Oranges are citrus fruits that came to us from China. Only since the middle of the 19th century, oranges have become widespread throughout the world, they began to prepare all kinds of dishes, jams, juices, jams and sauces. To date, there are more than 300 varieties of this fruit, which are divided into 4 main groups: ordinary oranges, which have bright yellow flesh, kinglets, the flesh of which is red, thick-skinned Jaffa oranges and navel oranges, with orange flesh.
Today it is almost impossible to imagine a festive table without oranges. The fruit advantageously differs from its counterparts in the fact that it can be bought at any time of the year, and therefore orange jam can be made from it. This is a very tasty bright orange dessert with a characteristic aroma and sweet and sour rich taste. The basis of orange jam is ripe fruits, sometimes with peel and zest, sugar and water.
Properties of orange jam
Oranges and their derivatives are strategic products in many countries of the world, since the economy of Brazil, America, Mexico, Spain and India is built on this fruit and its cultivation.
Nutrients and vitamin-mineral complex of oranges are very beneficial for the human body. Valuable essential oils that orange peel contains are used in aromatherapy, cosmetology and confectionery. Orange jam does not lose many of the beneficial qualities of its parent, so it is often used in traditional medicine and home cosmetic procedures.
People with diseases of the cardiovascular system, liver, high cholesterol and frequent colds should regularly eat orange jam. Those who regularly follow various diets are also recommended to use orange jam as desserts, since it contains only 245 kilocalories per 100 grams of pure product, which is not much for sweets.
The composition of this product helps it quickly and efficiently improve immunity, which is due to the full spectrum of orange jam vitamins, produce an antipyretic effect on the human body, regulate the activity of the central nervous system, endocrine, cardiovascular and digestive systems, prevent the occurrence of atherosclerosis and heart attacks, improving mechanisms metabolic and slag-removing processes.
Due to the excessive activity of the components, some people are contraindicated in the use of orange jam.
Diseases for which this product should not be eaten include:
- duodenal ulcer;
- stomach ulcer;
- gastritis in the acute stage;
- increased acidity of the stomach;
- allergic to orange or any citrus fruits.
If you abuse products based on oranges, there is a real risk of acquiring such terrible diseases as obesity or diabetes. In addition, fruit acids can completely destroy tooth enamel, so rinsing the mouth after drinking orange jam is a mandatory hygiene procedure.
Cooking at home
Making orange jam is not difficult. At home, you can use this citrus fruit to make orange peel jam, with zest, peel and other ingredients. All the benefits of citrus will be preserved and multiplied when making jam, especially if you do not remove the zest from it.
The recipe for orange jam with zest will require 1 kilogram of oranges, 1 kilogram of sugar and half a liter of water from the hostess. Sugar is mixed with water, and the resulting mass is brought to a boil. Thin-skinned oranges are cut into pieces of arbitrary shape, the peel is not removed from them, but all the bones are necessarily removed. It is better to cut citrus in a deep bowl so that the juice that flows out can then be drained into future jam. All chopped fruit is added to boiling sugar syrup, the fire is reduced and after that the jam is cooked for about 2 hours. During cooking, the product must be stirred so that it does not burn to the walls of the pan.
An indicator of the readiness of orange jam is its sufficient thickening. This can be easily checked by dropping jam on a plate – the drop should not spread. This recipe allows you to make delicious orange jam for the winter, as it contains enough sugar for good preservation.
You can also make orange jam in a slow cooker. It will take quite a bit of time and will appeal to those who like fresh jam, which does not take long to mess with. Such a product is very tasty on its own, but it differs in that it becomes a good addition to various pies, cookies, porridge and other dishes.
To prepare orange jam in a slow cooker, you will need:
- 3 large thin-skinned oranges;
- 1 a glass of sugar;
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice;
- ground cinnamon.
Oranges are washed and peeled of the skin and white skin underneath, and then cut into free-form pieces. Lemon juice is poured into a bowl with chopped slices and mixed well. Then sugar is poured into the workpiece. It is worth noting that orange jam in a slow cooker can be prepared with a minimum amount of sugar – you can pour it to your own taste without adhering to the dosage of the recipe. The mixture is covered with a lid and left on the table for 1 hour until the juice from the fruit comes out.
In the meantime, it is necessary to make zest from orange skins by rubbing them on a fine grater. Zest along with cinnamon is added to the orange billet. If the oranges for jam were not very juicy, then a little clean water should be added to the mixture. All ingredients are placed in a slow cooker for 30 minutes in the “Extinguishing” mode. After the end of the program, the multicooker must be turned off, but do not get the jam out of it and do not open the lid for about 2 hours. So the product is well infused.
