Marmalades

These “Puglia recipes” actually come from the book “Jams and Chutneys” by Thane Prince. For me, they are “Recipes from Puglia” because I always make them with Puglia lemons and pink grapefruit from our garden. I have tried a number of different recipes but these both work consistently well. Two for the price of one!

I’ve recently invested in a Maslin pan as using my day to day saucepans to make marmalade and jam has resulted in a burnt sticky mess! I wish I had done so sooner, making marmalade (and jam) is so much easier with the Maslin pan.

Guests in our Puglia holiday villas love them and often ask if they can have some more! They ask for me for my “Puglia Recipes” too. So here they are.

Sometimes I cheat and make the Pink grapefruit marmalade using the Lemon shred marmalade recipe. It works just fine.  🙂 And makes for a perfect Puglia recipe version of the original.

Pink grapefruit juice and tonic (with or without the vodka) makes a great drink!

Lemon shred marmalade

Takes 1¼ hours      Makes 1.35kg      Keeps for up to 1 year

Ingredients

• 1kg (2¼ib) unwaxed lemons (preferably from Puglia or somewhere in Italy)
• 1kg (2¼lb) white granulated sugar

Method

1. Pare the peel from the lemons, as thinly as possible. The easiest method is to use a potato peeler. Shred the peel,and put in a large saucepan with 750ml (1¼ pints) water.
2. Bring to the boil, cover; and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes until the peel is very soft. Set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, roughly chop the peeled lemons and put the fruit, pips and all, in a preserving pan with 1 litre (1¾ pints) water. Bring to the boil, cover; and simmer for about 1 hour until the fruit is very soft.
4. Strain the liquid from the shredded peel into the pan, reserving the peel.  Spoon the mixture into a jelly bag, and allow to drip overnight.  ( I use a sieve covered with a clean tea towel)
5. Measure the juice: you should have about 1 litre (1¾ pints). Put this in the cleaned preserving pan with the sugar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then increase the heat and cook at a full rolling boil for 5 – 10 minutes until the marmalade has reached setting point.
6. Skim off any scum, then stir in the reserved peel. Bring back to the boil and cook for 1 minute. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before potting into hot sterilized jars, sealing and labelling.

Pink grapefruit marmalade.

Takes 1¼ hours      Makes 1.6kg      Keeps for up to 1 year

Ingredients

• 3 pink or red-fleshed grapefruit, scrubbed
• 2 large, unwaxed lemons (preferably from Puglia or somewhere in Italy)
• 1.35kg (3lb) white granulated sugar

Method

1. Cut the fruit in half and carefully squeeze out all the juice, straining it into a large bowl. Reserve the pips. Store the juice and pips, covered in the refrigerator until needed.
2. Using a sharp knife, cut the shells of the grapefruit and lemons into fine shreds. Put these in a large china or glass bowl, and cover with 1.5 litres (2¾ pints) water. Leave to soak for 24 hours.
3. Tie the reserved pips in a muslin bag. Put the fruit and water into a preserving pan with the reserved juice and the bag of pips. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 60 minutes until the peel is very soft. You must be able to cut it easily with a wooden spoon.
4. Stir in the sugar, and simmer over a low heat until it has dissolved. If any scum rises to the surface, skim it off as the mixture boils: you may need to do this several times. Now increase the heat and cook at a full rolling boil for 20-30 minutes, then test for a set.
5. When the marmalade has reached setting point, allow it to stand for 5 minutes, then pot into hot sterilized jars, seal and label.