Family ties

My mom says that I got the knack for cooking from my grandfather and that always brings a huge smile to my face. I loved my grandfather tremendously. He was a very important figure in my life and a very talented person. He was a painter, a sculptor and a home cook and whenever he was cooking or working on his art, he was always whistling. Sometimes I can still hear his whistle if I close my eyes and concentrate hard enough...






My grandfather loved to cook. He would stay in the kitchen for hours, preparing marmalades and jams, pies and breads, all kinds of savory dishes and desserts. He liked to experiment with different ingredients and he used to watch French cooking shows on satellite tv, trying to pick up new ideas for dishes and constantly coming up with new recipes. What he also did, was make sure to take the credit for whatever he had cooked, letting everyone know that he was the one responsible for the delicious food on the table and not my grandmother. He was funny that way.






He had a summer house by the sea where my brother and I spent every summer with him and my grandmother. He used to dive and catch mussels, clams and octopi for us all the time. There is a specific image of him etched in my mind. He, sitting at the veranda with a big plate of raw, freshly caught clams on his lap, prying them open one by one with the help of a huge knife, squeezing a couple of drops of lemon over them and then quickly sucking them down with a loud, slurping sound.






To him, eating was a ritual. He sat at the head of the table, enjoyed every single bite and he demanded that the bread basket and the bottle of ouzo were always situated next to him. He couldn't live without his crusty bread and his shot of ouzo. The practice of sitting at the dinner table and savoring the meal for more than an hour or sometimes hours if having company, nibbling on various mezedes (plural for mezes) and sipping ouzo, is characteristic of all the Greeks from Constantinople (Istanbul). My grandfather was born and raised in Constantinople or 'Poli' as we Greeks call it for short. He lived there until his mid-30s and then moved to Piraeus, Greece with my grandmother- who was originally a Greek from Poli and the city of Smyrna- and their two children; my mom and my uncle.






What they brought with them, as every other Greek from Poli did, was a food culture very much distinguished from the traditional Greek one. A food culture and a type of cooking influenced and shaped by the intermingling of the traditional Greek culinary customs and those of Anatolia (Asia Minor). The extensive use of spices, the utter importance of food in everyday life, the celebratory way of viewing food in general, are elements that are deeply rooted in my family's culinary consciousness. The type of cooking of the Greeks from Poli is called 'Politiki Cuisine'.
You can catch a glimpse of what it means to be a Greek from Constantinople and the importance of food, in the wonderful Greek movie 'A touch of spice' ('Politiki Kouzina').






I was brought up with that kind of cooking. My earliest memories of food include lots of spices and heavy sauces, an array of dishes, the names of which I couldn't even pronounce because of their Turkish origin, and a reverence toward the ritual of eating, especially when we had guests. The abundance of food served at a gathering was, and still is at such occasions, monumental. If just the main meal and a salad are on the table, it is considered shameful by my grandmother and my mom. They need to have at least five or six dishes of mezedes around to call it a proper meal.






Pastourmas (seasoned air-cured beef), soutzouki (a dry and very spicy sausage), dolmadakia (grape vines stuffed with rice and mint), soutzoukakia (beef patties in a tomato sauce), piazi beans (white bean salad with onions, parsley, olive oil and vinegar), Politiki salad (grated carrot and white cabbage tossed with vinegar and olive oil), eggplant imam baildi (stuffed eggplants with onions and tomato), tas kebab (beef or lamb in a spicy red sauce), hunkiar beyiendi (an eggplant purée with diced meat) are a sample of Politiki Cuisine along with the famous desserts like baklava, ekmek kataifi and a delicious and refreshing drink called airani (yoghurt mixed with water and salt).






I could go on and on with a never-ending list of dishes. I want to dedicate a post to each and every one of them and I will at some point, but as an introduction to Politiki Cuisine I chose one of my favorite dishes in the world; Manti. (Manti is the name of the dish but manti is also the name of each small pouch of filled pasta. The plural is also manti). I am so excited to be sharing this recipe with all of you. Manti are the Greek-Turkish original ravioli or tortellini. I'm sorry to any Italians out there but the Turks came up with this dish first.
Manti is actually a dumpling with a pasta-type dough, filled with ground meat, usually lamb or beef, mixed with spices and it is either boiled, steamed or baked in the oven. It is served with a yoghurt sauce and red pepper and there are versions of it that call for an additional tomato sauce though I find that to be too much.






