Moraba-ye Zereshk

I have a most wonderful friend (insert "sistah") named Beck. She is warm, generous, funny, wise & a truly beautiful soul. I trust & admire her so much. I am times am very jealous of her strength, intelligence & her outer beauty. She is a crazy girl who challenges me & makes me feel all warm & fuzzy inside at how lucky I am to be her friend. She went shopping the other day & rang me from some exotic spice store in Melbourne to see if I wanted anything. So, I just said: buy me something I don't have, pick something....... & of course she decided to take it that one step further by buying me something I had never ever heard of & then found me a recipe. Who on earth has heard of a BARBERRY? ?

Apparently they are widely cultivated in Iran as mainly a dried fruit & they also are reported to have medicinal purposes. Beck found me the MOST DIVINE preserve recipe. I can't describe how beautiful this jam is, & if you do happen to find a barberry seller then please give this recipe a go. The berries are teeny tiny, like currants & they are quite tangy. With the other ingredients, this jam packs a flavourful punch. Thanks Beck for this recipe & the chance to discover something utterly delightful. I love you my friend xx. 

Moraba-ye Zereshk (Barberry Preserve with Cinnamon & Vanilla - from "Saraban")

100gm dried barberries

260gm sugar

1 tbsp cracked cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

1 vanilla pod, split

700ml boiling water

1. Soak the barberries in cold water for 2 minutes & then drain
2. Put the barberries in a heavy based saucepan with the remaining ingredients.
3. Bring to the boil over a medium heat
4. Lower the heat & cook at a gentle simmer for 40 - 50 minutes or until the syrup coats the back of a spoon thickly.
5. Stir regularly & skim off from time to time if needed.
6. Ladle into sterilised jars & pour on enough syrup to cover completely
7. Seal while hot & store in a cool place.
8. Makes about 300mls.