Braised Baby Lettuce
If you aren't sold on the idea of salad, you can cook your lettuce. This speedy cooking method keeps the lettuce quite crisp and it is a good side dish with a Chinese-style meal.
Strawberry Jam
Make the strawberry season last all year long with this easy strawberry jam. This is a good way to use up under-ripe or tart strawberries - freeze them until you have enough to make a batch of jam.
Don’t lose track while you’re cooking, click on an ingredient or step to tick it off so you know where you are up to.
Ingredients
- 2kg strawberries (under-ripe strawberries are better)
- 1.6kg sugar (or jam setting sugar)
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 packet pectin (not needed if using jam setting sugar)
Method
- Remove stems and chop the strawberries.
- Place the strawberries in a preserving pan or pot with about 1/2 cup of water. (If the berries have been frozen, you don’t need to add any water).
- Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes until the fruit is soft.
- Mash with a masher to the desired texture. Some people prefer jam with chunks of strawberries, whereas others prefer a smoother consistency.
- Add sugar, lemon juice and pectin, if using. Increase the heat and boil jam. Test the jam after 10 minutes (see tips for how to test) and continue to test until desired set is reached.
- Bottle into hot, sterile jars.
- The jam should keep for up to a year in the pantry.