Making your own dough for the manti is crucial. There are those who use wonton or other ready-made wraps but I prefer the old fashioned way of making my own. It is a fairly easy process of combining flour with water, though you may find that in most Turkish versions of this recipe they tend to add eggs. The Greek version is a bit lighter.
For the filling, I prefer using a mixture of ground beef and pork, bulgur wheat and spices. The pork doubtlessly adds some extra flavor to the manti and the bulgur, which is widely used in Politiki Cuisine, gives a nutty flavor to the overall dish. The filled manti are baked in the oven and once they are almost cooked, they are drenched in beef stock and put again in the oven to soak up all the juices. The dish is served with a sauce of Greek strained yoghurt and mashed garlic and it is topped with ground red hot pepper and sumac.






It is an immensely tasty and aromatic dish and its authenticity and rustic quality makes it unique. The cooked dough is crunchy and browned on top and deliciously moist at the bottom, overflowing with all the scrumptious juices from the meat and melted butter. The nutty flavor of the bulgur is a perfect match for the pungent spices. It has a superb spicy flavor and I have to admit, it is rather heavy. The yoghurt-garlic sauce on top, as well as the red pepper and sumac, add a complexity to the overall dish, giving it a hint of heat, sharpness and acidity, while the yoghurt succeeds in making it a bit lighter.

Delicious, healthy bulgur

Manti is a main dish that will surely fill you up and give you an incomparable tasting experience. It is ideally served with a simple salad of shredded carrot and cabbage dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar. A carafe of ouzo or a tall glass of beer would be a fitting accompaniment to the dish.






Whenever I make this kind of dishes I feel a sense of accomplishment and a connection to my family's roots. I'm sure that if my grandfather was alive he would be very proud of me.
Do you ever feel the same way? Do you have a specific kind of cuisine that links you to your ancestors? Are there dishes that remind you of loved ones?










Politiko Manti (Greek pasta-type dough filled with minced meat and spices with a yoghurt-garlic sauce)

Manti is the name of the dish but manti is also the name of each small pouch of filled pasta. The plural is also manti.

This dish is truly exceptional but it does take a lot of time to prepare.

The recipe calls for beef stock. You can make your own, you can use canned beef stock or cubes.

In case you don't like pork, you can use just ground beef or a mix of ground beef and veal or lamb.

The yoghurt-garlic sauce contains 4 garlic cloves which might sound a lot, but that is the point. This is the way the dish is supposed to be. You can of course use less garlic or even more, depending on how much you enjoy it.

If you can't find the spice sumac, you can substitute with a little freshly grated lemon mixed with a pinch of salt.







Yield: about 65 manti / 6-8 servings

Ingredients

for the dough
500 g all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
280-290 ml tap water

for the filling
300 g ground beef
100 g ground pork
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, grated or finely chopped in the food processor
1/3 cup (65 g) bulgur wheat
2 heaped tsp tomato paste
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

for the yoghurt-garlic sauce
500 g Greek strained yoghurt (preferably full fat)
4 medium-sized garlic cloves

750 ml hot beef stock
30 g unsalted butter at room temperature for greasing the baking dish
45 g plus 30 g melted unsalted butter for brushing the manti
Cayenne pepper, ground (or other red hot pepper such as the Greek boukovo or the Turkish pul biber or aleppo)
Sumac, ground (optional)

Special equipment: small food processor or large grater, large baking dish (the one I used was a 40 x 30 cm ceramic baking dish), garlic press or mortar and pestle, rolling pin


Preparation

Make the dough
In a large bowl, add the flour and salt and mix them with a fork. Make a well in the middle with your hand and add 100 ml of the water. Mix everything with your hands and continue adding water little by little. You might need a little less or a little more water so adding it to the flour a little at a time ensures that you don't end up with a watery and sticky dough.
Continue mixing the water and the flour with your hands until a dough forms. Turn the dough over to a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 8 minutes until you have a tight and firm dough. Place it inside a lightly floured bowl and cover it with a tea towel. Let it rest for 1 - 1 1/2 hours in a cool place (not in the refrigerator).




