Strapple Jam - SCD Strawberry and Apple Jam.

Strapple Jam 

There is nothing more british than a scone with butter and jam.

Therefore its an irony that my scone recipe is an adaption of an american recipe  - Kendall Conrad's apricot scones from her book Eat Well Feel Well  Her recipe is for apricot scones and she makes a gorgeous sounding apricot butter to accompany it.  However in our house we use raisins or sultanas for the scones as apricots are hit and miss with the kids.  And to go with it  I like to make a traditional tasting strawberry jam, just in a slightly untraditional way.  This jam is a beautiful deep pink colour and tastes delicious (and not really of apples - but I just liked the idea of coming up with a silly name).

The challenge with jam-making on the SCD/ GAPS diet is that commercial pectin must be avoided. Strawberries are not naturally high in pectin so this is why it helps to mash up the strawberries in advance (which releases pectin) and to add apple, which is higher in pectin.

Yield is approx 2 jars.

Ingredients:

800g of strawberries,  roughly mashed by hand or with hand blender
150g of cooking apple (approx 1 very large apple), cut into thumbnail size chunks
170g of honey

Method:

• Put the honey, apples and strawberries into a jam making pan (or other heavy based pan)
• Simmer on the smallest ring at lowest temperature until the desired consistency (approx 11/2 - 2 hrs) As it thickens stir often to avoid it sticking
• Pour into the warm sterilised jars and seal immediately

Mackerel pate

This pate can be a super quick lunch dish but is also good enough as a starter if you are entertaining.  It could be frozen or made in advance.  Approximately 6 servings.

Ingredients:

4 smoked mackerel fillets
Juice of 1/2 lemon
7 tbsp of yoghurt (homemade if you are doing SCD or GAPS, otherwise plain yoghurt)
1 heaped tsp of horseradish sauce (homemade or shop bought depending on your overall diet plan)
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Take skin of fillets and break up into large chunks
Put mackerel into food processor
Add lemon juice
Add horseradish (we like our food tangy so if you are unsure just start with a flat tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste (we like loads of black pepper in ours)
Blend till desired consistency.

Serve with whatever grabs your fancy but it goes well with salad, beetroot and bread.  I can't yet recommend a grain free bread that compliments this (still experimenting with bread).  It is very nice with the buckwheat crackers, buckwheat soda bread, the Dove's farm gluten free bread or gf oatcakes.