Chili Jelly Cooking Recipe | Marmellata Di peperoncini Recipe
Cheeses and Jellies
It is very common today to serve cheeses (especially hard cheeses) as antipasti, accompanied by jelly, chutney, chocolate sauce, or traditional balsamic vinegar. Here is a recipe for chili jelly, which would accompany a maturing pecorino very well, but could also be used as an accompaniment to roast meat.
Chili Jelly
Makes one 14 oz. (385 ml) jar
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 9 ½ oz. (270 g) fresh red chilies
- 9 oz. (250 g) apples
- 1 cup (7 oz./200 g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (2 ½ oz./70 g) brown sugar
- Salt
- 10 coriander seeds
- 3 cloves
- 3 juniper berries
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 blade mace
Cooking Method
- Wash the chilies and remove the stems and seeds (all or only some, depending on how spicy you want the jelly to be) (1).
- Wash the apples, peel, quarter, and remove the seeds. Cut the quarters into pieces.
- Place the apples and chilies in a saucepan with the granulated and brown sugars, a pinch of salt, and the spices (2).
- Leave to cook for 1 hour over low heat (3). Remove the froth on the surface and pour into pre sterilized jelly jars while still hot.
- Close the jars hermetically, turn them upside down, and leave to cool.
- You can turn them upright once completely cooled.
Chef’s note
The same process can be applied to other vegetables, with the spices varied accordingly (for example, garlic, cloves, thyme for porcini, and so on).
Artichokes in Oil Cooking Recipe | Carciofini Sott’olio Recipe
Preserves
This is an ideal method/or preparing antipasti in advance using different seasonal vegetables; preserving them also enriches their flavor. When it’s time to taste, you can open your own homemade preserves foryour guests to enjoy!
Artichokes in Oil
Artichokes in oil are traditionally prepared at the end of their season, from April to May.
At the end of its growing cycle, the plant produces many small artichokes, which can be left whole. It is possible to prepare this preserve with slightly larger artichokes, but they should be quartered.
Makes one 1 lb. (500 g) jar
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 4 minutes
Drying time: 2-3 hours
Sterilization time for jar: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients
- 12 oz. (800 g) baby artichokes
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 6 ⅓ cups (1.5 liters) white wine vinegar
- 4 cups (1 liter) water
- 2 bay leaves
- 20 peppercorns
- Salt
- 1 ½ cups (350 ml) olive oil
Cooking Method
- Clean the artichokes, remove the toughest leaves, cut off the tips and the stalks, and cut into quarters if large (1).
- Put them in water to cover, and acidify with the lemon juice.
- Bring the vinegar to a boil with the water, one of the bay leaves, 10 peppercorns, and a big pinch of salt.
- Drain the artichokes, add to the vinegar solution, and blanch for 4 minutes (2).
- Drain and dry them upside down on absorbent paper (2 to 3 hours) (3).
- Once dry, place the artichokes in a sterilized jar with the second bay leaf and the remaining 10 peppercorns (4).
- Cover with plenty of olive oil, removing any air trapped in the middle of the artichokes with the blade of a knife (5).
- Close hermetically and sterilize the jar for 10 to 15 minutes to preserve for several months.
Chef’s note
The same process can be applied to other vegetables, with the spices varied accordingly (for example, garlic, cloves, thyme for porcini, and so on).