Make the filling
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the filling and mix everything together with your hands for about 5 minutes, until all the ingredients are well blended. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for half an hour so that the flavors of the filling have a little time to blend.

Make the manti
Lightly dust your work surface, your hands and your rolling pin with flour.
Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces.
Take one piece of dough, roll it in between your hands to make a ball and then roll it out, using the rolling pin, into a large square with a thickness of a little less than 0.5 cm. Then, using a knife, cut the large square into smaller squares (6 x 6 cm). (Make sure the squares are floured enough so that the small manti won't stick together when you place them in the baking dish).

Put a heaped 1/2 tsp of filling at the center of each small square of dough, fold over the dough, creating a rectangle and press all around the edges so that you seal the filling inside the dough. Then take the top two corners of the rectangle and fold them onto one another thus creating a pouch (see the photographs above to get a clear idea of how to make the pouch and what they should look like).

Continue rolling out the rest of the dough pieces, cutting them into 6 x 6 cm squares, filling them and making the small manti.




Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Grease (with 30 g of butter) the bottom and the sides of the baking dish and place each manti (small pouch) inside, arranging the manti one next to the other, and not one on top of the other, until you have filled your baking dish. Also, you must place them in a way that each manti is standing upright, with the filled part of the dough touching the bottom of the baking dish.
When you have filled your baking dish with the manti, brush the tops with 45 g of melted butter and place dish on the lower rack of the oven. Bake the manti for 1 hour until browned.

Note: Once they are ready you must also have ready the hot beef stock.

Take the baking dish out of the oven and turn the heat up to 220 degrees Celsius.
Pour the hot beef stock over the manti, brush the tops again with 30 g of melted butter and place the baking dish back in the oven, on the middle rack. Bake for further 15-20 minutes until the manti have soaked up the beef stock.

Make the yoghurt-garlic sauce
Mash the garlic cloves with a mortar and pestle or using a garlic press. In a medium-sized bowl, add the yoghurt and the mashed garlic and mix with a spoon. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Once manti is ready, take the baking dish out of the oven, and place manti on individual plates. Top with 3 - 4 Tbsp of the yoghurt-garlic sauce and sprinkle with cayenne pepper or other hot red pepper as well as with sumac, if using.

Serve immediately.

Risky kitchen business

Cooking is a wonderful process, activity, hobby, necessity, flirtatious pastime, love affair, obsession. It entails creativity, imagination, the use of most of the senses, it's inspiring, satisfying, fun. But you know what else? Cooking can also be painful.






A couple of days ago, as I was contemplating the oh so common topic of what-will-I-cook-today I thought, "What's a better meal for a sunny, summer day than a bowl of fresh peas cooked with spring onions, olive oil and dill?". Yes, the idea was perfect, a meal that would certainly satisfy my number one demanding 'customer', my boyfriend. We love these vegetarian dishes, especially during the summer. They're fulfilling yet light and surely not one of those that make you want to lie on the couch for the rest of the day.






It's been one of my favorite meals ever since I was a kid. My mom made it for me and my brother all the time when we were growing up and, as with so many other dishes that my mom prepared for us, I've incorporated this one also into my repertoire of easy, quick and gratifying recipes. But I'm getting carried away here. This is not about the peas or the recipe for the peas- which will come at some point, I promise- or my mother's great talent at succeeding in feeding me healthy food. No, this is about pain. The pain associated with food preparation.






So, my peas were bubbling away on the stove top, I was listening to 'All of me' by Billie Holiday on the radio and I reached for my big Japanese vegetable knife that my uncle gave me as a Christmas present last year. I wanted to add the dill at the very end of the cooking process so I began chopping away the spiky, green dill strands while thinking to myself, "Gosh, this knife cuts like a dream, I have to be careful not to cut my fingeeeeers"... and it happened. Yes, I cut my finger. I actually cut my nail as well as my finger. It was painful and I totally freaked out but, fortunately, it turned out it wasn't that deep a cut. What angered me the most was that I had ruined my dill!






S. says that sometimes I'm a hazard to myself in the kitchen and since this was not my first unfortunate incident with knives, I tend to agree with him. I go around thinking, "I got it, I can chop like a pro" and then things like this happen and I realize that I'm not. What's the obvious moral here? Be careful when handling knives! I think it'll get through to me someday.






