I just love the harvest season. Plenty of grapes and olives are the characteristics of autumn here, as well as the whole mediterranean. I got used to watch piles of grapes becoming next year's wine but it is the first time I ever tasted grape jam.
Actually it sounded so unusual, I was sure they would be completely melted after all that boiling process. Much to my surprise, grapes were deliciously golden and their smell was so inviting. The colour is the key though, after some point in the boiling process, the jam tend to darken very quickly; better keep an eye on it. It is better to test it often, after the colour becomes like a light caramel. You can keep a small plate in the fridge and put some drops of jam on it to help cooling quickly, or you can put some drops in ice-cold water in a glass. If drops hardens quickly, it is done. Remember that the jam continues to harden during the cooling process.
No need to mention that you will need a seedless variety.
- 1 kg seedless grapes
- 1/2 kg sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 sachet vanilla
Wash the grapes and pull out the stems, leave to drain. Put sugar and water in a pan, and let sugar melt throughly. Add grapes and leave to boil on medium heat. You can stir the jam a couple of times and pick any foam over the surface if it creates any. Mine was easy in that aspect, almost no foam at all. It takes around 40 minutes to reach the desired consistency, but never leave it on its own for a long time. Watch the colour closely and when you decide that it boiled enough, add lemon juice. Stir once again and turn off the heat. Sprinkle vanilla over the jam and stir for one last time. Let the jam cool in the pan and transfer to a dry glass jar. Enjoy!
Molasses
Grape jam was not the only produce of the season, I took the chance to prepare molasses for the first time in my life. If my mother in-law would not have given me the hint, it was not likely to use any bit of grapes from the piles which were filling the fridge. All the neighbours in my husband's village was bringing grapes, black like pearls and we were just making juice from them. Though I was used to watch my grandfather boiling molasses from our own mulberry trees in my early years, the necessity of using the special sand to "cut" the grape juice was the difficulty to keep me away from trying it by myself. It is then, my mother in-law mentioned about using the "ash" for the same purpose. Well, it did not take long to sift the wood ash from the fireplace, but it took sometime to wash and clean around 10 kilos of grapes:-) Since I did not have any intention of dancing barefoot on the grapes, I used the kitchen processor to strain the grapes and ended up around 7 kilos of juice.
I boiled them on medium heat, in two different pots just to leave enough space for the inevitable rising. After cleaning the foam over the surface, I add around 2 tablespoon of ashes per 3 kgs of juice. This part needs attention because it starts foaming wildly and tries to boil over. Mix the juice quickly and take the pan off the heat for a couple of minutes if necessary. The ash causes much more foam to gather on the surface, which needs a final cleaning with a small strainer. Then I left the liquid to boil until it reduces around 3-4 cm down the rim of the pan. Then take it off the heat and let cool. What you see above on the right, is the juice during cooling. After it cools down, it needs to be strained very carefully. A paper kitchen towel laid in a colander works best. Pour the juice slowly into the colander and change the paper towel when necessary. Wash the pans very well and dry.
The second and the final boiling takes longer. After reducing the juices I mixed them in another deep pot and brought to a boil again. It took around 3 hours on medium heat (it is important not to use high heat, in order to prevent excess browning and the loss of taste) and smelled wonderful. As you did for the grape jam, you can test the consistency often after 2.5 hours of boiling. It does not need stirring and does not stick to the pan. The photograph below shows the last stage, just before I turned off the heat. It will be reduced to almost one-third of the juice you started with. Let it cool in the pan and transfer to clean jars.
It is one of the most healthy condiments of the world, give it a chance; on strained yoghurt with walnuts or mixed up with tahini, or drizzled over your favourite cake or ice cream. Enjoy!
Another interesting sounding dish! I made the eggplant salad. It as awesome! Thanks, again for the recipe.
Paz
I am so glad you liked the eggplant dish! Thank you for letting me know. As for the jam, cold weather is already here and we need more sweets in our life:-) Greetings!
Yes, we do need MORE sweets in our lives. ;-))))
Today (Saturday) I made your Portobello Mushroom salad for lunch. This is another winner for me! Delicious!
Only problem is that I'm too hungry to stop and take a photo for my blog. That means I have to make it again. ;-)))
Best,
Paz
Hi Tülin ! This post has simply blown me away. I mean I am not new in the world of food but I have never know how molasse is made ! Of course I have read about its use here and then, but that ash is used for making it... is this for adding a special taste of toasting (like with wine), or what is the basic reason for adding it ? I would like to taste it, no doubt... Have a good Sunday, angelika
This is very sweet Paz!:-) Thank you for your nice words, happy to hear that you liked the salad. It is very healthy and light. Do not stop making it!:-) It's been a while since the last time I made it though, thanks for reminding me.
Hello Angelika, let me explain about the ash: we add ash or a special kind of soil (in a little amount) in order to clear out the liquid. Otherwise you may boil the wine juice for hours but it will never turn to be molasses. This "cutting" process as we say, creates a chemical reaction which is necessary for reaching the desired consistency. As you know, the ash is rich in carbon; probably the soil they used to add also contains it. For more information we need a chemist:-) I hope I could be of help. Greetings and thank you!
That grape jam looks delicious! I am itching to make my own jam again! I may just try this...or some mangosteens if I can still find them...
The molasses process was so interesting! Congratulations on the successful attempt! :)
Thanks for the little lesson, Tülin, I think now I have got it. I have to try molasses somewhere ! Hugs, angelika
Thanks very much Joey. I recommend grape jam since it is very easy to make. But you mentioned about mangoes and I wonder what a delight it would be?:-) Greetings
Though I am a honey lover I was amazed tasting molasses with my favourite yogurt breakfast (with coffee of course):-) i also followed up every step of the process in our kitchen and i can say that it was amazing how strong was the reaction with the ash. you need to keep your pot not completely full to prevent from boiling over.