Update on jam fail, marmalade fail, kitchen sorrow

Having intended to make marmalade, with a bag of Seville oranges at the ready, I wasn't and I didn't. Cooking does need attention, and I failed to give it the time and space required for jam. 

Note to self: get on with it, don't just let everything sit and imagine you're cooking.

Apart from my lack of follow-through, I don't think the Seville oranges I got were very good. In previous years I've bought them from the local grocer and they were a lot bigger, juicier and more perfumed. I did get to the first stage of marmalade, squeezing the fruit and cutting the peel, which in itself is very therapeutic and makes your hands smell wonderful. I'd like to blame the quality of the oranges, but it was the quality of the cook that was the clincher. 

So, as my husband pithily puts it, the oranges ended up being expensive compost. The shame.

Dan Lepard's Marmalade

I'm going to try this recipe - just bought some Seville oranges. This Christmas I gave away the last of the marmalade I made three years ago. It was a bit runny and also the dark variety made with muscovado sugar, not so popular. That's why it took so long to find takers...

small Seville oranges big lemon

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2 oz Seville oranges
• 50ml/2 fl oz lemon juice
• 1kg/2lb 4 oz white sugar: regular, not with added pectin
• soft dark brown sugar, optional

Method

1. Weigh the oranges and make a note of the weight, as this will tell you how much of the other ingredients you’ll need, to ensure the marmalade sets well. My basic ratio is: both the sugar and the strained liquid from the sliced and simmered oranges should roughly equal twice the weight of the uncooked whole oranges. So if you start with 500g/1lb 2 oz whole oranges, after cooking you want to be left with a litre/1¾ pint of liquid once the peels have been strained out, and you need 1kg/2lb 4 oz of sugar.
2. Cut the oranges in half and squeeze out the juice, as this makes chopping the peel less messy. Remove any pips from the juice, spoon any remaining pips out of the peel, place them in a tea cup and cover with water. Then chop the peel into shreds about 0.25cm/⅛in across and place these in a bowl with the juice and cover with water. Leave both overnight, as this will help the marmalade set well.
3. The next day, place the peel and water in a saucepan. Sieve the pips, place their soaking water (which will have jellied slightly) into the saucepan, then tie the pips in muslin and drop this into the pot. Bring to the boil then simmer for 2-3 hours, topping up with water so that the fruit stays well covered, until the peel is soft when squished between your fingers. Alternatively, cook in a pressure cooker for about 30 minutes.
4. Strain the juice from the peel and measure it. Whatever the original weight of fruit was at the beginning, you want about double that in cooking liquid. So if you started with 500g/1lb 2 oz fruit, then try and have roughly a litre/1¾ pint (in other words 1000ml or 1000g) of cooking liquid left. If you have more, boil it down in a saucepan to intensify it. If you have less, top it up with water to dilute it.
5. Then add the sugar (double the weight of the oranges), plus 1-2 tbsp brown sugar if you like to make the colour darker. Add the strained peel, plus 50ml/2 fl oz of lemon juice for every 500g/1lb 2 oz uncooked whole oranges used. Bring to the boil, skim off any white froth and pips that rise to the surface, and then boil until the temperature reaches 105C/220F.
6. Meanwhile sterilise enough jars in the oven and have the lids washed and ready. When the marmalade reaches 105C/220F, turn the heat off and leave for 10 minutes. Ladle the marmalade into a jug then pour this carefully into the jars, leaving just a bare 0.5cm/¼in gap at the top. Screw the lid on tightly and leave undisturbed until completely cold.

Salad dressings - take your pick

Hot or cold salads are a standard go-to and sometimes you want to find a new twist or return to an old flavour. So I'm making a list of dressings. Slowly

Mustard vinaigrette

Large teaspoon Dijon mustard

Large pinch salt

Generous grindings of black pepper

I tbsp wine vinegar

2 tbsp light oil (sunflower or similar)

• mix salt, pepper and mustard
• stir in the vinegar until it is well combined
• stir in oil until dressing looks like a loose mayonnaise

Family vinaigrette

1 clove garlic (peeled)
salt (preferably maldon) hearty pinch
pepper several good grindings
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 to 4 tbsp best olive oil

method 1

with pestle and mortar
pound the garlic, pepper and salt together to make a fine puree, don't stint, really mash it up
add the vinegar
mix to a uniform paste
add olive oil and mix well

without pestle and mortar

finely chop the garlic (as small as you can, crushing it with the side of a knife first will release the delicious juices,and help get the skin off)

method 2
mix chopped garlic, pepper and salt together

add the vinegar
mix well
add olive oil and stir

Asian salad dressing

• 1 fresh red chilli
• big handful fresh coriander
• small handful fresh mint
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp thai fish sauce
• juice of 1 lime (enough for at least 5 tbsp)
• 1 tsp sugar

finely chop washed stems of coriander (making 1 heaped tbsp)

finely chop  chilli, mint and garlic

mix all the ingredients together