When I manage to surpass my knife handling issues, I do produce some pretty decent food. Take this combination for example. Fried calamari rings and tentacles with a homemade saffron mayonnaise. A totally Mediterranean dish, a complete and utter delight.






I love calamari (squid) or 'kalamaraki' as it is called in Greek, especially when it's fresh. Whenever I can find large calamari, I prefer to stuff them with a mix of green bell peppers and feta and cook them on the grill. But when I buy the smaller ones, there's really no other option than to coat them in flour and fry them, which is the classic Greek way of preparing calamari, the original mezes, served with lemon wedges and accompanied by a shot of ouzo.






This time though, I wanted something different to pair with my fried calamari. A while ago, as I was going through the myriad of recipes I want to cook someday, I stumbled upon one for homemade mayonnaise using saffron so I immediately thought of that.






Saffron (named 'krokos' in Greek), the Mediterranean miracle flower, with its valuable antithrombotic, anticancerous and antioxidant qualities, is being produced in Greece since the 17th century. It is biologically produced specifically in the small village of Krokos in Kozani county of northern Greece and it is considered to be one of the most intense and supreme varieties of saffron in the world. That is the variety I used for my mayonnaise.






Homemade mayonnaise is by far superior in taste and texture to the store bought type, not to mention that it is healthier since it doesn't contain any preservatives or additives. Egg, mustard powder, olive and sunflower oil, lemon juice, saffron. A few simple ingredients and an extraordinary one, whipped up together, producing a magnificently delicious and luscious condiment. This mayo is sharp, slightly sweet and light, so much lighter than the ordinary mayo, with a smooth and creamy texture. The saffron is a strong spice but the addition of only one pinch ensures its discrete presence. It is noticeable as an aftertaste, allowing the olive oil, lemon and the hint of mustard to shine as the prominent flavors.






Use this mayo in a grilled chicken sandwich, slathered on top of a burger patty, or mixed in a green salad. There are innumerable ways to use it, but the combination with the fried calamari is superb. The crunchiness of the scrumptious seafood pairs beautifully with the velvety mayonnaise and the unique flavor of the calamari is a perfect match for the piquant mayo. Ideally served as a mezes, with ouzo or a cold beer, this combination can also be served as a main meal alongside some French fries and a Greek salad.










Kalamarakia Tiganita me Spitiki Magioneza me Safran (Greek Fried Calamari with Homemade Saffron Mayonnaise)
Saffron mayonnaise recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Homemade mayonnaise is a really special treat but I would like to stress the fact that it contains a raw egg. This means that it should not be consumed by pregnant women, infants, people who have problems with their immune system or the elderly.

It is essential that the egg you use for the mayonnaise is super fresh. Don't use old eggs!

I used saffron threads for the mayonnaise but you can also use saffron powder. I prefer the saffron threads since they have a significantly stronger and richer flavor than the powder.

I used a hand held mixer to prepare the mayo but you can also use a blender or a food processor.







Yield: 4 first-course servings / 1 heaped cup of mayonnaise

Ingredients

for the saffron mayonnaise
1 large fresh egg
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 heaped tsp dried mustard
120 ml (1/2 cup) light olive oil
120 ml (1/2 cup) sunflower oil
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
A pinch of saffron threads ( about 20 saffron threads or 1/16 tsp saffron powder)

for the calamari
500 g fresh or frozen* calamari with tentacles (about 12-14 cm in length and 4 cm in width)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
900 ml sunflower oil

Special equipment: hand held mixer, sieve.

Preparation

for the saffron mayonnaise
Combine the olive and sunflower oil in a jug.

Important note: Once you start mixing the ingredients for the mayonnaise with the hand held mixer, you must not stop the machine at any time. This is crucial for the success of your mayo, since it might split or curdle, so have the ingredients prepared and lined up on your work surface before you start preparing the mayonnaise.




In a small bowl, add 1 tsp of lemon juice and the saffron threads. Let the saffron steep for 15 minutes, until the liquid turns a yellow-orange color. Then strain the mixture into another small bowl, discard the saffron threads and reserve the liquid.
If you're using saffron powder, do not strain the mixture. Just stir to dissolve the powder in the lemon juice.

