Moraba-ye Kadoo Halvaie - Persian Pumpkin Jam

I have always wanted to make مربای کدو حلوایی - pumpkin jam but for one reason or another, I never got around to it. One reason was knowing that my modified version of this recipe wouldn't turn out as good as my grandmother's. I always knew that I had big shoes to fill when it came to cooking. My paternal grandmother who we called Khanoum Ahvazi (lady from Ahvaz) was known for her delicious jams, pickles, and khiar shoor (pickled cucumbers). All her food looked and tasted amazing. Khanoum's pumpkin jam was different from any other ordinary jam; the pumpkin pieces were somewhat transparent, crisp, and slightly crunchy on the outside but soft and perfectly sweet on the inside.

What made the pumpkin pieces glass-like and crunchy was the use of آب آهک calcium oxide. I have been told that it's safe to use in food preparation if the directions are followed carefully. I imagine that my grandmother used her mother's recipe and that's how they all made this delicious pumpkin jam. However, since I am an advocate for non-chemical cooking I didn't want to use calcium oxide or any other kind of chemical in my cooking. Therefore, this recipe is not the exact same as my grandmother's. Not only did I not use the required calcium oxide solution, which was one of the key ingredients in this recipe, I essentially made this jam-based solely on the memory that I had of its taste, texture, color and nostalgic feelings for this childhood favorite. After making four different batches to get the pumpkin jam just right, I can finally say that I am pleased with the results and that this is also a healthier version.

Moraba-ye Kadoo Halvaie - Pumpkin Jam

Ingredients:
Yields: approximately 5 cups

2 1/2 pounds pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cubed
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lime juice
3-4 cardamom pods
2 tablespoons rosewater

Method:

1. In a small, heavy-bottomed pan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved in water, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes or until the syrup slightly thickens. Set aside.
2. Put the pumpkin cubes into a large pot, pour the syrup over it and add the lime juice and cardamom.
3. Bring to a boil for 5-7 minutes on medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, placing the lid slightly open (ajar). Cook for an hour or until they are very soft, gently stirring occasionally.
4.  Add the rosewater in the last 10-15 minutes. You may want to remove the cardamom pods from the jam after cooking.
5. Scoop the jam into clean and dry jars and store the jam in a cool dark place or refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Moraba-ye Zoghal Akhteh - Persian Cornelian Cherry Jam

Moraba-ye Zoghal Akhteh (cornelian cherry jam) recipe was a last-minute decision, as I was through simply eating a handful of these different shades of red, tangy, oval-shaped fresh summer fruits. Cornelian cherries offer numerous health benefits, and their flavor ranges from slightly bitter to tart or pleasantly tart-sweet, depending on their ripeness. With only one bowl of zoghal akhteh left on the kitchen table, I decided to make jam, and I'm happy to say that the jam turned out great. Still, lavashak-e zoghal akhteh (cornelean cherry fruit roll-up) remains my favorite way of eating this amazing fruit.

If I had a zoghal akhteh tree in my backyard, I would spread a malafeh (bedsheet) or a sofreh (tablecloth) beneath it, shake the branches vigorously, and gather the fallen fruit. This small batch, however, was picked from a Cornelian cherry tree on public property in the New York area. I only learned its English name after posting a photo of Zoghal Akhteh on my Facebook page, and thanks to my lovely followers, I finally discovered the correct name. 

Let's hope that in the future, fruit growers and producers make this delicious fruit readily available at farmers' markets here, so we won't have to hang from tree branches in parks and along busy streets. In the meantime, I enjoyed this rare find, and although cornelian cherries are hard to come by and not widely available, I'm happy to share this jam recipe with you. 

For me, zoghal akhteh is deeply reminiscent of hot Tehran summers and the best seasonal snacks and sour treats, walnuts in brine, faloodeh, goojeh sabz (green sour plums), shahtoot (mulberries), and plump dried zoghal akhteh, to name just a few.

I initially tried to remove the pits before cooking, but the Cornelian cherry pits are difficult to dislodge. As I worked, I found myself thinking of all the women that I had watched growing up in Iran, patiently seated around a sofreh, meticulously preparing fruits and vegetables for jams and pickles. Back then, it seemed like a pointless waste of time. 

In recent years, I've become much more attentive to how I cook, and especially over the past three and a half years of blogging, preserving the authenticity of recipes has become increasingly important to me. Long ingredient lists and extended cooking times are no longer overwhelming. Still, after removing a few pits with a small, sharp knife, I opted for a quicker, less tedious method: partially cooking the cherries first and removing the pits afterward. 

