Making eingemach, Pesach 2009

beetroot jam, like from the old country (Cheadle / der heim), is totally the taste of my childhood at pesach.

I found this recipe (which I amended slightly for modernity) in Spoilt for Choice, the shul cookbook from Yeshurun.

Ingredients:
10lb beetroots
7 1/2 lb sugar
12 lemons
2 oz powdered ginger
small piece of root ginger
1/4 lb almonds

(I will convert this to metric at some point, but it seems fitting with the old country ways to be imperial, weight-wise).

1 Put the whole betroots in a bowl in the microwave, in a small amount of water for 10 minutes. You may need to do this in two batches. Reserve the water.

2 Peel the betroots, and cut them into matchsticks.

3 Put the betroots in the pan with the pink reserved water (not the very last bit, which might feel slightly muddy) and the sugar, and turn up the heat

4 Grate the skin of two lemons (not the pith) and add this, plus the strained juice of all lemons, to the betroots and sugar

5 Bring to the boil, and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours, ideally on a rolling boil (for jam), and keep an eye on it. If it boils over your entire kitchen is a sticky, red mess.

6 Blanche the almonds - pour boiling water over them, leave for 2 minutes max, drain, and then slip the skins off the nuts. This is remarkably therapeutic

7 Cut the ginger root into small cubes, and 30 minutes before the end, add to the pot

8 10 minutes before the end, add the blanched almonds. 2 minutes before the end, add the powdered ginger.

9 test for a set on a plate you conviently left in the freezer at the start - the jam should form a skin

10 wash and warm 24 1/2 lb (454g) jars (I buy these in Lakeland), and ladle the jam into a jug. Pour into the jars, seal with a wax disk and close the lid firmly.

Allow a morning / afternoon for the whole process. This is traditionally a Pesach delicacy (although I suspect in Eastern Europe they just had a lot of betroots in the Spring), which is why there is foil on my countertops, as I could only start my Pesach cooking once I'd changed to my Pesach pots and cleaned the kitchen. Don't even ask.

NOTE: I found that using disposable gloves meant my hands did not go pink, which I recommend.

14 photos | 45 views

items are from 07 Apr 2009.