Snow-covered Sunday

I've been told I should write a blog so, as the predominance of snow outside means I must be near a radiator inside, I have decided to start today.  I have no particular theme for the blog but it will probably revolve around everything kitchen and/or garden-related, oh and cats, love cats.

Sunday morning has started wonderfully with my weekly cappuccino, just a pinch of Green & Black's cocoa powder on top, and the Sunday papers.  Naturally, I only read the magazine in the papers then open the rest and wave them around a bit so it looks like I've read the important, intellectual bits.  The snow has forced me to get the bird feeder tray out for fear the local avian population will peg out if I don't intervene.  Sadly, this has resulted in one very fat wood pigeon sitting in it, gorging itself on sunflower seeds.  I'm strangely reminded of Smaug sleeping on his pile of treasure in The Hobbit.  My mother will deeply incensed by this on her return, as her hatred for pigeons is only exceeded by her hatred for squirrels, two of which I can see edging round the pergola.

As I type, I have my final batch of Seville Orange Marmalade simmering on the hob.  This will complete a record 30 jars of marmalade for the Jones household.  It was feared, after last year, that we would give all the marmalade away as gifts and so have something of a marmalade drought ourselves.  As you see, I've taken precautions this year.  Seville oranges are only in season during late December and January and so I tend to have a flurry of orange simmering and jar sterilising around this time to stock up for the year.  Seville oranges are the only oranges for marmalade in my opinion, any others are too sweet.  If you want to make marmalade at another time of year make the three fruits one (orange, lemon & grapefuit) which is sufficiently tart.

My recipe for said marmalade is of unknown origin but I think it may be a version of Delia's, if not the same, it looks like a surprising long recipe for such a simple thing but I think I must witter on a bit....

Seville Orange Marmalade

Makes around 14 jam jars worth but depends which size jars you use, mine are usually a mix of old jam & honey jars.

2kg Seville oranges
2 lemons
3.6kg granulated sugar
A big pinch of sea salt flakes
8 pints tap water

14 jam jars (roughly)
A jam pan or very large saucepan (prefer a jam pan though as it makes me feel all domestic)
A jam funnel (not essential but makes it all less sticky)
A large square of muslin and some string
Lots of little side plates or saucers

Firstly, put all the side plates or saucers in the fridge.  You look slightly mad but you need them really cold to test the set on the marmalade later.  Then put the water in the jam pan or saucepan.  Get a largish bowl and line it with the muslin square, you're going to put all the pith and pips in there as you go along, then bring the edges up and tie it up so you can put it in the pan without getting pips etc in your marmalade.  This is essential as all the pectin (stuff that helps the marmalade be marmalade and not sugary orange juice) is in the pith and pips.  Like a citrus bouquet garni.

Cut all the oranges in half and squeeze the juice out, adding it to the water in the pan.  Any pips, flesh or pith that gets stuck on the juicer (I use an old manual one, not a flash electric one) goes into the muslin bowl.

Cut all the halves into quarters, with a spoon scrape out the membrane, pips and any left over flesh and put it in the muslin bowl.  This isn't easy and it's all a bit slippery and sticky but you are bascially trying to achieve orange rind with a bit of white pith left on it, you can do it how you like, I prefer to scrape from point to point of a quarter with a dessert spoon.

You should now have lots of quarters of orange rind with a thin layer of white pith on them and a muslin bowl full of pips, flesh, membrane and pith.  Slice the rind however you like - thick or thin, long or short, some people like little chunks, it doesn't matter - and add it to the water/juice mixture in the pan.

Tie up the muslin square by bringing all the edges and ends together and tying it with string, any juice left in the bowl can be chucked into the jam pan with the rest and put the muslin bag in the pan as well, securing it to the handle of the pan with the other end of the string so you can pull it out easily later.  Sprinkle in the salt - I use salt because I think it brings out the flavours, if you don't, don't use it.

Bring the orange mix to the boil then simmer for around 2 hours until the rind is completely soft.  Pull out the muslin bag and put it on a plate to cool.  Add all the sugar to the pan and stir it gently to dissolve the sugar completely.  At the same time, squeeze the muslin bag between too plates over the pan, not an easy manoeuvre granted but necessary.  A thick, jelly-like liquid will come out, squeeze as much of this out as you can until you get bored, then discard it.  Keeping the muslin of course, muslin's not cheap!  Once the sugar is completed dissolved turn up the heat to bring it to the boil, then boil rapidly for 15 minutes.  Keep an eye on it though as sometimes it will boil over and marmalade's a bitch to clean off the hob.

While this is happening wash all your jars in hot soapy water, rinse them and put them all on a tray in an 180◦c oven until they're dry.  This is sterilising them.

I don't use a jam thermometer, I know some people do but don't really see the point, so after 15 minutes get one of your cold plates or saucers out and put a teaspoon full of the marmalade onto it, leave it for a minute, then push your finger through it.  If it wrinkles up then you've reached a set, if not, continue boiling and doing the plate/saucer test at 10 minute intervals until it does wrinkle.  The point of the cold plate is that it quickly cools the mix and so if it's going to set it will, forming a skin, so when you push your finger through it it wrinkles.  Simple.

Take the marmalade off the heat and leave it for 10 minutes as it'll be hot like the sun.  Take the jars out of the oven.  Then, whilst jars and marmalade are still hot verging on warm pour the marmalade into the jars using a ladle and a jam funnel.  If you have neither of these just do it the best you can but it will be messy.  Clean any marmalade off the necks of the jars then screw the lids on tightly, if you want to use wax discs here you can, I never do, life's too short and I've never had a batch go mouldy without them.

Put all the jars to one side until room temperature.  Once the marmalade is room temperature it will have completely set so you can clean any marmalade off the jars, don't do it whilst they're hot as the marmalade will slosh everywhere inside, unless you make sure you keep them vertical.  Label them.  You now have Seville Orange Marmalade.