Nasuha Blog

     

1. Oranges- 10 seedless Oranges
2. Sugar- 3 Cups
3. Water- 2 Cups
4. Lemon Juice- 1 no

1. Cut the oranges in half and squeeze out the juice completely. Using a sharp knife cut all the orange skin in juliennes.
2. Take this orange juice and julienned orange skin in a large non-stick pan. Squeeze out the lemon in the large pan along with orange juice and skin.
3. Add the required amount of sugar and water and cook on a medium flame.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil. Let it cook uncovered for about 30 minutes on a low flame. By now the orange skin will become soft and well cooked.
5. Skim off any foam that forms on top. To make sure that it is ready, place a drop of this orange mixture on a plate and keep this in the refrigerator until it’s cool. If it is firm, neither runny nor too hard, it’s done. Now this will be in golden orange color. ( If the marmalade is runny, then cook for some more time and if it is hard, add more water).
6. Pour the marmalade into clean mason jars, wipe the rims thoroughly using a clean damp towel and store it for up to a year.

Cooking from the fresh and seasonal ingredients have it's own charm. Markets gets flooded with the seasonal bounties, fresh from the farms and I cannot resist myself from buying large quantities.  This is what happened on my last trip to the vegetable store and my refrigerator was full of grapes, both black and green. Bowls and bowls full were eaten as is and I also decided to preserve some in the form of this Grapes jam. Although me and my hubby are not a big fan of Jams, my son love his toast slathered with jam. So I always make sure, I make some for him to enjoy. This jam is quite easy to make and with just 3 ingredients and a little bit of muscle work, you can make your own black grapes jam and can refrigerate it for 2-3 months. Here is the recipe.


All you need is

Black grapes - 1 and 1\2 kg ( I used seedless grapes )
Sugar - 1 and 1\2 cup
Lemon juice - 2 tsp


Method of preparation

Wash the grapes very nicely in warm water to get rid of all the impurities.
Put the grapes in a pan.
Add 1 cup of water and sugar and let it cook for 10-12 minutes, till the grapes are soft and tender.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Mash the grapes with a potato masher.
Pass them through a soup strainer and try to extract as much pulp as you can.
Transfer the mixture in a pan and add lemon juice.
Cook till it comes to a boil.
Simmer the heat and cook for another 35-45 minutes, till jam thickens.
Note that jam will keep thickening a bit after you have removed it from heat and if you will over cook it, it will become hard.
Remove the jam from heat.
Let it cool completely.
Transfer it in a sterilized glass jar.
Refrigerate it for up to 2 months.

On my last visit to a supermarket, I got obsessed with these bright and fresh strawberries and picked a few boxes. We munched on them throughout the day, but I still had a few box left which needed to be finished quickly. After the huge success of strawberry butter that I made last time, it was time to give strawberry jam a try. A vanilla bean was all that was needed to take this jam to a different high. Here is the simple recipe of this wonderful jam.


All you need is

Strawberries - 2 cup ( chopped )
Sugar - 1 cup
Vanilla bean - 1 ( If vanilla bean is not available, you can use a tsp of vanilla extract )
lemon juice - 2 tbsp


Method of preparation

Add the chopped strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a pan.
Slit the vanilla bean into half and scrap the seeds.
Add the seeds and the bean  in the pan .
Cook on medium heat till the jam thickens to the desired consistency. ( Do not over cook otherwise the jam will harden on cooling )
To check the consistency of the jam, drop a little on a plate and refrigerate it for 3-4 minutes.
If it sets, it's done.
Remove the jam from heat.
Let it cool for 15 minutes.
Transfer the jam in a sterilized container.
Refrigerate up to 10 days.