L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano this revelation, I began to make candied orange peel every January, as a special ingredient and for edible g i f t s . T h e y k e e p f o r t h e whole year. We can't grow oranges or l emons in Umbr ia, so every winter I order a crate o f o r g a n i c o r a n g e s f r o m S i c i l y a n d u s e t h e m t o m a k e p r e s e r v e s f o r t h e whole year. I experimented w i t h v a r i o u s r e c i p e s f o r c a n d i e d o r a n g e p e e l b u t was always unhappy with t h e c o n v o l u t e d m e t h o d s and leathery results until a few years ago when a kind f r i e n d g a v e m e t h i s e a s y recipe, taken from an old magazine. If you make the c a n d i e d p e e l b e f o r e Christmas you can package it up into pretty jars and g i v e t h e m a s f a b u l o u s l y delicious gifts. Ingredients • 2.5 kg (5 lb, approx. 12 oranges) organic, unwaxed oranges with a thick skin, f o r e x a m p l e W a s h i n g t o n Navel oranges • 1.8 kg (8 cups) sugar Procedure H a l v e a n d j u i c e t h e oranges. Keep the juice for some other use. Place the p e e l s i n a l a r g e p a n a n d c o v e r w i t h c o l d w a t e r . Bring to the boil, cook for 3 minutes and then drain. Return the peels to the pan, and cover with cold w a t e r . B r i n g t o t h e b o i l , c o o k f o r 3 m i n u t e s a n d t h e n d r a i n . R e p e a t f o r a third time. Leave the peels in a colander until they are cool enough to handle. U s i n g a m e t a l s p o o n , scrape out the soft mem- b r a n e s a n d d i s c a r d . C u t the peels into 1/2 inch(1 c m ) w i d e s t r i p s a n d s e t aside. In a large shallow pan set over a high heat, bring 2 lt (8 cups) of water and 1.35 kg (6 cups) sugar to t h e b o i l . A d d t h e p e e l s , reduce the heat to main- tain a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally until the peels become ten- der and translucent. This will take 1 1/2 to 3 hours, depending on the thickness of the peels. Do not let the sugar turn brown or cara- melize. Using a slotted spoon, drain the peels and spread t h e m o u t o n a l a r g e t r a y l i n e d w i t h p a r c h m e n t p a p e r . O n c e t h e y a r e a t r o o m t e m p e r a t u r e , t o s s t h e m i n a c u p o f s u g a r . A l l o w t h e m t o d r y f o r a day. The next day the peels should be soft but dry. If they are still sticky, toss t h e m w i t h s o m e m o r e sugar (1/2 to 1 cup) and let t h e m d r y f o r o n e o r t w o more days. By this time, the peel should still be soft and can be packed for gifts. T h e p e e l s w i l l l a s t f o r a b o u t a m o n t h b u t b e a w a r e t h a t b e c a u s e t h e y are not treated with artifi- cial preservatives, mould m a y e v e n t u a l l y g r o w o n them. To preserve the peels for cooking, leave them on the tray for several more days until they are completely d r y . T r a n s f e r t o a b o x , cover loosely with kitchen p a p e r a n d k e e p i n a d r y cupboard, where they will last for up to a year. L e t i z i a M a t t i a c c i i s a c o o k b o o k a u t h o r a n d o w n e r o f A l l a M a d o n n a del Piatto Cooking School and Agriturismo in Assisi, Umbria, https://incampa- gna.com. This recipe has been previously published i n M r s . M a t t i a c c i c o o k - book entitled "A Kitchen with a View." "Proper candied fruit is addictive – fragrant, intense and not plasticky as the cheap supermarket variety" Continued from page 28 Make sure you use only organic oranges to make this sweet delicacy! (Photo courtesy of Letizia Mattiacci) Candied orange peel in the making (Photo: © Alp Aksoy | Dreamstime.com) LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES

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