Orange & honey marmalade? Get juiced to it!

Behi -

Let me introduce you to my homemade marmalade. If you think it can only be used in desserts or on a toastie in the morning, think again!

This honeylicious marmalade can be used in many pilau dishes (as an example in zereshk polo which is a persian saffron rice dish with barberry sauce and chicken breast). Not only this, if you think your tea is missing some fragrance or you're seeking comfort in a warm drink with a bad cold, dip a spoonful of the marmalade into your cup along with some fresh ginger. After all, who's not to like sweet and sour?

So, what's my secret ingredient you ask?

These may look like clementines or sweet oranges ( from the family of Citrus × sinensis which are the most common family of oranges for consumption), but don't be fooled! My secret ingredient is Citrus × aurantium which is known as "marmalade orange".  This is where the marmalade gets its sourness from. This particular type of orange can be found in countries with long periods of spring/summer and mild temperatures.

What's more exciting is that the making of this marmalade is super easy! all you need to do is follow a few easy steps and you'll get there in no time:

Ingredients:

  • 9 marmalade oranges (this should give you 6 cups of orange puree)
  • 100 g of marmalade orange zest
  • 2-3 tbsp lime juice (feel free to add more if the end result tastes too sweet for you)
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of honey
  • 1 cinnamon stick (this can also be replaced with fresh ginger based on your taste)

Steps:

  • Place the zests in water for a couple of hours to get rid of any bitterness (or alternatively boil them in water 4 times, draining the water between each boil)
  • To make the orange puree, blend the peeled marmalade oranges until smooth and pass through a sieve
  • Use the puree that's been passed through the sieve and place in a pot with sugar along with the zests and the cinnamon stick (or ginger) and let the mixture simmer until it thickens
  • Once the mixture has cooled down, add honey and place in the fridge (remember to take out the cinnamon stick if you haven't already)

Hope this recipe gets your peel of approval, now time to put your skills to the zest!