Meatless Mincemeat in the Pressure Cooker

By JimMac

Serve this mincemeat as a chutney or use as a filling in a mincemeat pie that's succulent enough to be a special occasion meal's main dish.

Ingredients

• YIELDS 2 QUARTS
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 cups fresh apple cider
• 1 medium orange
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried currants
• 8 ounces dried figs
• 6 ounces dried apricots
• 2 medium cooking apples
• 2 Bosc pears
• 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup brandy, divided
• 1/3 cup dark rum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Mincemeat Without Alcohol
• To make mincemeat without alcohol, replace 1/3 cup of the brandy and the rum with cider. Reduce the amount of brown sugar to 1 1/2 cups. Then, after you've ladled the mincemeat into the jars, top each jar with 2 tablespoons of honey instead of the brandy.

Preparation

Step 1

• Melt the butter in the pressure cooker over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cider. Allow the mixture to simmer while you prepare the fruit for the recipe.
• Cut the orange into quarters, remove the seeds, and add to a food processor along with the raisins, currants, figs, and apricots; pulse to coarsely chop. Stir into the other ingredients already in the pressure cooker.
• Peel, core, and seed the apples and pears. Add to the food processor and pulse until finely grated; alternatively, you can feed through the food processor using the grater attachment. Add to the pressure cooker along with ⅓ cup of the brandy, rum, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg.
• Bring to a simmer; skim off and discard any foam from the top of the mixture. Lock the lid into place and bring to low temperature; maintain pressure for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow pressure to release naturally.
• Uncover, stir, and check the consistency of the mincemeat. To thicken it, if desired, return the pressure cooker to medium heat and stirring occasionally, continue to cook uncovered for 10–15 minutes or until the mixture is reduced to about 2 quarts. Ladle the mincemeat into two sterilized 1-quart canning jars.
• Top the mincemeat in each jar with 2 tablespoons of brandy. Screw on the two-piece lids; allow to cool to room temperature. Can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.