How to Roast a Lamb_ New Greek Classic Cooking - Michael Psilakis [107]
Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer all the fruit to a sterilized jar and cool the jar down quickly in an ice water bath (this will improve the keeping time). Press a square of plastic wrap down directly onto the surface of the syrup. Place another square of plastic over the rim of the jar and twist on the lid or secure with a rubber band. Replace the square of plastic that touches the preserves each time you use some and use a perfectly clean spoon each time to prevent cross-contamination from other surfaces in your kitchen.
SPOON FRUIT PRESERVES
In Greece, when you receive a visitor into your home, one of the most traditional offerings is called “spoon fruit.” It is toothachingly sweet, so you’d scoop up a spoonful of the fruit and place it—spoon and all—into a glass of ice-cold water, as an antidote to the sweetness. Whenever a particular fruit was in season, my mom would make these sweet fruit preserves and put them up in jars so we could have them all year round. Because of the high sugar content, these preserves will keep for a long time if you observe good kitchen hygiene during preparation and whenever you dip into the jar to retrieve pieces.
CANDIED QUINCE
MAKES 2 CANDIED QUINCES
My mom always used cherries, but quince is a quintessentially Greek fruit.
2 quinces, each about the size of a large apple, peeled, quartered, and cored
2 cups granulated sugar
4 cups water
7 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
Zest of 1 whole orange, removed in one thin strip with a vegetable peeler, without any of the bitter white pith
Cut the quince quarters into long strips about ¼ inch thick and wide.
In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water to make a simple syrup. Stir to dissolve and add the cloves, cinnamon sticks, and orange zest. Add the quince and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pan, and simmer the fruit gently in the syrup until it looks slightly pink from the cinnamon and cloves, and is very tender and almost completely translucent but not falling apart. This may take up to 1½ hours.
Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a sterilized jar and cool the jar down quickly in an ice water bath (this will improve the keeping time). Press a square of plastic wrap down directly onto the surface of the syrup. Place another square of plastic over the rim of the jar and twist on the lid or secure with a rubber band. Replace the square of plastic that touches the preserves each time you use some and use a perfectly clean spoon each time to prevent cross-contamination from other surfaces in your kitchen.
If you can find fresh lovage, add 2 sprigs to the simple syrup while you poach the quince.
CANDIED ORANGE PEEL
MAKES 1½ TO 1¾ CUPS
If you blanch the peel three times instead of just two, you will tame more of the bitterness from the pith, but you’ll also lose some of the bright orange flavor. If you like sweet-and-sour flavors, add half a cup of distilled white vinegar.
And why not make more? As long as you sterilize the jar and are sure to use a perfectly clean spoon each time you dip into the jar to retrieve pieces of candied peel, this will last months in the refrigerator.
3 oranges, scrubbed under hot water to remove any wax
2 cups water, plus water for boiling
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cardamom pods
1 large star anise pod or pieces
Trim off the top and bottom half inch of each orange to expose the flesh. Cut into quarters lengthwise. Scrape out and reserve the flesh, leaving all of the white pith behind. Press the flesh through a strainer to get the pulp-free juice. Add water to the juice to make up to ½ cup, if necessary, and reserve.
Put the pieces of peel into a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Drain and repeat with fresh water. Drain. Cut the peel into 1-inch strips (or, cut into ¼-inch strips, roll into