, add 100 gr salt, cashew & poppy seeds, coriander.  Add rest of spices

12. Let it cool completely.  Add more lemon juice when cold.  Mix gently and place in sterilised jars.

13. Heat ¼ kg oil to top off jars. Keep refrigerated.  Lasts 2 – 3 weeks.

Pickled Peaches

To serve with cold meats.

• 1 x 1lb 3oz can (822g) peach halves

• 6 cloves

• 3 oz caster sugar

• 4 fl oz of wine vinegar

• 1 stick cinnamon

Drain peaches.  Keep Juice.  Put peach halves in bowl.  Put juice in pan.  Add cloves, sugar, wine vinegar and cinnamon stick.

Stir over low heat to dissolve sugar.  Bring to boil.  Add peach halves and simmer 4 minutes.

Pour into mixing bowl and leave to cool.  Refrigerate 24 hours or up to a week.

Mum’s note:  These are really tasty.  Great with cold ham slices.

Crab Apple Jelly

Choose golden yellow fruits if possible.

Roughly chop 1kg fruit.  Cover with cold water, cook till soft and pulpy.  Ladle into jelly bag, leave to drip overnight.

Measure juice, add 750g granulated white sugar for every litre of juice.

Add juice of one lemon, bring to boil, stirring.  Boil rapidly until setpoint is reached.  Pour into warm sterilised jars.  Cool and seal.  Leave for 1 month before using.

Spiced Crab Apple

Combine 450g dark brown sugar, 300ml white wine vinegar, eight cloves and half a cinnamon stick, bring to boil.  Add whole unpeeled crap apples and simmer until tender but not collapsed.  Pack into sterilised warm jars, pour over spiced syrup and seal.  Leave to mature a month before using.