Shared by Viviane Bowell
Shared by Viviane Bowell
Nareng (Orange Slices in Syrup)
Yield: 25-30 servings
Nareng (Orange Slices in Syrup)
Yield: 25-30 servingsFamily Journey
Aleppo, SyriaCairo, EgyptLondon
Bristol, England and Toledo, SpainConstantinople (present-day Istanbul)Cairo, Egypt
LondonBristol, England
“Seville oranges work well because of their thick skins and unique bitter taste. They were a big part of our cuisine in Egypt, as most traditional dishes requiring oranges used them, rather than the sweeter naval variety,” Viviane Bowell explains in her cookbook “A Culinary legacy: Recipes from a Sephardi Egyptian kitchen.” If you can’t find Seville oranges, though, other varieties will also work.
Viviane’s mother always kept jars of these along with jams like this one made with quince in her refrigerator in Cairo when Viviane was little. Serve them as she did, with Turkish coffee and sweets like her baklava.
Read more about Viviane in “The Jam Fridge of Cairo” and try her recipe for molokhia, a garlic-y stew made with greens.
Ingredients
2.2 lbs orange peels (from about 6 oranges)
5 cups sugar
4 ¼ cups water
juice of ½ lemon
Preparation
Step 1
Cut each orange into four segments and carefully remove the peels in order not to tear them. Slice each peel into rectangles about 1 inch in length and ¾ inch in width. Weigh the peel, as you will need an equal weight of sugar. Soak the peels in water for 2 days, changing the water frequently.
Step 2
Drain and boil the peels in water for about 20 minutes, until soft. Drain again. Roll up the strips of peel, one by one, and thread them on to a thick thread with a needle, like beads on a necklace, tying about 7 or 8 strips together at a time. Tie the ends of the thread together.
Step 3
Make a syrup by boiling the water, sugar and lemon juice. Drop the necklaces in the syrup and simmer for about 1 hour. Lift out and cool on a plate. Remove the threads and drop the coils of peel in sterilized jars. When slightly cooled, pour the syrup over them.
Step 4
Store in the fridge for up to 1 year.
