Dulce de Manzana

One of the great benefits of living in Asturias is the abundance of apples in every hamlet, village, and town. Asturias has almost as many apple recipes as the States does (though the absence of a proper apple pie and the dearth of apple sauce are confounding to me).

I make this spread with a mix of whatever apples I collect from the older trees of unknown variety around my farm. You can make it at home with any apples you can buy at the store. For a more authentic flavor, use a tart apple like a Granny Smith.

Ingredients

• 1 kg apples
• 700 g sugar
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 100 ml water

Instructions

1. Wash and core your apples, but do not peel them. We need all the pectin that the peels can provide to get this jelly to set right.
2. Cut the apples into chunks and put them in a large, heavy bottomed pot.
3. Add the juice and zest of one lemon and 100 ml of water.
4. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very soft; approximately 30 minutes.
5. Pass the apples through a blender (or use an immersion blender) to make a very fine puree.
6. Return them to the pot along with the 700 g of sugar, and lower the heat.
7. Cook gently, stirring very frequently to keep it from scorching, until a spoon stuck into the pot will stand up on its own (approximately 90 minutes)
8. Pour the apple mixture into glass or heavy plastic containers to let cool

Notes

• Dulce de manzana is a necessity for an Asturian cheese plate, and pairs particularly well with strong blue cheeses.
• It is also excellent smeared on some good bread, for breakfast or a snack