In a medium-sized bowl, place egg, mustard powder and salt and, using a hand held mixer, beat everything on high speed until you have a pale golden and foamy mixture, about 2 minutes.
With the mixer still running, add the combined oils (about 60 ml of the oil), one drop at a time until the mixture begins to thicken. You must not stop the machine at any time during this whole process.

Pour the remaining oil in the mixture, in a slow, steady stream and keep mixing until all of the oil is incorporated in the mixture.

With the mixer still running, add 1 Tbsp lemon juice gradually, a couple of drops at a time until incorporated and you have a smooth, creamy mayonnaise.

Drizzle in the saffron-infused liquid and combine with a rubber spatula. Check for seasoning, place mayonnaise in an airtight container and refrigerate to firm up.

You can keep mayonnaise in the refrigerator for 3 days.

for calamari
In a medium-sized baking tray, place the flour, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix everything together. Set aside.

Rinse the calamari well under running water and cut them into 1.5 cm-thick rings. Keep the tentacles intact.
Place calamari on paper towels to dry a little (don't dry them completely otherwise the flour won't stick to them), place them in the baking tray and coat them with the flour mixture. Then put them in a sieve, slightly shake them around so that any excess flour passes through the sieve and set aside.

Heat sunflower oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. You can check if the oil is ready for frying by dropping in it a 2.5 cm cube of white bread and if it browns in 60 seconds, it is ready. If it browns in less time then your oil is too hot!

Deep fry the calamari in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan because they will not be uniformly fried. Fry them for 2-3 minutes. In case your calamari is bigger in size you will need to adjust the frying time. Keep in mind though that, if you fry them for too long they will become tough and chewy.

Remove fried calamari from the pan with the help of a slotted spoon, place them on paper towels to drain excess oil and check for seasoning.

Serve them while still hot along with the saffron mayonnaise.






*If you're using frozen calamari you need to defrost them first. It's best to take them out of the freezer the previous night and put them in your fridge. This way, the defrosting will be gradual and not abrupt. Take them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before you need to prepare them for frying.

Tomato happy

Last week, as I was preparing a horiatiki salata (Greek salad) for dinner, a sweet smell hit me as I was cutting into one of the tomatoes. Juices came running down my fingers and I immediately brought a wedge to my mouth. As I tasted it, it dawned on me. The tomato season has started!






I get so excited when I taste the first tomatoes of summer. Their flavor is infinitely superior to the ones you've been eating all winter long, that they suddenly seem like the sweetest thing you've ever had the pleasure of introducing to your taste buds. Ranging from pale golden to bright red and to glossy burgundy they are what summer is all about. That day, the salad was preferred to the main meal.






In Greek cuisine, there is a multitude of ways to use the simple tomato fruit; well it technically is a fruit after all. Apart from the famous Greek salad that every person who ever visited Greece is familiar with, there is the traditional dish of gemista, one of my all time favorite dishes, which is baked tomatoes stuffed with minced meat and rice and then there's every other Greek dish that includes tomatoes, which is almost 80% of your typical Greek dishes.






The Greek variety of beefsteak tomato that comes from the beautiful island of Crete is incredibly flavorsome and widely used but the most exquisite and rare variety of Greek tomatoes is that of the cherry tomato of Santorini island, also known as tomatini. Being smaller than the normal cherry tomato and having slightly flat sides, this unique variety has very thick skin, is extremely flavorful with both sweet and sour notes and highly aromatic.






Grown exclusively in Santorini, this variety is being harvested on anhydrous and volcanic soil and the tomatoes manage to acquire the necessary moisture they need for their survival from the mist that spreads over the island during the night. It has been found that this variety has more vitamin C than the average tomato and it has also been shown to contain the largest amount of lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable. Tomato paste is also produced from this small miracle of a tomato.






The cherry tomatoes of Santorini have been cultivated there since 1875 and by the 20th century there were almost 20,000 acres of land that were being harvested and fourteen tomato processing factories that were in operation. A massive earthquake in 1956 that caused great damage to the land as well as the rise in tourism, struck a blow to the tomato farming industry leaving only a few acres of land to be cultivated, a few islanders interested in continuing the tomato farming tradition and one processing factory still in operation. Most of these factories have now been converted to restaurants or bars.






