I said in my last blog that I would give you the recipe for apricot jam, but on reflection and given the abundance of plums this time of year, I thought I would change the recipe. At this time of year in London plums are prolific, and are starting to ripen the further north of Britain you go. I know that there is nothing to offer by way of health benefits, but as my gran also said, “a little of what you fancy never did harm”. This sticky sweet treat is naturally rich in pectin, which makes the setting time quicker than those fruits lower in pectin. Pectin is the setting agent you need to make the jam firm. So it’s a great jam for any of you jam making novices out there. If you have them available I highly recommend you use Victoria plums, as the taste is a cut above other plums. If not, just make sure whatever plum you use for this recipe the skin and flesh is soft before you add the sugar to the jam making process.

You will need;
Large stainless steel pan (preserving pan)
Long wooden spoon
Serrated knife
Protective glasses (sometimes spits at point of boiling – safety first!)
An apron
Chopping board
Large measuring jug (can supplement with any pouring vessel – must be clean)
7 (350g jars) cleaned and sterilised jars and lids (warm in the oven for about 10 minutes before filling with the jam)

Ingredients:
1.5kg (3½ lb) plums
1.25kg (2¾ lb) granulated sugar (substitute with Xylitol – seek advice from GP for diabetes. Halve quantity to sugar)
300ml of water

Method:
Halve and stone the plums with the serrated knife on the chopping board. Then quarter each half of plum. Put the plums and water into the preserving pan. Add to a gentle heat until the fruit softens. Then bring to a simmer, this takes 15-20 minutes, make sure the fruit is quite soft.  Add the sugar to the fruit and water and stir with the wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved. Then turn up the heat and bring to the boil until the setting point is reached.
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You’ll know when setting point is reached by dipping a clean spoon into the pan of jam, lift it out and turn the spoon over a couple of times, then let the jam drip down from it. If the jam drops run together then setting point has been reached.

Remove from the heat. Then carefully pour into the large pouring jug. Only fill the pouring jug halfway, as it tends to drip down the side of the jug if you fill up to the top, and can make a bit of a mess when pouring into the warmed jars.

Screw on the lids firmly once the jars are filled. Best to do this with a tea towel as the jars can get quite warm once the jams been poured into them.

As the jam cools in the jars you may hear the lids popping, this is perfectly fine. Once cooled label the jams so you don’t forget what jam you’ve made. The jam will keep for around 8 months, although I’ve kept mine for longer and it still tasted great.

Happing jamming!

Julia

Today I want to give you this great recipe for basil pesto. It involves no cooking, it’s quick and easy to make, stores beautifully in the freezer and is a great source of Vitamin K.

Pesto originated from Genoa in Northern Italy around the 16th century, and traditionally consists of garlic, basil and pine nuts blended with Parmesan cheese and olive oil.

For this recipe ideally your basil will be home grown, as you can easily grow it in pots on a balcony or window sills if you don’t have a garden. It’s not fond of breezy environments and needs to be grown in a sunny place. Growing your own basil allows you the freedom to grow and pick as much as you like, when you like. In the UK you would generally germinate basil at the beginning of April and then harvest around early July through to the end of August.

If you live in a warmer climate than the UK, it can be grown most of the year round. It’s a great source of vitamin K but has many other vitamins and healthy minerals contained in it. Vitamin K is good for blood clotting, which aids the process of wound healing. It’s also suggested that Vitamin K may aid prevention of other diseases such as; heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, various types of cancer, and possibly even Alzheimer’s. Vitamin K is best consumed with fat as it aids absorption, so olive oil or rapeseed oil is a great accompaniment.

Disclaimer: Always consult with your GP before making any changes to your diet. Not to be eaten if you have a nut allergy.

In this recipe I’ve given you some ideas to supplement some of the ingredients to make it more cost effective. You can also make pesto from parsley, spinach and sundried tomatoes, so it’s extremely versatile. I promise you after tasting this recipe, you’ll never want to buy shop bought pesto ever again.

Basil Pesto recipe

2 cups (680g or 24 oz) fresh basil leaves (can supplement half the basil leaves with baby spinach)
1/2 cup (100g or 3.5 oz) freshly grated Romano or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
3/4 cup (7fl oz) extra virgin olive oil or rapeseed oil.
1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice (this stops the pesto from going brown)
Splash of water to help loosen the pesto
1/2 cup (170 g or 4 oz) pine nuts (can supplement pine nuts with cashew or walnuts or half sunflower seeds half pine nuts)
4-5 garlic cloves (depends on how much you like garlic)
Salt to taste
Chilli’s to taste if preferred (not essential)
 
Method
1/ Pick the leaves from the basil stalks, discarding the stalks for compost.
2/ Wash the basil leaves and remove excess water in a salad spinner or dampen down in kitchen towel or a tea towel.
3/ Place everything except the grated cheese in a food processor and whizz up until it forms a thick rich green paste. If you have a compact mini food blender then add equal amounts of each ingredient until it is all used up.
4/ Spoon the pesto into a bowl and mix in the grated cheese.
 
Divide and store in small airtight containers in the freezer until you need it. It should stay good in the freezer for 3 months. Be warned you may love it so much, it won’t last a week.
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Eat it on toast or with the traditional pasta. I like to stir it in to cooked, Spelt penne pasta, mushrooms and French beans for a quick and healthy meal. Traditionalists will tell you its best served with spaghetti, linguine, fusilli lunghi and vermicelli, as it clings well to the pasta. I find that it works equally well with pasta bows (farfalle) as well.
 
Stay happy and healthy and look out for my recipe for apricot jam.

Please retweet this on Twitter, sharing is caring. I would also love to hear what you thought about this recipe after making it, so please leave a comment. 

Julia