Ingredients
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1 kg Watermelon Rindcleaned
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1.35 kg Granulated Sugar
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3 tbsp Baking Soda
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15 cups Water
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1 leaf Unsprayed Rose Gernanium(or a small cinnamon stick)
Directions
This recipe will appeal to the frugile minded.
Garpiz Murebbesi is preserved watermelon rind! This certainly ends up in the bin in our house, but if you just peel off the green skin you can use the white flesh to make this preserve. In Azerbijan, Garpiz Murebbesi is usually served in ‘a preserves bowl with strong black tea’ for desert. We tried it as a desert, but it seemed more like a marmalade so put some on toast and enjoyed it that way too.
The downside of this recipe is that it is quite time consuming, but making any preserve usually is. I think the overall look of the preserve would be improve by using the crinkle cutter as advised in the recipe. Also we had quite a small watermelon so the rind was not very thick which meant we ended up with thin chunks. Still, it tasted good.
Steps
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1
Done
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Remove the flesh of the watermelon and peel off the green skin leaving behind the white part of the rind. |
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2
Done
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Use a crinkle cutter to cut the rind into rectangles or squares about 1 inch long. |
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3
Done
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Place the rind in a large bowl. Pour in enough cold water to cover the rind and sprinkle 3 tbsp. of baking soda on top. Leave for 2 hours. |
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4
Done
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Drain the rind, rinse thoroughly under running water and drain again. |
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5
Done
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Place the rind in a preserving pan. Pour in enough water to cover the rind. Bring to the boil over a medium heat and continue to boil for 2 minutes, then drain the rind in a large colander. Return the rind to the pan and repeat. |
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6
Done
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Return the rind to the pan and add the sugar and water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Maintain a gentle simmer and cook the preserves, uncovered for 2 hours 45 minutes. Add the geranium leaf or a cinnamon stick or cloves (we chose cinnamon) and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the rind is golden and transparent and the syrup has reduced. (Be careful not to overcook or it will crystalize – if this happens add a cup of water to the pan, bring to the boil and then remove the pan from the heat.) |
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7
Done
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When the preserves are golden and transparent, remove from the heat. Discard the geranium leaf or spices. Leave to cool in the pan. |
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8
Done
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Spoon into sterilized preserves jar, making sure the syrup covers the rind. Seal it tightly. Keep in a cool, dry place. |
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9
Done
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Serve in a round preserve bowl. |
