Orange Peel Spoon Sweet - Glyko Portokalaki

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 5 oranges (2 1/2 pounds)
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Recipe

• 1 wash und rub well the oranges.
• 2 slice the orange peel in half, then quarters, then eighths - top to bottom. remove peel in strips (eat the oranges!).
• 3 cut strips in half, across the width.
• 4 orange peel, with or without the external part, is bitter. this process removes most of that bitterness without bleaching out the flavor, and softens the peel. place peel in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, timing from when it starts to bubble.
• 5 drain in a strainer or colander and rinse under running cold water.
• 6 repeat step 4 boiling for 3 minutes. repeat step 5. total boiling time: 11 minutes.
• 7 place sugar and water in a saucepan and stir until sugar is dissolved.
• 8 bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 5 minutes.
• 9 add orange peel, return to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes just until the syrup begins to thicken slightly (it should be quite syrupy - but thick enough to coat a metal spoon).
• 10 stir in lemon juice and remove pan from heat.
• 11 allow to cool completely before storing in sterilized jars.
• 12 note. i like to rolls peel strips before cooking them (fixing with a stick) or simply rolling them before placing in the jar.