Marmelada - Quince Jam and Gelly

It's been a while... I have been running around and no time for blogging.
Winter is the month of quince in Portugal and therefore many people still home makes the famous Marmelada. I guess that the name comes from marmelade but it is a unique taste and texture. It has not been a good year for this fruit but I had a few kilos from my trees and as always spent a weekend making marmelada.

Quince is a fruit but I have never seen it been eaten any other way than as a jam, I guess because it is quite hard and bitter.

As a jam, you can keep it for one year if stored in a cool place.

This is how I make it , usually for 2 kgs of quince , i use 1,5 kgs of white sugar.

Start by peeling the fruit and in a bowl place the fruit skins and on the other place the fruit already cut in quarters. Remove the seeds and add these to the skins bowl.Put a large pan of water to boil and add the fruit. Let it cook for 15 minutes until is soft.
Remove from the water and in a food processor make a pure.Place the sugar in a pan over medium heat with 1 cup of water from cooking the quince.

Let the sugar melt totally and add the pure.

It will cook 1,5 hours in medium to low heat. Once ready , pick a spoon and take a small piece that you place on a cool surface and when cold , put your finger tip gently and if it sticks , it is ready.

Place in small bowls without lid and let it dry on air for one day. Cover it with parchment paper and store.

Great to eat with cheese.

Now make the gelly.

Place the skins and seeds in a pan and cover with water. Bring to boil for at least 1 hour.

Strain the skins over a clean pan and keep the water. Disregard the skins.

Now use a clean cloth and strain the water again , to make sure that it will became translucide.

Now for 2 L of water , add 1,5 kgs of white suger.

Bring to medium heat for 1,5 hours until it gets a gelly consistency.

Place in containers with lids that are totally airproof. It can be stored for over 1 year.
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Peach Jam

Today I picked the first peaches of the season from my old peach tree.

They are quite small but have that great smell of the organic fruit.

I decided to make a nice peach jam that can be used as breakfast or just as a desert for cheese or even with meat such as duck.

For 1 kg of clean peaches

500 grs of sugar
1 small glass of port wine
Lemon juice

Bring water to boil and add the peaches one by one for a couple of minutes. Remove from water and peal.

After removing the skin and the sead, it is now time to weight the peaches. Now cut into small pieces.

Put the sugar and port wine in a jam pan and cover the sugar with water. Bring to boil.

Add now the peached and cook slowly for at least one hour.

Try when it is ready by placing a spoon on a plate and after cooling dip your finger in the jam - it is ready when the finger sticks to the jam.

If it is ready, add few drops of lemon juice. Mix well.

Let it cool and put it in jam jars.

It is last for 6 months.

Pumpkin Jam

Pumpkin Jam is very popular specially over Christmas.

It is quite simple to make, however it requires very good eye to see when it is done and just few minutes more can mean a cristalysed pumpkin jam.

I use a very orange quality of pumpkin.

For 2 kgs of clean pumpkin (orange color)

1 kg of sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

The day before, cut the pumpking into slices, peel and remove all seeds.

Cut into small pieces.

This is the moment where you should check the weight.

Place in a bowl together with the suger and the cinnamon.

Leave 24 hours.

Next day , you will find much more liquid from the pumpkin and sugar.

Mix well and place in a jam pan (type coper) and bring to the fire for 40 minutes.

You can check when it is ready by placing a small drop of liquid into two fingers and if it sticks, it is ready.

Let it cool and place into jam jars.

Optional - this jam is great also by adding nuts while still in the fire.
Good Jam to eat with cheese , specially strong cheese like Serra da Estrela.

Tomate Jam

Jams have fallen into the «not trendy» category years ago mainly due to the amount of sugar you need to use, however I keep making them every year and make an happening out of this by involving my children on the event.

This is one of my favorite jams as it really brings me back to my childhood. My mother which is an great cook, made it since ever I remember and I will never forget how fun it was to pick from the back yard all the very red big tomatos and spend the full day around pans and sugars.

Here's how to make it.

1,5 kgs of tomatoes beefsteak

1 kg of white sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

Put a pan with water into boiling.

Dip the tomatoes one by one into the boiling water for 30/40 seconds.

Remove from the hot water and quickly dip them on cold water.

Peel the tomates , cut them in quarters and remove all seeds.

Place all the tomatoes cleaned and cutted into a jam pan ( usually I use a coper pan), add the sugar and the cinnamon sticks.

Put on medium fire for 30/40 minutes withour lid.

Take a tea spoon of the liquid and put in a plate, let it cold and if sticks to your finger , it is ready to turn fire off.

While still warm , place it in proper jam jars and let it 24 hours withour lid.

Close jars and keep them on a cold place. It will be perfect for all the year.

(Optional - you can also make a new version adding 0,5 kgs of apple cut into small pieces)