Zingy Citrys Mocktail
The perfect refreshing drink for those hot summer days!
Zingy Citrus Mocktail
Author: sbaskitchen
Orange & Mint Jelly
This lovely jelly will be used in lamb and duck dishes.
Source: Orange & Mint Jelly
Orange and Mint Jelly
This recipe has been adapted from a similar recipe for Orange and Rosemary Jelly from 'Good Old-Fashioned Jams, Preserves and Chutneys' by Sara Paston (a gift from colleagues when I left my last job). I am imagining that it will go very nicely with lamb and duck and will be used to make gravies and sauces for same.
Ingredients
- 2 kg oranges
- 500 g lemons
- 3 litres water
- 1 bunch (about 20 sprigs) of mint, washed
- 2 kg (approx) white sugar
Directions
- Wash, halve and slice the oranges and lemons.
- Place the fruit into a large pan with the water and half of the mint, roughly chopped.
- Bring to the boil and simmer gently for approximately 1 hour, until the fruit is soft.
- Strain through a jelly bag and then measure the juice and add to a clean pan.
- Add 450g of sugar, for each 600ml of liquid, to the pan.
- Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil and boil rapidly until setting point is reached.
- Meanwhile remove the leaves from the remaining mint and finely chop – you should have about one cup of finely chopped mint.
- Skim any scum from the top of the mixture and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
- Carefully stir in the mint.
- Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal with lids.
- Turn the jars upside down and every so often turn them the right way up. Repeat until the jelly is almost set, giving a little shake at the same time. This is to ensure the mint is evenly distributed through the set jelly rather than rising to form a thick layer on the top!
Notes:
- The whole fruit, including the peel, is used in the initial process.
- Getting herbs etc evenly suspended in jellies takes a little time and patience, but the end result is always worth it.
- Use to accompany meats such as lamb, pork, chicken and duck. Also use in gravies and sauces, or to liven up the flavour of a casserole.
Oranges 1
My beautiful sister Jan, recently visited us for a little holiday. Jan lives in the north of the state of Victoria, very close to the great Murray River, and a wonderful citrus fruit growing area – about six and a half hours drive from here! When I knew that she and her friend, Heather, were going to come for a visit, I asked if she could pick up a couple of bags of oranges, thinking that they would be the same size as those you can pick up at fruit and vegie shops – 3 kilograms… When she arrived, I was presented with 2 bags of oranges – each weighing about 10 kilograms! 20 kilograms of oranges for $12 – that is crazy!!! Of course, I was not allowed to pay for them, but now the challenge begins…
I have given some to visitors, and we have eaten quite a few, and I think I have had to throw about 6 out! I have made old fashioned butter cake – gluten free, which after a couple of tries, is pretty darned good. The orange cake has been iced, sliced and frozen, so that we can have cake when we feel like it.
However, over the next week there will be a lot of orange based recipes being prepared, and at times, concocted in my kitchen. On the list so far:
- Orange marmalade – a must for Gary;
- Orange and mint jelly – already half made;
- A delicious refreshing citrus mocktail – which could easily be turned into a cocktail for those who must;
- Orange cordial;
- Sauces;
- Salads;
- Desserts, etc!
Oh, and a little tip, for an easy way to peal oranges, that I read about in an old recipe book of mine The Times Calendar CookBook by Katie Stewart, 1975. This works beautifully, but would probably only do 4-6 oranges at a time, because they still need to be hot for the peel and pith to come away cleanly.
To peel oranges:
Score the peel of the oranges into quarters with a sharp knife. Put all of the oranges in large basin and cover them with boiling water. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then drain and peel away the skins. Using this method, both the outer peel and the inner white pith will come away from the fruit. If any white pith remains, simply scrape it away with a knife.
I have also tried this method on lemons and it worked just as well, so would imagine it could be used on most citrus – grapefruits, limes etc.
I hope that you enjoy seeing everything orange from my kitchen over the next week!
Until next time…
Bon appétit!
Links:
Roasted Belgian Endive (Witlof) with Shadows of Blue Cheese and Mike’s Prosciutto
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Source: Roasted Belgian Endive (Witlof) with Shadows of Blue Cheese and Mike’s Prosciutto
Generous Gifts
I love coming up with new recipes to highlight new produce, and this weekend we received a wonderful gift of home-cured meats from a friend. Mike, Chris and Mon, our son’s future in-laws, visited from Melbourne and came bearing beautiful gifts, including beautiful flowers, some wonderful wine and Mike’s cured meats.
The flowers went straight onto the table, they were so pretty, and the meats were put to good use as the foundation of a couple of amazing anitpasto platters, one as a starter to our evening meal, the other for a light lunch on the terrace.
Meal times were wonderful chatty affairs and we spent a lot of time getting to know each other better, talking about family, funny experiences, food and gardening. Previously we only seemed to catch up at family gatherings where there was little or no time to talk and get to know each other.
On Saturday while they went visiting, I took the opportunity to race into the local farmer’s market -I wanted a little something to send home with them, and the vegie patch is really not quite up to speed at the moment. I also needed to top up our supplies of Wuk Wuk steak.
When they returned they came bearing another gift, a wonderful heritage apple tree for our garden, a Ribston Pippin – another lovely thoughtful gift. 
I have already worked out where it is going to live and how it will be espaliered… We were so pleased to be able to give them a bag of fresh local produce – potatoes, beetroot, zucchini, corn, eggs, etc. as well as rhubarb from our garden and some Jalapeno Chili and Sprouting Broccoli seedlings. But after they left I was kicking myself, as I also wanted to give them some preserves from the store! Oh well, next time, they will be returning in March to help with some repairs to our home, and there are some cooking projects on the agenda as well.
Now… I wanted something different to cook to highlight one of Mike’s cured meats. Inspired by a recipe Endives Rôties au Roquefort, Chips de Jambon from Saveurs no 234 p59, I created Roasted Belgian Endive (Witlof) with Shadows of Blue Cheese and Mike’s Prosciutto, a recipe highlighting a luscious, creamy local blue cheese, Mike’s amazing prosciutto, and my fig vinegar. It’s a wonderful entrée with the bitterness of the endive, the crispness of the prosciutto, the creamyness of the cheese, the salt from both, and the sweetness of the fig vinegar all complementing each other.
This is a recipe that will definitely be reappearing on our table in the future.
Until next time…
Bon appétit!
Links:
