Spiced Pumpkin Butter

On the request of the wonderful Amy, i spent the afternoon making my Spiced Pumpkin Butter. I've been told that it tastes exactly the same as the inside of a hot cross bun, it can be used on toast, in pies, eaten from the jar with a spoon, poured over ice cream, mixed into roast vegetables. It's amazing. If sterilized properly, it will keep in glass jars for up to six months.

Here's what i did.

INGREDIENTS

• 2kg pumpkin, de-seeded, peeled and diced into chunks. (Use a Butternut pumpkin, although more expensive, it tastes buttery and divine when it is cooked - I promise)
• 600g sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tbs nutmeg powder
• 6 cloves
• Finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of two lemons.

Peel, de-seed and chop up your pumpkin.







Put the pumpkin in a steamer and steam for about fifteen minutes, or until pumpkin is soft and mushy to touch.







When soft, mash the pumpkin until it resembles a mushy baby food like substance.







Transfer mush into a big pan and add the sugar.







Using a mortar and pestle, or a lot of effort, grind the cloves and the cinnamon into crumbs.







Add the mixed spice, the nutmeg and the extra tsp of ground cinnamon to make a spicy mix.







Zest and squeeze the two lemons.







Add the lemon juice, zest and spice mix to the pumpkin mix and stir thoroughly.








Let the mixture bubble away on low for at least an hour. Stir occasionally and be careful, it will spit at you!







Place your empty jar into a boiling pot of hot water to sterilize. Let it boil away for a few minutes to get rid of all the nasty germs. When ready, use tongs to remove from water and place on a cooling rack to dry. Try not to touch it with your hands to keep it sterile.








When your mixture is nice and thick, spoon it carefully into the still-hot jars. Screw on the lids tightly then put the jars back into the boiling water for a few minutes. This will seal them properly.







I only had two jars in the entire house, what an outrage! I just used two containers and put them straight in the fridge. They won't keep as long at the jars, but the mixture is so delicious, it won't last anyway!


This mixture is ridiculously easy to make, i recommend it. It also makes a perfect gift.
Amy, there is a GIANT jar with your name on it.