Seville Orange Marmalade

3rd week in January means one thing – Marmalade making!  I buy 15-18 kilos of wonderfulSevilleoranges- enough to yield about 60 jars of tart preserve tasting of oranges, not sugar. 

Here’s the recipe and method I’ve perfected over 15 years of marmalade making.  Cooking the oranges first makes the shredding so much easier – sorry Delia, but your method is very hard work! 

 For more modest amounts, you will need:

 1.5 kilosSevilleoranges (about 12 fruits) – quartered

1 lemon – quartered

2 litres of boiling water

2 kilos granulated sugar

6 washed jars warmed in a low oven (or hot from the dishwasher)

  1. Put the quartered fruits and water into a large pan, bring back to the boil and put in medium oven for about 2 hours until the orange quarters are very tender. 
  2. When cooked, drain in a colander, reserving all the liquid.  Leave until fruit is cool enough to handle.  (I wear latex/vinyl gloves for the next stage to protect my hands from the acid in the oranges) 
  3. Using a desert spoon, scoop the pulp, pips and pith from each quarter fruit into the reserved liquid. 
  4. Boil this liquid rapidly for about 6 to 10 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly.  Strain into a large bowl and push the pulp through a fine sieve, scraping the fine pulp from the bottom of the sieve as you go. (This contains the pectin that will set your preserve).  You will have a little over 1 litre of thicker liquid at this point) 
  5. Shred the tender, cooked orange peel (and the lemon) as fine as you can with your sharpest knife.  You will have about 600g of shredded peel. 
  6. Warm 1kilo of sugar in the oven or microwave (helps it dissolve quicker) 
  7. Place half the liquid (about 500ml) and half the peel (about 300g) **** in a preserving pan with 1 kilo of warmed sugar. 
  8. Gently heat until the sugar is dissolved, and then bring to a rapid boil, stirring carefully with a long-handled spoon occasionally.  Boil for about 15 minutes until “setting point” is reached. (test for this by putting dessert spoons in the fridge, dip a cold spoon in the boiling liquid – if it sets on the spoon in 30 seconds or so, it’s ready.) 
  9. Take off the heat and leave for about 5 minute to subside, stir, then ladle into 3 warmed jars.  I stretch clingfilm over the top, and then screw on the lid immediately. 
  10. Repeat from (6.) using the other 1 kilo of sugar, the other half of the liquid and shredded peel. 

*** You can pop this peel and liquid mix into large freezer bags at this point and freeze until you have time and/or jars to finish the marmalade

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