Loquat and Mulberry Jam -- a riff on a Pinedo recipe

When I tried this recipe from Encarnacion Pinedo's book, Pear and Fig Jam, (visit here to see it) it turned out wonderfully and also surprised me.  I had expected the pear to add a background note to the fig, but the recipe had me candy the pear chunks first, then embed them in the fig jam.  

This technique intrigued me, and I wondered how I could apply it to other fruits.  

My loquat tree is producing great quantities after the wet winter, and my mulberry tree is mature enough to produce well, too.  I decided to try candying the loquat chunks and embedding them in a mulberry jam.  Why not?

My Recipe

2 pounds, 3 ounces mulberries

3 pounds, 8 ounces loquats (weight before removing seeds and most of the peels; 1 lb, 12 oz after)

3 cups water

1 pound sugar

a splash of lemon juice

Mmmm.  Loquats and mulberries!

Loquats halved, seeded, and peeled

Mix the water and sugar.  Bring to a boil and hold it there for 2 minutes.

Cut the loquats into small chunks and add to the sugar syrup.  

Bring to a boil and then simmer for two hours.  I noted the temperature reached about 200 degrees F, the syrup was getting thick, and the loquats looked candied.

Cut the mulberries into small chunks if they aren't already small.  (Mine are Pakistani mulberries, so they are long.)  Add to the loquats.

Add the lemon juice.  Stir it in.

Continue to simmer until the temperature reached 210 degrees F, then remove it from the heat.

Put into jars.

Loquat chunks, nearly candied

Mulberries ready for the pot.

Finished jam

The Verdict

The color is a lovely dark red, the seeds from the mulberries and the orange loquat chunks add visual texture.  The scent is of mulberries but also a little something else.

The flavor is absolutely luscious.  Mulberries with little bursts of loquat, and it is sweet but not overly so.  The splash of lemon juice was a good choice -- while the lemon flavor is not discernable, the acidity helps the jam from being too sweet.

Oh my, success.  Wonderful success!  I would do it again if I can get enough mulberries at one time.  

I'm glad I was able to make this technique work.  Now I wonder what other combinations would be good?  Also, if mulberries aren't available, I think blackberries would also work well.

Later I made a jam from mostly loquats with a small handful of mulberries and a splash of lime juice.  The loquats didn't break up in the cooking process, so I used a stick blender and pureed the mixture once it cooked to about 210 degrees F.  This made it more like a spread or a fruit butter, and it was also very tasty.  I do love loquats.

Fish in Fine Marinade -- a Pinedo recipe

It is time for another Pinedo recipe!  (See the key words list to the side for the word "Pinedo" for the others.)

I knew I was going to be near a fish market, so I planned ahead to buy some sort of fish there for a Pinedo recipe.  I was hoping to get some whole fish, but to no avail.  They did have rockfish, which Miss Pinedo references in a number of recipes, so I bought 0.84 pounds of it (four filets) and chose this recipe on page 200:

My Translation

Fish in fine marinade.

         This marinade is composed of hyssop or peppermint and garlic, all finely chopped; salt, vinegar and pepper and some other spices if you like.

         The fish is put in large pieces in a casserole in layers, one with fish and another with onion, mint, tomato juice, salt, pepper and garlic; drizzle with vinegar and oil.

         Cook the well-covered casserole over a low heat for two or three hours.

My Redaction

0.84 pounds rockfish filets (or about that much, and any kind of mild, white fish)

6 ounces tomato juice

1 medium brown onion, peeled, halved, then thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, finely crushed

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Start the oven preheating to 300 degrees F.  Choose a lidded casserole dish whose size is appropriate to the amount of fish you have.

Mix garlic, mint, salt, and pepper, then add the tomato juice and mix again.  This is the marinade.  Set it aside.

Mix the olive oil and vinegar, then set aside.

Oil the bottom of the casserole with a little olive oil.  Put in two fish filets to cover the bottom.

Spread half of the sliced onions over the top of the fish.  Pour half of the marinade over the top of that.  Then pour half of the olive oil and vinegar mixture on that.  (This is how I interpreted "drizzle.")

Repeat the layering with the rest of the fish, onions, marinade, and oil-and-vinegar mixture.

Put the lid on the casserole and bake for 1 hour.  

My Notes

My hyssop plant isn't big enough to harvest from yet, so I got some fresh mint from my garden.

I didn't have tomato juice by itself or even fresh tomatoes from which to make juice.  So I opened a can of stewed tomatoes and used the juice from that.  (The tomatoes themselves made a sauce for a side dish with the fish.)

*True confessions:  The stewed tomatoes had some celery flavor in it, but I didn't think it would make much of an impact on the overall flavor of the fish dish.

I estimated the quantities of flavors in the tomato juice by recalling that Miss Pinedo cautioned her readers to only use a few cloves in any recipe.  I thought one tablespoon of finely chopped mint would be enough to taste without being overwhelming.  Marinades are typically strong in flavor before cooking, so that was my goal.

Yes, that finely chopped!

Garlic, mint, salt, and pepper mixed.

The marinade

First layer:  the fish

Then the onions

With the marinade

Finally, with the oil and vinegar.

A second layer, ready for the oven

After one hour of baking.

The Verdict

I served it with a side dish of potatoes that were baked, then sliced and slowly fried in a cast iron pan with olive oil.  I made a sauce of the stewed tomatoes that were pureed and mixed with garlic, salt, and pepper.  This was poured over the potatoes in the pan, then the whole thing was topped with shredded asiago cheese.  I covered the pan and let it cook slowly to fry the potato bottoms, heat the sauce, and melt the cheese.

Potatoes on the left, fish on the right.

The fish in fine marinade was very good!  I am becoming convinced that cooking fish immersed in liquid makes it nearly impossible to overcook the fish.  Usually fish cooks quickly but I baked it for one hour -- it was done perfectly, moist and tender.  I suspect the long cooking time gave the onion a chance to soften and get a mellow flavor.

One serving.  Wine included but not in the picture.

Fish is cooked and moist.

I was intrigued by the use of the mint in the marinade.  I don't think I've ever had fish cooked with mint before, and I was not disappointed.  Its flavor was not strong -- it was really just a hint of mint, a lot like a tingle on the tongue while eating a bite.  I actually think doubling the amount of mint would be good, just to give it more of a leading role in the flavor profile.  

The garlic taste was there, but not overwhelming.  I think it was balanced in the mix.  The onions were subtle, too.  I didn't not taste the vinegar, but I think the balance would have been lacking without it. 

I believe I could have used half the amount of oil and vinegar and still have a good outcome.  That would fit better with the idea of "drizzle" as she specified. 

Viewed as a whole, the fish in its sauce was tasty and we enjoyed it very much.  My guest taster said, "If I was served this in a restaurant, I would not be unhappy."  In other words, it wasn't Earth-shattering or an amazing meal, but it was a good meal.  The potato side dish was a good pairing.  We had both parts for two meals, and enjoyed them both times.

Miss Pinedo was cooking for a large family, so I suspect she could put many layers together in a big pan, put it over a slow fire, and go do other things while it cooked.  A large quantity would benefit from cooking for two to three hours as she specified.  She would still serve a delicious main course, with time to fix side dishes or perhaps work on writing her cookbook.

Success!