I wish I could find these glorious miniature-sized fresh Santorini tomatoes in Holland but unfortunately I can't- they are even scarce in Greece. I have to settle for the normal cherry tomatoes which, in all fairness, are not at all bad but indeed quite delicious. I love using them in all kinds of salads, savory tarts and sauces, roasting them in the oven with lots of herbs, or stuffing them with cheese. Recently though, I discovered another way of enjoying these bright little jewels; by making tomato jam.






I love savory jams and chutneys. I think they are the best accompaniment to so many dishes that they are definitely worth making a batch of every now and then and keep in the fridge to spice up all kinds of boring dishes.
This cherry tomato jam has a vibrant red color and a sweet and slightly sour flavor with a hint of heat. Its jammy texture is well contrasted by the small shallot wedges and garlic slices and its powerful aromas are able to excite the senses. The combination of ingredients in this jam is uniquely straightforward. Tomatoes, shallots, garlic, sugar, vinegar, olive oil. You could make a simple salad with these ingredients and yet, by cooking them all together in a specific way, you end up with a delicious and original condiment.






Feel free to use different kinds of tomatoes for this jam, mince the garlic or remove it completely, finely chop the shallot if you don't like its texture (like my boyfriend), add more heat, add more spices (cumin or cinnamon or both would be great in this), herbs (like dried oregano or thyme), substitute vinegar for lemon or even lime juice. Play with it.




Play with pairings for this jam. I used it to enliven the taste of a plain roasted chicken and it was a hit. I served it on top of crostini with a little crumbled feta and a sprinkling of Greek dried oregano as an appetizer and it was fantastic. I substituted the boring and uninspiring ketchup in my homemade burgers with the zingy and fresh taste of this tomato jam and it was exceptional. There is so much more you can do with it. Just use your imagination.










Cherry Tomato Jam
Adapted from Donna Hay

This is a quick and easy recipe. It doesn't require a lot of prep work and the jam takes only 40-45 minutes to cook.

The cherry tomatoes need to be deseeded because they contain a lot of water but not peeled. I don't mind tomato skins in the jam at all but in case you do, go right ahead and peel them.
You can also use plum (Roma) instead of cherry tomatoes though they might require more cooking time (about 1 hour).






Yield: 1 heaped cup

Ingredients
500 g fresh cherry tomatoes
4 small shallots (around 70 g), peeled and quartered
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
75 g caster (superfine) sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder*
1/2 tsp sea salt

Preparation

Deseeding the cherry tomatoes
Make sure you wear an apron when you deseed the cherry tomatoes because this might get a bit messy. Some seeds may fly around once you crush the tomatoes!

Rinse the cherry tomatoes well under running water, remove their stems, put them in a colander and place it in your sink or over a big bowl. Gently crush the tomatoes, using your hands or a potato masher, allowing the seeds and water to run out of them. Once you've deseeded all of them, shake the colander well so that any seeds or water drains out.

Make the jam
Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes or until soft and translucent.
Add the deseeded cherry tomatoes, red wine vinegar, sugar, cayenne pepper and salt and bring to the boil over medium-high heat.
Then lower heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally and making sure the mixture doesn't get burned, for 40-45 minutes or until mixture has thickened and has the consistency of jam.
Remove saucepan from heat and if you want to serve the jam the same day, let it cool completely.

If you want to store or preserve it, take a hot sterilized glass jar- making sure you're not touching the inside of the jar- and fill it with the still hot jam. Secure the lid tightly and put the jar in a cool, dry place for storage.
You may keep an unopened sterilized jar of this jam in a dark and cool place for up to a year.

Once you open a jar, you have to immediately refrigerate it. It will keep for about 2-3 weeks, as long as you don't contaminate it with dirty spoons or hands.
(Read this)






How to sterilize glass jars
Sterilizing jars is extremely important if you wish to preserve jams. It is unhealthy and risky to store jams in unsterilized glass jars.
Preheat your oven to 100 degrees Celsius. Wash the jars and lids with soap in hot water. Put them, while still damp and without touching the inside of the jars and lids, on a baking tray, open sides up, and into the oven for 35 minutes. Take them out of the oven, fill jars with the hot cooked product and seal the lids immediately.

*In case you don't like the heat of the cayenne pepper- even though it is quite subtle in this recipe- you can substitute it with 1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper.