(Italian sweet fruit pickles without mustard - Traditional recipe)

Time: preparation -20 minutes ........ cooking - 2 hours and 30 minutes 2 kg (4 1/2 lb) black grapes 500 g (18 oz) "renette" apples 1 "cotogna" pear 200 g ( 7 oz) little green figs with thin peel 300 g ( 10 1/2 oz) little pears 5 cm (2 in) cinnamon stick 10 cloves 100 g ( 3 1/2 oz) shelled walnuts Glass jars, well washed and dried Medium difficulty

  Spoon measures are American spoons, that is standard cook's measuring spoons used in USA.
  The best plan is to regard 2 American teaspoons or tablespoons as 1 English teaspoon or tablespoon (eating spoons)

This is an Italian sweet "mostarda" made with fruit cooked in the must.
Choose the largest and firmest grapes, wash them and remove the berries from their stalk.
Pass the berries through a moulilegumes or mash, then sieve to remove their seeds.
Pour the must you've obtained into a saucepan; add the "cotogna" pear, cubed, and then cloves and cinnamon closed in a gauze little bag (you have to remove this little bag when the cooking is completed).
Bring to the boil; when the mixture begins boiling, lower the heat to just simmering point, half-cover and leave to cook for about half an hour.
Then add the pears and apples, peeled and sliced, and keep on cooking for half an hour.
At this point add the green figs; don't peel the green figs! You have to clean them with absorbent kitchen paper. Keep on cooking for half an hour.
This kind of Italian "mostarda" is like a jam.
Let's cool "mostarda" and then fold in the walnuts, shelled and chopped.
Fill some glass jars with "mostarda"; cork hermetically and sterilize them (let them boil for 40-50 minutes).

This Italian sweet "mostarda" is very appetizing. You can enjoy it on slices of buttered toasted bread (but in this case the recipe becomes rich in cholesterol - this kind of "mostarda" is lacking in it).
You can also enjoy it with boiled meat (typical way of eating it in Piedmont).

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