HER KITCHEN
February 2006
The Seville Oranges are now in the shops, so now is the time of
year I make enough marmalade to last the year, here is a recipe I like to use.
1.3kg (3lb)
2 Lemons
2.8 Litres (5 pints) Water
2.7 kg (6lb) Sugar
Wash and scrub the oranges and lemons. Cut the fruit in half and
squeeze out the juice. Remove the pips and membrane and tie in muslin bag.
Cut the peel into thin strips (or coarse ones if preferred), this
is one job that has to be done by hand, as if you put the peel in a food
processor it just chops the fruit instead of nice even strips.
Place in a large preserving pan with the juice, and the bag of pips
and the water.
Bring to the boil and simmer gently, uncovered for about two hours,
until the contents of the pan are reduced by about a half and the peel is soft
and tender.
Remove the muslin bag and squeeze the bag hard and carefully, to
remove all the gooey liquid; this contains the pectin which helps to set the
marmalade.
Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Bring to the
boil and boil rapidly until the setting point is reached. Cool for 10-15
minutes. Stir well to distribute the peel. Pour into cooled sterilized jars. Label and store.
Another favourite is “boozy” marmalade. Stir in 2-4 Tablespoons Whisky or any other chosen spirit or liqueur per 2.7kg (6lb) quantity before potting.