Spiced Pumpkin Marmalade Spread

Don't hate me, but pumpkins are not my favourite vegetable (I can almost hear the cries of "nooooo" right now), but each year I give them a go, hoping I'll find a recipe that blows my mind and put these amazing veggies back on the menu.

I think I've finally found THE recipe.

Off we went to our local pick-your-own farm to see what pumpkins we could find, so come and join me as we make spiced pumpkin marmalade spread.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large pumpkin - we picked out a Hungarian Blue (total weight of fruit was 4.2kg)
• 3 oranges
• 3 lemons
• Spice mix - I used 1 tbsp of cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg
• Sugar (I used 2 kg in total)

TOOLS:

• Large pan, preferably one designed for cooking jam
• Small saucepan
• Very sharp knife
• Preserving jars & lids
• Spoon
• Ladle
• Sterilised jars & lids
• Jam funnel (optional but does make life easier)
• Tray
• Jam jar tongs
• Heat resistant gloves - those jars get super hot (I've got special ones for jam making)

1. There is a LOT of chopping in this recipe, but after that it's plain sailing.
2. Scrub the skins of your oranges and lemons, quarter, remove seeds and finely slice. Add to your pan.
3. Now to tackle the pumpkin. You need to remove ALL of the skin and seeds. Chop the flesh into large cubes and add to your pan.
4. I washed and dry roasted the seeds in the oven, they make a healthy and tasty snack.

We don't like really sweet jams in our family, so my sugar quantity tends to be on the lower side compared to most jam recipes. I think this works better because you actually taste the fruit and spices you are using, rather than just a sweet flavoured syrup.

After trimming and chopping the pumpkin and citrus fruit I had 4.6kg in the pan. To this I added 2 kg of sugar, plus the spices. Give everything a good mix around, then cover and leave for 24 hrs. This allows the sugar, spices and fruit to macerate and infuse.

You'll notice after 24 hours there is a LOT of liquid in the pan and of course the smell is DIVINE.

1. All you need to do now is put the pan on the heat. Start slow, you just want a small simmer, not a fast boil, this allows the hard pumpkin to really soften, without losing too much of the liquid.
2. Don't forget pumpkin is quite a starchy vegetable (well it's a fruit really but hey that's another story), therefore your jam will naturally thicken by itself.
3. Once the pumpkin is soft, you can either use a blender and achieve a really smooth consistency, or just take a potato masher to break up the pumpkin cubes. I wanted to make sure the lemon and orange pieces were still visible, like you see in a marmalade, so I used my hand masher.
4. At this stage the consistency is really thick, this is exactly what I wanted, but obviously if you prefer your marmalade/spread a bit thinner, then all you need to do is add in freshly boiled water.
5. DON'T FORGET TO TASTE! If you prefer your jams sweeter or spicier then add more sugar and spice here and cook a little further so the sugar and/or spice are fully dissolved and incorporated.

1. All you need to do now is get canning.
2. I wash my jars, put the lids into a casserole, fill with water and sterilise by boiling for 10-15 minutes and the jars I put on a tray and into the oven at 150°C for 30 minutes.
3. CAUTION: everything is piping hot, the jam and the jars, this is why I wear heat resistant gloves. Not only do they stop me from getting burnt but they also allow me to safely hold the jars.
4. Using a ladle and a funnel, fill your jars. Don't forget to tap gently the jars to remove any air pockets.
5. Place a lid onto each jar and then sterilise either in a large pan with water or if you have a steriliser follow the manufacturer instructions. I used a large pan and placed a thick cloth on the bottom to prevent the jars from touching the bottom of the pan.
6. Fill with water and make sure to fully submerge your jars in the water, at least 4-5 cm of water above the lid levels.
7. Since my jam is quite thick and my jars small I knew it wouldn't take long to sterilise, once the water came to the boil, I left them to simmer for 20 minutes.
8. Remove and allow to fully cool before storing and labeling.

Once cooled you can experiment and use the marmalade spread for both sweet and savoury dishes as a condiment, sauce or even a filling.

Our first taste test were crepes and it had a big thumbs up from all the family. So much so we went out and picked another pumpkin to make more.