My mother always prepared the sugar syrup separately and added it during the cooking process. Since I had already pre-cooked the cherries, however,  I chose to add the sugar directly to the pot to avoid ending up with a runny jam. If you prefer the traditional syrup method, simply combine 2 cups of sugar with 1 cup of water in a small pot, bring to a boil over medium heat, stir until the sugar dissolves completely, and simmer until slightly thickened.

Moraba-ye Zoghal Akhteh - Cornelian Cherry Jam

Ingredients

-4 cups Cornelian cherries, picked over and washed
-2 cups sugar (adjust to taste) 
-Juice of 1 lime
-2 tablespoons rose water
-1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Method:

1. Place the cherries in a non-reactive, heavy-bottomed pot. Add 4 cups of water, bring to a rapid boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Do not leave the pot unattended. Stir frequently and skim off any foam if needed.
2. Set a mesh colander over a large glass bowl. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the contents into the colander.
3. Mash the cornelian cherries with a potato masher or pass them through a food mill to separate and remove the pits.
4. Return the strained liquid to the pot, including any pitted flesh that remains. Add lime juice, sugar, and cardamom powder, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat, add rose water, and simmer on medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes or until the jam thickens.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
6. Pour the jam into a clean glass jar and refrigerate.
7. Serve moraba-ye zoghal akhteh with butter or feta cheese and warm noon barbari or sangak.

Cook's note: You may also use zoghal akhteh whole, without removing the seeds, to preserve their beautiful appearance and make a lovely jam.

Enjoy!

Moraba-ye Beh - Persian Quince Jam with Cardamom and Rose Water

Recently, a reader left a comment on my blog asking for a recipe for quince jam, and that's when I decided to make this gorgeous, colorful, and fragrant preserve while quinces are still in season. مربای به (Persian quince jam) was always part of a typical Persian sobhaneh (breakfast) back home in Iran. breakfast often included freshly baked warm bread, barbari, taftoon, or sangak, straight from the tanoor, a hot cup of freshly brewed chai (tea), sarshir (breakfast cream), panir (my favorite is Lighvan), butter, and honey. 

Among the many jams, quince jam stood out with its beautiful color, aroma. and delicate sweetness. I recommend making a large batch, because this is the kind of jam you'll find yourself eating right out of the jar. I wish I could tell you how long it lasts in the fridge, but after a month, I honestly wouldn't know; it never makes it that long in our house. 

It's truly amazing to watch the transformation of this light yellow, tart, and woody fruit into a sweet fruit jam with a deep, ruby-red color and a texture soft enough to melt in your mouth.

This time of year, when quince is in season, is the perfect time to make the hearty one-pot meal known as tas kabab layered with slices of quince, or the comforting fall favorite khoresh-e beh (quince stew).  Quince has a thin, delicate skin that usually doesn't need to be peeled; just rinse it well, and with a sharp knife, gently remove the core. Don't throw away the seeds! They have long been used in Iranian homes for their medicinal properties. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, a teaspoon of quince seeds steeped in a cup of hot water can help soothe a minor sore throat and chest discomfort.. Nothing from this beautiful fruit goes to waste!

Moraba-ye Beh - Persian Quince Jam

Ingredients

Makes about 4 pint jars 

-7 medium-sized quinces, rinse well under running water, pat dry, remove any brown spots and core, slice or cut into bite-sized pieces
-2 cups sugar (adjust to taste)
-3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
-1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or 2-3 whole cardamom pods 
-1 tablespoon rose water (optional)

- 4 cups of water

Method

1.  Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice over the sliced quince.
2. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and 4 cups of water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, uncovered. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the syrup thickens slightly. 
3. Stir in the cardamom and add the quince slices to the syrup. Bring it back to a gentle boil over medium heat. Add the remaining lemon juice, and if necessary, add a little more water.
4. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours. To achieve that deep ruby-red color, try not to remove the lid during cooking to ensure that the quince slices develop the desired rich color. 
5. Add the rose water and simmer for another few minutes.
6. Remove from heat and let the jam cool.
7. Ladle it into sterilized jars, seal tightly, and refrigerate.

Serve for breakfast with butter, cheese, and warm bread, or as a topping with thick yogurt or vanilla ice cream. 

Enjoy!