Herb Jam Recipes

MOROCCAN HERB JAM

Steps:

• Put the greens and herbs and garlic cloves all together in a large steamer set over medium-high heat, and steam until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. (If you don't have a steamer, use a large, deep skillet with a lid. Put 2 inches of water in bottom of pan, add greens, cover and cook at a brisk simmer.)
• Set the garlic aside. Drain greens, let cool and squeeze out moisture; pick out the tougher herb stems if necessary. Put greens and herbs on a cutting board and chop very finely with a large knife.
• Put 4 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chiles and let them sizzle without browning (or use a pinch of crushed red pepper), then add the chopped greens, a pinch of salt and half the cumin seeds. The flavor is concentrated by cooking most of the moisture out of the greens; this will take about 10 to 15 minutes. (Stir the herb jam mixture often as the water evaporates; it will want to stick.)
• Turn the heat off but leave the mixture in the pan. Peel the steamed garlic and mash it into the pan along with the olives. Mix everything and taste; add salt as needed, a good splash of olive oil, the pimentón and more cumin to taste. The herb jam should be highly seasoned. Add more chile if it isn't spicy enough. Just before serving, add a squeeze of lemon. Spread on toasted pita or flatbread if desired. The herb jam can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for about 5 days.

HERBY GREEN JAM

Steps:

• Remove the stems from the greens and herbs. Roughly chop or tear the leaves.
• Set a steamer basket in a large saucepan filled with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and add the greens, herbs and garlic. Cover, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until all greens and the garlic are tender, about 10 minutes. (Tougher greens like collards may take 5 minutes more.) Remove from the heat and let the mixture stand until cool enough to handle (it's OK to let it cool all the way too). Chop finely (including the garlic); you're looking to make a rough paste.
• Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the olives and capers if using and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped greens mixture, sugar, red pepper flakes and a large pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until the greens have cooked down and dried out some, about 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning with more salt and sugar if needed.
• Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

WINE AND HERB JELLY

Steps:

• Heat wine and thyme until simmering. Turn off heat, cover and steep for 30 minutes.
• Put a rack or a folded kitchen towel in a large pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. Add 5 quarter-pint canning jars and boil for 10 minutes. Jars may be left in the warm water until ready to be filled. (Alternatively, sterilize jars by running them through a dishwasher, leaving them inside until ready to fill.)
• Place canning rings in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add lids to soften rubber gaskets. Rings and lids may be left in water until jars are filled.
• Remove thyme from wine. It will smell spicy and herbal. In a large heavy, nonreactive pot, stir together wine, lemon juice and pectin. Bring heat to medium high and stir often as mixture comes to a boil.
• When the mixture reaches a boil that cannot be stirred down, add sugar while stirring constantly.
• Heat jelly again to strong, hard boil to reduce the foam. Boil hard for exactly one minute to set the pectin. Turn off heat.
• Add butter and stir well to continue reducing the foam. Remove any remaining foam with a clean spoon.
• Ladle hot jelly into warm jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims clean with a damp towel. Place lids on jars, screw on rings and lower jars back into pot of boiling water. Return to full boil and boil jars for 5 minutes. Transfer jars to a folded towel and cool for 12 hours; you should hear them ping as they seal. Sealed jars are shelf stable for one year.
• Once cool, test seals by removing rings and lifting jars by their flat lids. If the lid releases, the seal has not formed. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within a month, or reprocessed. (Rings and jars may be reused, but a new flat lid must be used each time jars are processed.) To reprocess, reheat to boiling then continue as before.

STRAWBERRY BASIL JAM

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, combine strawberries and butter. Stir in pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar; return to a full rolling boil. Boil and stir 1 minute. Immediately stir in basil., Remove from heat; skim off foam. Ladle hot mixture into 9 hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight., Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

HERB JAM

Steps:

• Place garlic in a large pot. Layer greens and herbs over. Pour 1 cup water over. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and steam until greens and herbs are wilted and garlic is very soft, 20-30 minutes.
• Using tongs, transfer greens and herbs to a medium bowl. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Pick out garlic and transfer to a small bowl; using a fork, smash to a paste.
• Squeeze any excess water out of greens and herbs. Transfer to a cutting board, finely chop, and set aside.
• Wipe out skillet. Heat ½ cup oil over medium-low. Add chile and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and chile has softened, about 1 minute. Add chopped greens and herbs and cook, stirring often, until most of the moisture is cooked out of the greens, 10-15 minutes. Add garlic and coriander. Using a wooden spoon, mash garlic into greens mixture and stir to combine. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until well combined and flavors have melded, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat. Season with salt and stir in lemon juice and remaining ¼ cup oil.
• Spoon ricotta on toast and top with herb jam. Finely zest lemon over.
• Do Ahead: Herb jam can be made 5 days ahead. Wrap in plastic, pressing directly onto surface, and chill. Let jam come to room temperature before using.
• Recipe by Andy Baraghani