RACHELI - OLD TRADITIONAL RECIPE FOR PUMPKIN PRESERVE

This recipe is old, Macedonian, well-known to everyone. Preparing pumpkin preserve this way, with this look and taste is a real art. Our grandmothers tough us of this specific way of making pumpkin sweet using a quicklime water. I know many of you would be shocked and surprised of using quicklime in making food :) Don't forget that lime is completely natural mineral. We're using lime water to give the pumpkin a little bit crunchy feeling in your mouth and to keep pieces whole.


Ingredients:

• 1 kg of sweet pumpkin
• 1.25 kg of sugar
• 1 lemon
• 2 liters water and 250 g quicklime (calcium oxide) for the lime water
• 1 liter water
• 50 g of raisins and cranberries
• 50 g of walnuts
• 1/2 sachet of lemon acid (limontus), about 4-5 grams
  

Preparation:

1. Clean pumpkin, peel and cut into pieces. I used a ribbed knife for the most authentic look.
2. Immerse quicklime in 2 liters of water and leave to settle. Strain the water and pour it in a deeper pot. This way you'll get a quicklime water.
3. Put the pieces of pumpkin into the water and leave them to stand for about 3 hours. Stir occasionally.
4. After 3 hours, pour the water and wash pumpkin well in several waters and leave to drain.
5. Put sugar and 1 liter of water to cook for about 10 minutes, then add the pumpkin pieces to the pot and boil for about 2.5 hours at a lower temperature.
6. Don't stir while cooking, use a spoon if needed to add from the syrup on the top pieces. 30 minutes before the end, add raisins, cranberries, walnuts and lemon cut in circles. Add the lemon acid.
7. After the preserve is ready, leave to cool covered and then collect in dry and clean sterilized jars.