Pineapple Jam

Pineapple jam is one of my favourite Jams. Simplest of it can be made without any spices, just sugar, lime juice and pineapple. But to add an extra depth you may opt for some spices of your choice. I have used whole cinnamon and cloves which was inspired by Shn of Mishmash. Long back she had posted a stunning pineapple jam recipe and the drool worthy pictures were stuck in my brain. Making of jam was in my mind ever since. Recently I spotted some huge pineapples on offer and they smelt heavenly. I just grabbed one didn’t think anything else other than this pineapple jam. I love pineapple flavour, may it be in juice, desserts, cake, jam or even curries. But like many other fruits, I am not keen on eating pineapple as it is. Adding a bit of sin to the fruit makes it more appealing and tempting!

You may add or reduce sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit. My pineapple was quite sweet, and I added the amount of sugar as given in the recipe below. It was perfect for our taste. But I have come across recipe that calls for equal amount of sugar as the fruit, so if your pineapple is not sweet enough, feel free to use more. You may also puree your pineapple to get a spreadable jam or leave it slightly chunky by chopping it fine to get a chunky jam, however you may prefer your jam to be. Here the picture of jam displayed on the ramekin is the chunky pineapple jam and on the toast is the finer version of it which is prepared from pureed pineapple. I preferred the latter one better because it had a spreadable consistency.

Pineapple Jam

Almost Fills a 1/2 litre Jar

Ingredients:

750 g very finely chopped pineapple (3 cups)

500g (2 1/3 cups) regular white sugar

2 tsp (10 mls) lime juice

4 cloves (optional)

4 small pieces of cinnamon stick (optional)

Few drops of yellow food colour

Preparation:

1. Mince the pineapple finely or puree in a processor depending on the texture you want your jam to be. You can also leave it slightly chunky if you like your jam that way.

2. Tip the minced/pureed pineapple in a cooking saucepan. Add in sugar, lime juice, cinnamon and cloves. Leave it aside for 3-4 hours or until the sugar has completely dissolved.

3. Place the saucepan on heat, bring to gentle boil and simmer for around 35-50 minutes until it is thick and syrupy; depending on the pan and mode of heat used. Make sure you stir every while because the sugar can easily burn. Add few drops of yellow colour and stir.

4. Meanwhile sterilize the jar and lid in boiling water for 8 -10 minutes.

5. To check the doneness of jam, spread a tablespoon of jam on a cold plate and return the plate to the freezer and chill for a minute. Run your finger through the jam and if you see it wrinkling as you pull, then the jam is ready. If not continue cooking until you reach that ‘wrinkle’ stage. Jam will get thicker and stiffer as it cools down, so make sure you don’t make it really thick. Wait until the jam is completely cooled. Once it is completely cooled it will be easier to judge the consistency of jam you require. (Read notes on how to fix if you overcooked or undercooked your jam). Fish out the whole spices and discard them using a sterilized fork or spoon.

6. Let the jam cool down completely before transferring into a sterilized jam jars. You can use this jam on jam drop cookies, toasts, puddings etc.

Notes:

1. Take care not to include the central stalk of pineapple.

2. If at all your jam gets cooked beyond the required time, and you ended up in candy like jam or very stiff jam that is difficult to spread, don’t panic. Just Pour 4 - 8 Tablespoon (1/4 cup – ½ cup) of water to the jam and bring to gentle boil. Stir well and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the jam reaches a ‘jammy’ consistency.

3. Unlike soft fruits like strawberries and raspberries, pineapple does not break down considerably on mashing. So you may need to mince it to your suitable preference before you prepare it. Well, I pureed it half through cooking when I realized that it doesn’t get mashed on mashing. The texture will be fine and of spreadable consistency on pureeing.

4. Some people likes the flavour of Star anise. You may add half of whole start anise along with other spices. It gives a strong flavour, so be cautious.

Aubergine (Brinjal/ Eggplant) Pickle

I am not a pickle person myself unlike many out there including my siblings! But aubergine pickle (Khanum Brand) which is a very sweet and mild pickle is an exception. It is just my kind of pickle, mild, sweet less tangy and it goes well with naan, chappathis and rice. I sometimes have it for dessert!!! I guess, I would be the first one (may be the only one) who devour pickle for dessert. Never had I fallen in love with any ‘Achaar’ aka pickle other than this sinful aubergine pickle of ‘Khanum’! I first had it at our friend Sajitha’s place where they offered it for one dinner on one of the many dinners she served us. Those were our golden days in Portsmouth; we used to meet them once in every while mainly on weekends and how much I miss those days now...Sigh. We really had fantastic time together.

You must be thinking, if I liked that pickle a lot, then why did I bother making one, right? These days I can’t find Khanum Aubergine pickle anywhere in the locality. I tried couple of other brands and I wasn’t happy at all. I was so desperate to have it and that was when the thought of preparing one popped up in my brain. This came out real good but not the taste that I was looking for. I intended to prepare a sweet pickle as the Khanum one, something that’s not spicy, less tangy and sweet. But mine tasted like a typical Kerala style pickle. I am sure many out there who enjoy pickles will love this too. It is so easy to make pickle and it is hassle free a process. Now I need to try my hands on making a sweet Aubergine pickle, which you might see later on this blog, hopefully!

Ingredients:

1 Large aubergine (250g)

To grind:

2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger

1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic

1 – 1 ½ Tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

4 Tbsp vinegar

¾ tsp Black mustard seeds

½ tsp fenugreek seeds

Others:

½- 3/4 cup coconut oil (I used only ¼ Cup of oil)

1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger

1 twig curry leaves finely chopped

2-4 green chillies cut into thin rounds (optional)

8 Tbsp castor sugar

½ cup vinegar

¼ cup water

¾ Tbsp salt or as required

Preparation:

1.Cut the aubergines into 2 inch long fingers and leave them immersed in bowl of brine for around 3-4 hours. This will remove any bitterness and stain in the aubergine. Drain water; wash the aubergine several times to remove excess salt and pat dry in a muslin cloth or kitchen towel.

2. Grind together chopped ginger, garlic, chilli powder and turmeric powder to a smooth paste. Add mustard and fenugreek and just whizz once to crush them.

3. In a clean sauce pan, heat oil. Add crushed ginger and sauté it till it starts to turn golden. Add chopped curry leaves and green chillies (if using) and let it sizzle. Add the ground mixture and stir for couple of minutes (Make sure you do it in low flame to avoid burning of spices).

4. Add brinjal and mix well to coat the spices.

5. Add sugar and vinegar. Mix well, cover the pan and continue cooking till aubergines are cooked through.

6. Add salt and water and bring to boil. Adjust the salt if necessary.

8. Once the Pickle is cooled completely store them in sterilized jars.

As any other pickle, this pickle tastes better after 4-5 days, even though it can be had as soon as it is made. This pickle fills a 500 ml Jar.

Notes:

1. To sterilize jars, boil the jar and Lid for about 10 minutes. Take it out and let it dry completely without any water inside. Do not wipe the jar.

2. If you need more liquid for your Pickle you may use a little more of water than mentioned. But make sure you boil water after adding else the pickle won’t last long.

3. I haven’t used the green chillies here since my red chillies were really hot even being Kashmiri chilli powder!