Magiun de prune cu nucă, Romanian plum and walnut preserve

Name: Magiun de prune cu nucă, Romanian plum and walnut preserve
Ingredients: 1500 g plums weighed with pits; 450 g sugar; 2 cinnamon sticks; 1 lemon; 50 g walnut kernels

Jam - Magiun de prune cu nucă, Romanian plum and walnut preserve by Codrina P. - Recipia

Magiun de prune cu nucă, a Romanian plum and walnut preserve, slowly thickens as ripe plums release their juices, with lemon and cinnamon in the background. It was one of my favorite jams as a child, and I’ve always liked the walnut version even more. I like to spread it thickly on toast. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: 125 minutes. Total time: 145 minutes. Servings: 32. Approximately 90 kcal and 0.6 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

1500 g plums weighed with pits
450 g sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 lemon
50 g walnut kernels

Preparation

1. Wash the plums, remove the pits and chop the flesh. Zest the lemon and squeeze the juice. 2. Put the plums in a cauldron or a double-bottomed pot with a nonstick coating. Add the sugar and the 2 cinnamon sticks, then cook over medium heat for about 2 hours, stirring often. At first, skim off the foam that collects on top. The preserve should be thickened but still slightly runny. 3. Grind the walnuts and add them to the pot, along with the lemon zest and juice. Remove the cinnamon sticks and cook for 5 more minutes. 4. Take the pot off the heat and spoon the preserve into sterilized jars. It will thicken once it has cooled completely.

Notes

I serve it with plain pancakes, with a teaspoonful on each plate. I keep the opened jar in the fridge and use a clean spoon to serve it. Ripe but still firm plums are easy to chop; if they’re very juicy, the cooking time may be longer. A wok can also take the place of the cauldron or double-bottomed pot, as long as there’s enough room to stir. Sometimes the white layer beneath the lemon peel ends up on the grater and makes the preserve taste bitter, so grate only the colored part. You can leave out the walnuts for a version without them; the walnut preserve contains walnuts, an allergen. The final amount is around 800 g, enough for two 400 g jars and a little extra.