The sweet juicy pulp of an orange provides the body with a solid dose of vitamin C, which is especially needed in the cold season. Ascorbic acid is able to protect the body from seasonal colds and allergies, help the skin cope with the cold and support the cardiovascular system. While oranges are available all year round, it doesn't hurt to stock up on them early in the season when the fruit is most beneficial.
The classic homemade orange jam recipe
Homemade orange jam is like the gooey amber in a jar. It can be used in cakes and pastries, served with cheese, or simply spread over toast.
You will need:
- 1 kg of sweet oranges;
- 2 liters of water;
- 2 kg of granulated sugar;
- 150 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Sterilize the jars in advance. Wash the oranges. Place the small saucer in the freezer; you will need it later.
Place whole, unpeeled oranges in a large, wide saucepan and cover with 2 liters of water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 2 hours. The fruits should be easily pierced with a sharp knife, and the liquid should be boiled down by half. Cool and remove with a slotted spoon.
Cut the oranges in half, remove the pulp and grind in a blender. Run it through a sieve if desired. Return the pulp to the saucepan, add the sugar and lemon juice, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved. In the meantime, finely chop the orange peel and place it in the pot as well.
Increase heat and cook for about 10 minutes more. Check the readiness of the jam by dropping it onto a chilled saucer. The drop should solidify, become tight and elastic enough. If it doesn't, add another 50 ml of freshly squeezed juice and cook the jam for another 10 minutes. Cool the finished jam, pour into jars and store in the refrigerator for up to six months.
Orange jam with thyme
Thyme perfectly complements orange jam, giving it new nuances of aroma and taste. It is a successful combination of products that adorn each other.
You will need:
- 8 peeled sweet oranges;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of orange peel;
- 1 cup cane sugar
- ¼ a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice;
- ½ lemon juice;
- 2 branches of fresh thyme;
- a pinch of sea salt.
Cut the pulp out of the oranges and place it along with the orange and lemon juice and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, as soon as the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and add salt. Cook for about 30 minutes. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and put them in the jam along with the orange zest, stir, remove from heat, cool and place in sterilized jars.
A simple recipe for orange and carrot jam
Jams with vegetables are not exotic for a long time, but few people make carrot jam. But young carrots are also juicy and sweet. Orange jam will become even tastier and healthier if you add carrots to it.
You will need:
- 1 kg of carrots;
- 1 ½ l of water;
- 3 sweet oranges;
- 1, 2 kg of granulated sugar;
- 1 lemon.
Peel and grate the carrots. Pour water into a bowl or jam pot, add carrots and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until carrots are tender. Remove the zest from the oranges and squeeze the juice, also do with the lemon. First, add orange juice and zest to the jam and cook for another 5 minutes. Add sugar, stir and cook for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice and zest to the jam. After 5 minutes, check the jam by dropping it onto a chilled saucer. If the drop remains runny, cook for another 5-10 minutes. If the jam is ready, the drop will be elastic and will “wrinkle” when pressed with your finger. Cool the jam and pour into jars.
Candied Orange Slices
These candied wedges are not only great sweetness, but also the perfect decoration to go with any dessert. Making such slices is not as difficult as it seems, the main thing is to follow the recipe step by step.
You will need:
- 3 large oranges;
- 2 cups granulated sugar;
- 2 cups of water
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice.
In a large, wide saucepan, bring 2 to 3 liters of water to a boil. Cut the oranges into slices no more than ½ cm thick. Prepare a large bowl of cold water and add ice cubes to it. Dip the orange slices in boiling water for 1 minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and immediately dip in ice water. Drain the water.
In a wide bowl, mix 2 cups of water with sugar and orange juice, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Place orange slices in a single layer in boiling syrup and cook over high heat for about an hour, turning with tongs every 15 minutes. When the skin is translucent, the oranges are ready. Place them on a wire rack and let cool. Roll them in extra sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container away from sources of moisture. The syrup remaining after cooking can be used to flavor drinks, to sweeten porridge, and in desserts.
Easy Orange Kurdish Recipe
Kurd is a kind of custard made with fruit juice. Kurds are a great product, they are used for the layer of cakes, in the filling of pies, pastries and sweets, as a substitute for jam.
You will need:
- 4 fresh oranges;
- 4 chicken eggs;
- 3 yolks;
- 400 g granulated sugar;
- 140 g butter.
Juice the oranges. Remove the zest. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine orange juice and granulated sugar, add orange zest and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes, then add butter, wait for it to melt, remove the pan from heat and wait for its contents to cool. Beat eggs with yolks and add this mixture to the butter mass.
Return the pot to the heat and simmer the Kurd over medium heat, stirring continuously, for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat, refrigerate and place in sterilized jars. The finished Kurd is kept in the refrigerator for up to months.
