Orange Marmalade (or Jamalade)

I prefer calling my “jam” Jamalade and not Marmalade, because I use sweet oranges (or basically any orange I can find that hasn’t been sprayed with poisons/pesticides/etc) rather than Seville oranges which are used to make the original Marmalade. I find the Seville oranges just too bitter for my delicate taste!

An internet search, however, said that one could call any jam made with the peel of any citrus fruit marmalade, but I fear traditionalists might not agree. I have found that even marmalade haters (me included!) love my Jamalade as it isn’t as bitter as the standard one. It is also not as sickly sweet…just try it, you’ll love it!

Here in Portugal, I have access to loads of oranges as it often costs the owners more to pick them than they can actually monetise. There are acres of deserted orchards, but without water and care, the citrus tend to grow really thick skins, have very little fruit mass inside and are often sour as hell. Finding them before this stage is a favourite activity of ours!

I have also changed the way of making marmalade to save time and energy. Most recipes call for peeling, sieving, tying up the pips and hours of boiling the fruit to soften the skin, but I decided to use the whole fruit and a pressure cooker instead and it works like a charm in a fraction of the time.

NOTE: Please follow the manufacturer’s instruction on how to use your pressure cooker. I use mine several times a week and have never had a problem, but I’ve heard of people just about blowing the roof off their house with one. I have no idea how this is possible – apparently one person switched it on and went on holiday…now this is something I absolutely don’t recommend. If you switch any pot on, you really should stay around and keep an eye on it!

THE RECIPE
1kg fruit
500g pectin sugar

METHOD:
1. Chop up the whole fruit into bite sized pieces. I have a good mandolin slicer with a julienne blade, but you could use a knife or a food processor. If there are a lot of pips, I take them out, but leaving a few in won’t kill anyone.
2. My pressure cooker comfortably takes 3kg of chopped fruit, so this is the amount I process. Make sure you don’t overfill your pressure cooker – there is generally a maximum fill line marked inside the pressure cooker so please respect this line. You don’t want to block the vent by overfilling.
3. Put the fruit in the pressure cooker, bring up to pressure and cook for 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to de-pressure by itself. This can take up to 30 minutes depending on your brand of pressure cooker.
4. Once the pressure is off, open the lid and add the sugar. For my 3kg of fruit, I add 1,5kg of sugar. My brand requires that you simmer the fruit sugar mix for 4 minutes, while stirring often to avoid sticking.
5. Put into sterilized jars, close the lid tightly and that’s it! Quick and easy. My mother-in-law always turns jam jars on their head (lid down) to be sure that it seals well. I do this sometimes but not always.
NOTE: I sterilize my jars by washing them thoroughly and then pouring boiling water over them before using them. However, sterilize your jars in any way you feel comfortable with – I believe a lot of people put them in the oven. Do whatever makes you happy!