How Could I resist?

4kgs or  8+ pounds of strawberries for a mere $7.99?

Before the till had finished ringing, I was already mentally counting the amount of empty glass jars I had  at home  for the upcoming jam making session. I was totally unable to by- pass  such a bargain when confronted with  an extremely large tray of super fresh super sweet strawberries at such a super low price.

I believe its genetic.

I come from a long line of preservers. Grandmothers on both sides of my family were world famous in there hometowns for there glorious bottled goodies. Pickled onions, chutneys, sour jams, pickles, chow chows and fruit all received the golden treatment from the grand ladies of confiture.

What used to be the hardest step in making any preserves, was ensuring that your glass jars were  clean and sterilized. My grandmothers would have been well impressed with automatic dishwashers, which  have the ability to sterilize jars with a touch of a button.

If you remember to sterilize the jars well, with either a dishwasher or by boiling the jars in a pot of water, and you weigh the prepared fruit before adding the same amount in sugar, you on the right track to achieving jam making success!

Brown Betty Berry Jam

For arguments  sake, I have given you the quantities for 2kg strawberries which will make enough for 4-5 jars of jam, dependant on size of jars!

Ingredients

2kg fresh ripe strawberries

1kg caster sugar ~ or there abouts

1kg brown sugar ~ or there abouts

1 lemon, juiced and zested

4-5 clean, sterilized glass jars with lids

Method

• Hull the strawberries and wash under cold running water.
• Weigh the prepared strawberries and place into a large pot or preserving pan.
• Add the same amount of sugar as was  the weight of strawberries, balancing it between the caster and the brown.
• Add the juice and zest of the lemon and place the pot on  a low heat, stirring well to begin to incorporate the sugar and the berries.
• Allow to heat gently to fully dissolve the sugar, stirring occasionally.
• Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and skim off any foam that comes to the surface with a ladle. Discard the foam.
• Allow the jam to boil until the mixture reaches setting point ~ this  should take 7-10 minutes.  You can check for setting point by placing a plate in the freezer for 15 minutes until its REALLY cold. Remove from the freezer and spoon a bit of the jam on to the plate. Wait a minute for the jam to cool slightly and then run your finger through the jam. If the jam leaves a wrinkle on the plate, its ready.
• Remove the pot from the heat and spoon straight away into hot, sterilized jars. Seal confidentially and label artistically!
• If done correctly, this jam will keep for up to a year.

As summer  sizzles its way through  Sydney (Australia), so does the abundance of produce that is available at the local markets. I am impressed and sometimes over whelmed by the beauty and splendor that is on offer at local  markets and especially LOVE summer for its colourful and juicy bounty.

On one such market expedition with my tongue protruding and my tastebuds salivating,  I thought all my christmases had come at once when I came across a box full of scarlet red plum tomatoes for $6.99.

How could I  turn down such a bargain ?

My head was reeling with all the wonderful recipe possibilites that tempted and taunted me when deciding what to do with this ripe summer harvest. Fresh homemade tomato sauce? chunky tomato chutney? or perhaps, delightful jars of olive oil packed semi dried tomatoes?

My heart though eventually went with a recipe I started making a few years ago whilst working for the lovely Bill Granger. His dear friend Skye Gyngell from Petersham Nurseries in London had given him a recipe for Tomato chilli jam which I have adjusted slightly making this recipe literally worth breaking the law for.

It’s sweet and sour, salty and spicy and perfectly balanced. It is versatile in its applications where you can have it as a dip, try it with some pungent cheese, devour it as a pasta sauce or crave it on a side of toasted sourdough bread with fresh ricotta and mint leaves.

Either way, it’s a must try when tomatoes and summer are ripe for the picking.

Ingredients:

Makes enough for 6 large jars

4kg of plum tomatoes

4 Tbs yellow mustard seeds

350mls red wine vinegar

150gms of fresh ginger ~peeled and grated

14 cloves of garlic ~peeled and crushed

10 red chillies ~ deseeded and finely chopped. Choose your chillies by order of heat – the hotter you like them the smaller the chillies

300gms of palm sugar

8 Tbs of fish sauce

6 tsp cumin powder

6 tsp garam masala

6 tsp cumin seeds

6 Tbs brown sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Methodology:

Preheat the oven to 200C on Bake

Remove the edible core from all the tomatoes using a sharp knife and discard the unwanted cores.

Slice the tomatoes in half length-ways and lay them into a couple of roasting trays, flesh side facing towards you.

Drizzle with olive oil, cumin powder and garam masala. Sprinkle over the brown sugar and cumin seeds and seasonwell with salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to caramelise and brown  nicely.

Toast the mustard seeds in a dry pan until they go ‘POP’, then grind to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle.

Into a large pot add all the ingredients including the roasted tomatoes and cook on the lowset heat possible for 2-3 hours until the mixture is sticky and jam like in consistency.

Make sure you stir frequently to prevent the JAM from sticking to the base of the pot.

Spoon while hot into sterilised jars and and seal and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.