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Naring

This is one of the most popular and exquisite preserves. As the peels keep well in the refrigerator, you can collect them gradually. Choose thin-skinned oranges, preferably the bitter Seville type. Rub very lightly with a fine grater to remove their shine and some of their bitterness, being careful not to grate too deeply. Then, with a sharp-pointed knife, cut 6 deep lines in the peel from end to end and pull off the peel in 6 strips.

Ingredients

2 pounds orange peel
2 pounds sugar
4 1/2 cups water
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Boil the peel in water for about 1/2 hour, until soft. Drain. If using the peel of ordinary oranges, soak in fresh cold water for a day, changing the water once or twice if possible. If using bitter orange peel, it should be left to soak for 4 days, and the water should be changed twice a day.

    Step 2

    If the peel is very pithy, scrape some of the white pith away with a spoon, to make it less pasty. Roll the strips of peel up one by one, and thread them onto a thick thread, like beads on a necklace, to prevent them from unrolling.

    Step 3

    Make a syrup in a large pan. Boil the sugar and water with the lemon juice, and simmer until the sugar has melted. Drop the necklace in and simmer for about 1 hour, until the peel has absorbed the syrup thoroughly. Lift out, remove the thread, and drop the peel rolls into a clean glass jar.

    Step 4

    If the syrup is not thick enough, boil vigorously to reduce it until it coats the back of a spoon. Cool slightly, and pour over the orange peel to cover it completely. Close the jar tightly. It should last for months.

    Step 5

    Serve the rolls of peel either with some of their syrup, or drained and rolled in granulated sugar like crystallized fruits.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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