Apple and Sage Preserve

Another delicious recipe from the Village kitchen

Ingredients:

1 onion

1.8 kg / 4 lb cooking apples

150 ml / 1/4 pint of water

225 g / 8 oz caster sugar

50 g /2 oz butter

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 teaspoons dried sage

1 teaspoon Worcester sauce

3 tablespoons vinegar

Method:

1. Peel and chop up onions

2. Wash apples. Do not peel or core but remove any damaged parts and cut fruit roughly into quarters.

3. Put onion, apple and water into a pan, put on lid and simmer gently until soft.

4. Rub mixture through a nylon sieve to make puree.

5. Return puree to the pan and cook without the lid until it is a thick pulp. Stir from time to time.

6. Stir in all remaining ingredients and continue to cook gently, stirring often, until no excess liquid remains.

7. Meanwhile, prepare clean jars with vinegar-proof lids. Coffee jars with plastic lids are ideal. Paper covers are not suitable because the vinegar can evaporate through them. Plain metal lids should not be used because the vinegar will corrode the metal. Put the clean jars into a very cool oven to dry and warm, Gas 1/4, 225 F, 110 C.

8. Fill warm jars nearly to the brim with hot mixture and put lids on at once.

9. Label and date the jars and store in a cool, dark place.

This recipe will produce about 1.3 kg / 3 lb of preserve. It is not a long keeping preserve and should be used within 8 to 10 weeks. Enjoy!

Ray Thompson