CookEat Recipe
Prunes in Red-Wine Syrup
Large fleshy prunes soaked in water, gently simmered with red wine, Marsala and cinnamon, then covered with their reduced cooking syrup.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 500 g large fleshy dried prunes, preferably the elongated kind, with stones if sold whole; 400 ml red wine; 200 ml water for cooking, plus cold water for soaking; About 30 ml Marsala, a small liqueur glass; 100 g caster sugar; 1 small piece cinnamon stick, about 3 cm.
Step 2
Rinse the prunes and cover with cold water. Soak for 2 hours in the refrigerator at 4°C or colder, then drain well and discard the soaking water.
Step 3
Put the drained prunes in a saucepan with the red wine, 200 ml cooking water, Marsala, sugar and cinnamon. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or longer if needed until the fruit is fully softened while still plump. Check doneness rather than relying only on the clock.
Step 4
Lift the prunes out without their syrup and place in the serving dish. If they contain stones, let them cool enough to handle, open each carefully and remove its stone before returning it to the dish. Simmer the remaining syrup uncovered for about 8–10 minutes to reduce it, remove the cinnamon and pour the syrup over the fruit.
Step 5
Cool promptly and refrigerate at 4°C or colder until ready to serve. Serve cool with some syrup and eat within 2–3 days, or freeze suitable portions. The historical claim of long keeping is not used as an assurance of safe room-temperature storage.
Step 6
For the alternative flavourings, omit the cinnamon and use either 1/2 vanilla pod split lengthwise, or two small thin strips of washed fresh citron peel, or two small thin strips of washed orange peel, avoiding the bitter white pith. Add the chosen flavouring with the cooking wine and remove it before pouring the reduced syrup over the prunes. Use the same soaking, covered simmering, syrup reduction and cold storage method.
Cooked it? Rate it.
Cooked 0 times