Spiced Orange Slices

You can use different oranges for this recipe larger ones or tangerines/clementines.  I use them on hams with a little honey and ginger to make the meat look elegant on the table and to keep it moist, although you have to be careful not to cook too high as you do not want the oranges to singe.  Anyway this is how you make the orange slices.

Ingredients:

4 thin skinned oranges either larger or smaller

water

pinch of bicarbonate of soda

300ml/ 1/2 pint white vinegar

16 cloves

4 blades mace

10cm/4 inch stick of cinnamon

4 bay leaves

350g/12oz granulated sugar

Method

Wipe the oranges and put them in a pan with cold water to cover  adding bicarbonate of soda.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the skin can easily be pierced with a knitting needle.  Drain off the water but reserve it.  Allow oranges to cool then cut them in slices across, about 5mm/ 1/4 inch thick and cut the slices in half  if you so wish I keep them whole/  Put vinegar 300ml/ 1/2 pint orange liquid and sugar into the pan.  Tie cloves, mace, cinnamon and bay leaves into a small piece of muslin, tied up and then add  to the liquid.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes, then put in the orange slices (discarding any pips) and simmer gently for 30 minutes.  Put oranges and spiced liquid in a bowl and leave overnight.  next day take out the bag of spices and put orange slices into jars.  Boil up the spiced liquid again, leave to cool slightly then pour over the oranges add the lids.  The old fashioned way to cover these jars was to cover and tie down with waxed paper or sheet polythene i.e. a thick preserving polythene called Porosan.  However with today's modern airtight seals this is no longer necessary however you can do this if you so wish.  It was used to act as a deterrent to flies and insects.

A few jars of this will be going up over the weekend.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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