CLEMENTINE AND STAR ANISE JAGGERY MARMALADE
Probably the cutest recipe name I’ve ever come up with. Clementines are my favourite little orange, marmalade is my favourite fruit spread (it used to be raspberry jam but marmalade reminds me of my dad), and star anise is probably the most show stopping of all the spices — it’s star-shaped!!! Or maybe more like a flower. Either way its taste is unique and lends itself to all manner of recipes, from savoury to sweet, and along with the clementines and some jaggery we have a heavenly trio.
I’ve already made a couple of jars of this for Christmas. It’s therapeutic, makes a great gift and if you can resist working your way through it on a daily basis it’s a gift that will last for the whole of the holidays.
Look for organic clementines (or use the same weight in organic oranges) — available in veg box orders from Riverford or Abel & Cole, and from the aisles of Whole Foods and Waitrose (Duchy brand), which also means it’s available in your online food shop from Ocado if you do that. Non-organic clementines are covered in wax to keep them fresher for longer, which is convenient but not great for us to ingest. When making marmalade from any citrus fruit you’ll see recipes telling you to scrub them in hot, soapy water — that’s to melt off and remove that wax coating, but with it goes so much of the essential oils that give your marmalade flavour. Hence I keep my eyes peeled (‘scuse the pun) for those organic ones since you eat the peel and all.
I like to use a light jaggery — i.e. a honey-coloured one, as a dark one has a lot of molasses which will change up the flavour somewhat as well as the colour (which might confuse guests, but will still be yummy!).
Though finding the ingredients might take a bit of effort, the recipe itself is pretty easy for your homemade marmalade. Just simmer up the clementines with the jaggery, some lemon juice for its natural pectin content to help it gel a little, and the star anise for that special something. Unlike many commercial jams which rely on artificially sourced pectin and a tonne of refined sugar, this marmalade won’t be a thick jelly like gel but more of a compote or a tasty drizzle, and all the better for you. P.S. this is delicious with puddings, French toast and as an ice cream topping — you can even serve it as part of the main meal, chutney-style, to add some sweet fragrance to your feast.
INGREDIENTS
12 clementines, organic and whole (approx 850g)*
2 cups water
1 organic lemon**
1 cup (130g) light jaggery***
10g of star anise (approx 12 whole star anise)
METHOD
Halve the lemon, squeeze out the juice and reserve (leaving the seeds in).
Rinse the clementines, pick out any woody bits at the base of the clementine (and any stalks) and place them whole into a large saucepan or soup pot to create one layer.
Add the water, star anise, leftover lemon halves and lemon seeds to the pot.
Cover and simmer for 2 hours or until the fruit is soft.
Turn off the heat, carefully transfer the clementines and lemon halves into a big bowl, set aside and allow to cool.
Strain the star anise and lemon pips from the cooking liquid — I used a slotted spoon — and discard. Then add the jaggery and lemon juice to the pot and slowly bring to the boil, stirring occasionally as the jaggery dissolves.
Meanwhile, halve the cooled clementines, scoop out the seeds then finely slice and chop everything else (skin included) and add back into the open pot.
Continue to gently boil the mixture for 20-30 minutes until the marmalade reduces, then remove from the heat. Taste and add a bit more jaggery if you like but I like to keep the sweet-sour flavour as much as possible.
Fill hot, sterilised jars until nearly full and seal.
Store in a cool place for up to a week and once opened, store in the fridge.
East by west tips:
*If you can’t find organic clementines, then dunk in hot soapy water and give a light scrub.
** If you can't find an organic lemon, then don’t worry about adding the leftover lemon halves to the pot.
***You can use dark, but the high molasses content will have a stronger flavour — still delicious — and make the marmalade dark.
