Yesterday afternoon, as I was looking in the fridge to see what ingreadients I had, I noticed an open carton of fresh single cream that needed using up. “Stasera faccio un bel apple crumble per dolce” ho pensato (“This evening I’ll make a nice apple crumble for dessert” I thought). But first I needed to acquire some apples, so when I went to the greengrocer to buy some fruit and vegetables, and noticed a small pile of over ripe fruit in a corner, I asked Giovanna if she could throw a few bruised apples in my carrier bag for me. “Facciamo la torta di mele” she commented (“Let’s make an apple cake”), and immediately filled up the whole shopping bag with apples.

So, having made a delicious apple crumble, I’m still left with several kilos of apples that need using up! What shall I make next? La marmellata di mele di Elisa, ovviamente! (Elisa’s apple jam, obviously!) My friend Elisa is from Lecce, in the South of Italy, so she knows some southern Italian recipes which are unfamiliar to me. Last year, as we were exchanging home made jams, she gave me a jar of a particularly tasty apple jam, very different from the one I normally make. Here’s Elisa’s recipe:

Instructions:
Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Put them in a saucepan and add enough water to reach the top of the apple slices. Cover and cook them gently until the apples are soft and mushy. Add the sugar and cinnamon, bring it to boiling point, and leave it to cook until it has reached a nice thick consistency. Remove the cinnamon stick, and pour the hot jam into warm sterilized jars. Seal the jars, and leave the jam to mature for a few weeks before enjoying it.

N.B. If you prefer a smoother, purée like consistency, you can sieve the cooked apples before adding the sugar and cinnamon.

Variation: My usual recipe is very similar, but has two main differences which give it a completely different taste: I use white sugar instead of brown, and slightly more of it (600-700 grams for 1 kg of apples, depending on their sweetness). Then, instead of cinnamon I use the juice and the rind of one untreated (organic) lemon. The cooking process is exactly the same as for Elisa’s jam.

Two different flavours but both equally delicious!