From oranges, in addition to jam, you can also make jam. It is thicker in consistency and uniform in appearance, it is easier to use for fillings and layers of all kinds of pies. To make jam, in addition to 1 kilogram of oranges, you also need 2 lemons. Fruits should be washed and peeled and peeled. It is necessary to get all the seeds from oranges and lemons, as they will give the jam an unnecessary bitterness. The pulp of the fruit is passed through a meat grinder or whipped in a blender, getting a puree. Lemon and orange zest is prepared separately from each other. Citrus puree is poured with a kilogram of sugar, mixed and put on fire. Having collected the foam when the jam boils, the fire must be reduced to a minimum and the jam should be cooked for 30 minutes.
In parallel with the preparation of jam from the zest of fruits, you can make excellent jam. Orange zest is poured with 150 grams of sugar, and lemon zest is poured with water and boiled over a fire. After 5 minutes of boiling, the water from the zest must be drained, rinsed and poured with water again. Lemon zest is again boiled over a fire and drained until there is no bitterness in the boiled water. After that, orange zest with sugar is added to it, half a glass of water is poured in and the mixture is boiled over a fire for about 30 minutes. Ready-made jam and jam from orange and zest can be poured into jars and twisted for the winter.
Red orange jam
There are also some varieties of oranges that have their own specific taste. Today, everyone knows the so-called red or Sicilian oranges. Their color is provided by the anthocyanin, which is part of the fruit, which gives them greater sourness and incredible usefulness, compared to other types of citrus. There is a lot of vitamin C in the fruits of the Sicilian orange, one fruit can replenish the daily requirement of this vitamin for a person. The name is given to the fruit according to the area of growth, since it practically does not grow in other regions. Only in Sicily, the quality of soil and weather conditions allow the cultivation of red orange.
Sicilian orange jam is unusual. The bitter taste and acid are fully compensated by the aroma of citrus.
In many recipes, bitterness is not heard at all due to the ingredients that are put in the jam along with oranges.
For an extraordinary red orange and chocolate jam, you will need the following products:
- red orange – 1 kilogram;
- gelling sugar (can be replaced with gelfix and regular granulated sugar) – 600 grams;
- gin – 50 milliliters;
- bitter chocolate – 60 grams.
Wash and dry the fruit, cut the zest and chop it into small strips. Pour the zest with water and leave to infuse, then rinse and add sugar. Cut the fruit pulp into fillets, remove the bones from it and add to the zest. From the remnants of the pulp, press the juice into the zest with oranges. Put the mixture on fire and boil, remove the resulting foam and cook for 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat, add gin to the jam, mix well and cool the mixture. After the jam has completely cooled, it is boiled again, and then boiled over low heat for 5 minutes. After that, add chocolate to the jam and stir until it is completely dissolved. The fire can be turned off, and the finished treat can be consumed or continue to infuse at room temperature for greater density.
Features cooking
Orange jam is a very tasty and healthy dessert that can be used for its intended purpose, as a dietary supplement, and to solve many health problems. In order for the hostess to make the product not only tasty, but also healthy, and also to retain its useful qualities for a long time, it is important to follow a few simple rules when preparing it, the violation of which will damage the taste and quality of the finished jam. Among these nuances it is necessary to highlight:
- Fruit cleansing. Oranges must be washed very carefully in running water with a brush. It is better to pour boiling water over them before washing. This is done in order to get rid of the chemicals that fruits are always treated with to increase shelf life and presentable appearance. In the finished jam, harmful substances will turn out to be not only useless, but also dangerous.
- Seed extraction. All seeds from any citrus must be removed, since it is in the seeds of the fruit that the main part of the bitterness is contained, which can greatly spoil the taste of the jam or require the addition of too much sugar.
- Open cooking. When making orange jam, do not cover the container with the ingredients. The condensate dripping into the mixture with the product can cause the product to ferment even before it is ready.
- Application of spices. Orange jam will acquire an unforgettable aroma, taste and many useful properties if you add spices to the dish during its preparation – cinnamon, cloves, star anise.
Using orange jam in your daily diet, remember how important it is to observe the measure when eating any food. In moderation, this delicious sweetness will only benefit the body, will contribute to weight loss and the absence of viral infections throughout the year, and in excessive quantities, it will ruin the work of the gastrointestinal tract and tooth enamel.