marmellata di arance siviglia
We have given no quantities, as the recipe works in proportion of fruit to sugar.
Seville oranges, washed
caster sugar
Soak the oranges for 24–48 hours in cold water, then drain and rinse. This soaking allows the skin of the oranges to soften up and expand.
Fill a large, thick-bottomed saucepan with oranges, cover with cold water and slowly bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover the saucepan with the lid askew, and simmer very gently for 3–4 hours or until the oranges are completely soft, stirring from time to time. Make sure that the liquid does not totally evaporate during the cooking; add a drop more water if it does. Remove from the heat and cool.
Take the soft oranges out of the pan, and put the pan and any remaining juices to one side. Cut each orange in half, and remove the seeds and any tough fibres. Roughly cut the flesh and skin into 1 cm pieces. Weigh this orange pulp, then return to the saucepan.
Measure out two-thirds of the orange pulp weight in caster sugar. Add the sugar to the saucepan, return to the heat, and gently bring to the boil, stirring to prevent sticking and to help the sugar dissolve. Turn the heat down a little and simmer for about 30 minutes. The jam should be very dense and dark in colour. Cool for 5 minutes and then spoon into sterilised jars.