Cypriot Green Walnut Preserve (Kıbrıs Ceviz Macunu)

Use green walnuts picked between late May and mid June, before the inner shell has formed; a toothpick pushed in at one end should pass right through the walnut from end to end without resistance. Wearing gloves, thinly peel off the green outer skin of the walnuts with a vegetable peeler, then cut off and discard the hard tip where the stem was attached.

Chef's tip: Walnut juice stains hands and worktops a dark brown that will not come off for several days; wear gloves and use a plastic chopping board.

Pierce each walnut once lengthwise and once crosswise with a skewer. Without delay, put the pierced walnuts into a large basin filled with cold water.

Keep the walnuts in a cool place for 7 days, changing the water twice a day, morning and evening. It is normal for the walnuts to darken and the water to turn dark; this soaking removes the walnuts' bitterness.

At the end of the seventh day, pour off the water. Measure enough fresh water to cover the walnuts; for each litre of water, put 1 heaped tablespoon (15 ml spoon) of food-grade slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) into a piece of muslin, tie it tightly and drop it into the water. Leave the walnuts in this limewater for 8-10 hours, stirring now and then; the lime firms the outer surface of the walnuts and stops them falling apart in the syrup.

Chef's tip: Use only slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) whose packaging states that it is food grade. Do not use quicklime (calcium oxide, also sold as lump or rock lime), and do not use hardware-shop or builders' lime; quicklime heats up and spatters when it comes into contact with water, and it burns. Wear gloves and keep the lime away from your eyes.

Throw away the limewater and the muslin. Wash the walnuts in plenty of cold water, rubbing them with your hands, then leave them in clean cold water for 1 hour. Pour off the water and repeat the washing and the 1-hour soak twice more; no white residue or slippery feel should remain on the surface of the walnuts.

Bring the walnuts to the boil in a pan with plenty of water, boil for 5 minutes, drain and transfer to cold water; repeat this boiling once more. The third time, boil them in fresh water for about 45 minutes, until a skewer slides in and out of a walnut without resistance.

Drain the boiled walnuts, put them in cold water, add half of the lemon juice and leave them for 2 hours. When the time is up, drain the walnuts.

Push a clove into the skewer hole of each walnut. If you like, widen the hole a little with the skewer and insert a toasted almond into each walnut as well.

Arrange the walnuts in a wide pan, sprinkle the sugar over them and cover the pan with a clean cloth. Leave overnight; the sugar draws the juices out of the walnuts and begins to dissolve.

The next day, add the water and the cinnamon stick and set the pan, uncovered, over low heat; once the sugar has completely dissolved, boil for 5 minutes, then take off the heat and leave to rest for 5-6 hours. Repeat this boiling and resting once more. At the final boil, add the remaining lemon juice and take the pan off the heat when the syrup has thickened and coats the back of a spoon (105 °C on a thermometer). Fill boiled glass jars with the cooled walnuts and their syrup and store them in a cool, dark cupboard.

Chef's tip: Do not put the lid on while the syrup is boiling; letting the steam escape is what makes the syrup thicken.