Spreads

Utensils needed: Heavy-bottomed saucepan; four 8-ounce containers with lids, sterilized
Cooking time: Approximately 20 minutes
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 weeks.
Serving suggestions: Use as a condiment for meat, poultry, or fish; as a dip for crudités; or as a topping for croutons, baguette slices, or sliced cooked potatoes.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Paula Wolfert's book The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen. Wolfert also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. In Morocco, this thick puree of greens with herbs and olives is made with a local mallow leaf called baqqula. My equivalent is a combination of greens: spinach or chard, celery, cilantro, and parsley, cooked down to a luscious, thick, dark jam perfumed with spices and heady with smoky tones. In Morocco, our housekeeper, Fatima, prepared this jam in a shallow clay tagine set over charcoal embers. As a result, the greens developed a smoky flavor. I use readily available Spanish pimentón de la Vera to infuse a similar smoky quality. The greens are first steamed over boiling water to preserve flavor and color, then they're slowly fried in a skillet until all the moisture has evaporated. Greens cooked this way become quite delicious. The addition of some chopped oily black olives improves the texture. The jam will keep for up to 4 days. When you wish to serve it, simply thin to a spreadable consistency with water and olive oil and use as a spread or dip. It goes especially well with an earthy flavored semolina flatbread baked on stone or cast iron.

This fruit butter makes a quick dessert. It's also a great snack on bread or toast. We use it in a low-fat recipe for a moist and chunky apple butter spice cake. We have found preserving in half-pint (250 mL) jars convenient, since that recipe calls for that amount of apple butter. But if you use larger jars, you'll have lots left for other uses.

Jalapeño peppers and a double hit of mint liven up traditional mint jelly. Try it with crackers and cheese and with lamb or chicken.

Creton
Quebec breakfast at its best, this pâté-like spread is a treat on toast or crackers anytime.

If you like chicken liver mousse, you'll definitely want to try this recipe, which uses a completely different method than most. Puréeing the chicken livers and then baking them in a hot water bath results in an extremely tender spread.

We ran many jelly recipes in the 1940s, but this one impressed us the most. Sophisticated and subtle, it makes a light, delicious alternative not only to the shocking-green mint jelly that often accompanies lamb but even to gravy: Try it with any roasted or grilled meat. It's also an indispensable condiment for blue cheese.

This spread has a dose of fiber and heart-healthy fat, plus beta-carotene.

This jam has all the kid-friendly sweetness you remember, but with lovely floral notes and a thick consistency that come from using Concords at their peak.

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from Justin Rashid of American Spoon Foods in Petoskey, Michigan. To read more about Rashid and the northwestern Michigan cherry harvest, click here. "In northwestern Michigan, we have more cherries than we know what to do with, so everyone cans to preserve the summer harvest," says Rashid. "I usually make this conserve with our local Schmidts, which are very black and sweet. But regular Bings, or any sweet variety, can be substituted. Be sure they're ripe, but not overripe — plump, glossy, and firm." The conserve is great on toast, croissants, or biscuits, or with bagels and cream cheese. It can even be thinned with a little red wine and used to glaze a roasted duck.

Doris Jacobson of Anaheim, California, writes: "I host many family gatherings, and I always get requests for my lemon bars and my caponata appetizer. They're easy to make and perfect for picnics at the beach or an evening at the Hollywood Bowl. Plus, both recipes can be made ahead. Fresh basil brightens up this traditional eggplant spread. Serve it on baguette slices or crackers.

This combination is inspired by the creamy sauce for vitello tonnato, but uses sardines rather than tuna for a more lively fish flavor.

Smear on crackers for an hors d'oeuvre or on bread for a flavor-packed sandwich.

Pair this summery mixture with Italian bread for an easy, delightful sandwich.

Try this with your next roast beef or pork sandwich, on either pumpernickel or rye.

Serve this jam with scones and tea, spread over pancakes, alongside grilled pork, or swirled into yogurt.

If you only have sweet Spanish smoked paprika on hand, you can mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of it with 1/8 teaspoon cayenne as a substitute for hot Spanish smoked paprika.