Hi Danzeb, nope currants are mostly seeds. I grow Blanca as well. I use a fine sieve to remove the seed after cooking them for about ten minutes (in a bit of water) then I make jam from them. The seeds are a pain. They are more palatable if you make them into a tart. Mrs. G

If you make jelly rather than jam you avoid the seeds.

Floral you are so right, when I remove the seeds it is jelly. Yikes, its all in the details, isn't it? Mrs. G

Red Currant jelly makes a classic accompaniment to roast lamb. And it's really easy. You strain the cooked currants and the seeds are simply left in the jelly bag. It's a beautiful colour too.

Yeah it's jam unless you use a jelly bag. I make jam without seeds myself. IMHO the seeds are not bad anyway, raspberry seeds are much worse!
I like using mint, curry or pepper sauces with lamb myself.

I made this a couple months ago. Lamb or chicken, fish for that matter. Any sweet pepper for the Donkey Ears, although I do grow donkey ears, an excellent pepper!

Chichen Adobo, with Donkey Ear Pepper Sauce
Adapted from âÂÂLamb Shanks Adoboâ from Sunset Magazine, Oct. 2009
Serve with brown rice or a mix of brown and wild rice.

Makes two servings

5 cloves garlic - Roast garlic in a dry (no oil) heavy medium-size
saucepan over medium heat, until soft, about 12
min. Remove. You will use this pan later.

1 hot chile, dried, with seeds removed - Roast chile in pan, turning, 30 seconds. Remove.

the chile above
1/3 C. boiling water
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
Place in smaller saucepan, cover and steep or
simmer over very low heat while you make the
rest of the recipe.

2 chicken breasts or legs - Fry or grill until done. Set aside. Keep warm.

4 Donkey ear peppers, red, diced
the roasted garlic from above, peeled
1 Cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp dry oregano
1 ý Tbsp brown sugar
1 ý Tbsp cider vinegar
þ tsp salt
ý tsp black pepper
Put all of this in the larger
saucepan from above.
Simmer 10 min.
Put in blender and puree until
smooth.

Strain the cinnamon mix above and add to pureed sauce.
Put back in pan and cook until thick.
Serve with brown rice or a mix of brown and wild rice.
Cut up the chicken if you like. Put it on a bed of rice and cover with
the sauce.
Serve with chopped onion and parsley, if desired.

This post was edited by Drew51 on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 0:07

My 'Champagne Currants are coming in next. My red currants met a beautiful end in two large tarts. I love Sunset mag. Drew, isn't it excellent? Many thanks, Mrs. G

Sounds good Floral! I had a heck of a time typing recipe in, as format is not good here, and chance of a formal recipe? I've never made shortbread.
This year on my laxton's No 1 currant, they are really sweet, I could eat them fresh. My wife thought they were tart, but she rarely eats currants, for a currant it was very sweet.

Floral please send your recipe to my email address, please. Many thanks, Mrs. G

All these wonderful comments on currants are driving me crazy! I grew up eating a lot of currant jelly. Sadly I do not
grow currants and must resort to buying currant jelly at a specialty store that has it from the UK. Cross and Blackwell brand? Mighty tasty.

I grew currants and gooseberries as a boy. We had Red
Lake. A friend of mine grows Rovada and claims they are
spectacular in yield. I bought some bare-root but they shipped them to me in very late May. They leafed out and
shriveled up shortly that hot spring.

I may have to give it a try again. I never grew white currants but tasted them as a boy as an elderly lady near us grew lots of them.

Gooseberries are another one I am partial to. I love gooseberry jelly and a currant/gooseberry jelly mix. Recently an elderly lady visiting us mourned the fact that she can no longer find gooseberries anywhere as she loves
gooseberry jelly. Yes I am in the "over 50" crowd as I know
the youth of today have little experience with currants or gooseberries. Shame that only the older generation knows
what wonderful fruits these are and how to use them.