Chimia de uva

Step 1: Put two clean 350 ml jars and their lids in the oven at 250°F for 15 minutes to sterilise, and put a saucer in the freezer.

Step 2: Wash 3 ⅓ lb dark seeded or seedless grapes and put them in a heavy pan with ½ cup water. Cook over a medium heat, covered, crushing with a potato masher now and then, until all the skins have split and the fruit has collapsed, about 15 minutes.

Step 3: Push the fruit through a sieve or food mill into a bowl, pressing hard to get all the pulp and colour from the skins. Throw away the seeds and skins.

Step 4: Return the purée to the pan with 14 oz sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 whole cloves and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves.

Step 5: Raise the heat to medium and boil steadily, stirring often and more as it thickens, for 30–35 minutes, until it turns dark and glossy and drips slowly off the spoon. Stand back: thick chimia spits.

Step 6: Spoon a little onto the cold saucer, wait 1 minute and draw a finger through it. If the line stays open, it is done; if not, boil 5 minutes more and test again.

Step 7: Fish out the cinnamon and cloves. Pour the hot chimia into the hot jars, close them and turn upside down for 5 minutes. Keeps 3 months unopened, 3 weeks in the fridge once open.