Pickled lemon & candied orange

Pickled or candied citrus adds a unique flavour to your meals, and I love cooking with it. The pickled salty peels, finely chopped, can be added to couscous, quinoa, or rice salads, stews, roasted vegetables, or dressings: this aromatic mixture gives a boost! Sweet candied orange peels can be finely chopped into your chocolate desserts, cakes, or your dough for doughnuts.

Ingredients for pickling: 5 lemons or limes Coarse sea salt

Ingredients for candying:5 oranges (you can also use lemon or lime)Sugar

And for both recipes: a month’s patience :)

The pickling:Wash the lemons or limes thoroughly with lukewarm water. Use a vegetable peeler or knife to remove the peels with as little pith as possible, as that tastes bitter. Place the peels in a container and sprinkle enough coarse sea salt over them so that they are no longer visible. Press down a bit and cover well. Place in the fridge for at least a month. They will dry out and develop more flavour. After a month, you can start cooking with them. Each time, take out one or more peels with a clean fork and cut into small pieces to use in a dish. Add them only at the end of the preparation, so they retain their flavour. Tip: When the peels are used up, don’t throw away the salt; instead, let it dry in the oven on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes at 150 degrees (make sure the salt doesn’t turn brown). Transfer the salt to a separate container, and you have citrus salt, which is lovely with grilled vegetables, fish, or meat.

The candying:Place the peels in a saucepan and add enough water to just cover them. Bring to the boil, let simmer gently for 5 minutes, and drain in a colander. Repeat this once more. Now you have removed the bitter taste. Then place the peels back on the heat and add enough water to cover them again, along with about the same amount of sugar. Allow to come to a gentle boil and then let simmer for at least an hour until the peels become translucent. Occasionally add water if it gets too dry; there should be a little moisture left in the pan. Then remove from the heat, let cool, place the peels with the liquid in a clean, well-sealed container, and refrigerate for at least 2 weeks. To use, you can cut the peels into narrow strips or small cubes. Tip: The syrup from this is also great for stewing fruit in the oven.

Enjoy!

By: Marleen

Categories:Kitchen secrets