Seville orange marmalade
The bitter Seville orange is the most traditional and arguably the finest marmalade fruit of all. Only available for a few short weeks from mid-January, this knobbly, often misshapen orange has a unique aromatic quality and is very rich in pectin.
Method
Scrub the oranges, remove the buttons at the top of the fruit, then cut in half. Squeeze out the juice and keep to one side. Using a sharp knife, slice the peel, pith and all, into thin, medium or chunky shreds, according to your preference. Put the sliced peel into a bowl with the orange juice and cover with 2.5 litres of water. Leave to soak overnight or for up to 24 hours.
Transfer the whole mixture to a preserving pan, bring to the boil them simmer slowly, covered, until the peel is tender. This should take approximately 2 hours, by which time the contents of the pan will have reduced by about one-third.
Stir in the lemon juice and sugar. Bring the marmalade to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Boil rapidly until setting point is reached, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat. Leave to cool for 8-10 minutes - a little longer if the peel is in chunky pieces - then stir gently to disperse any scum, pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately. Use within 2 years.
Ingredients
Makes 5-6 x 450g jars
- 1kg Seville oranges
- 75ml lemon juice
- 2kg demerara sugar
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