INGREDIENTS
14 Seville Oranges (makes 56 quarters)
4 cups of Water
10 cups Powdered Sugar
1 Lemon (squeezed)
METHOD
Wash the oranges and dry them
Zest your orange peels using the fine part of the grater for the job. Zest the oranges until the colored part is removed. Watch your fingers while zesting!
(This fruit peel is thick with a bright orange color and shiny outer skin. You can reserve the zested peel in the freezer and use it as flavor to your cakes and deserts, even in your stew cooking, poultry, and meats as well for a citrus taste. Zest is highly aromatic with a strong smell that is sweet and pleasant. Its flavor leans to the bitter side more than sweet).
Cut oranges in halves
Squeeze the juice, (You can squeeze the juice from them to use as syrup in your cooking. The juice can be kept in freezer bags).
Make sure to scrape away the fruit’s pulp after squeezing the juice, by removing and discarding the interior pulp so that you just have the bare peels.
Cut the peels again into halves so they are quartered. (now you have 56 pieces of peels).
Place the peels in a pot of water for around 4 to 5 hours and change the water every one hour to remove the bitterness.
Once the process of soaking is finished transfer the peels into a pot of water and bring it to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove the peels from water, drain and set aside to let dry.
Make the syrup with 4 cups of water, 10 cups of powdered sugar with the juice of one lemon. Bring to a boil while stirring all the time until the sugar dissolves and the color becomes crystal clear. Keep stirring until it’s slightly thick.
Add the orange peels to the syrup, when they start to boil move to low heat and let simmer for around one hour when the peels seem tender and the syrup is thick enough to drop in a thick stream from a spoon.
Remove from heat and let the peels cool in the syrup overnight. The next morning the peels will pulp in the syrup and the syrup will be thicker.
Roll the peels and place them in jars, pour syrup over to cover.
Keep any leftover syrup separately in another jar, it is great drizzled over yogurt.
Store jars in the refrigerator, preserving them to enjoy throughout the year.
* Serve the peels with their syrup as part of breakfast or as an afternoon treat or dessert, with some Arabic coffee. Either serve with a knife and fork or place a toothpick in the peel to facilitate eating. You can also serve with clotted cream, for dessert. Perfect for anyone who loves marmalade, this is traditionally served on its own!
