The Cottage Smallholder

All set for action

When The Chicken Lady tweeted that she was going to try out a pressure cooker marmalade recipe I was a teeny bit dubious that it could match the flavour of old fashioned marmalade lovingly stirred on the stove for hours. But I was wrong. I was surprised to discover that it tasted pretty good, sweet but with that hint of Seville bitterness. In fact the first thing that I did when I woke up this morning was to rush downstairs and put on two chunky slices of toast so as to guzzle some as soon as possible.

If you have a pressure cooker and not a lot of time – this recipe could be the answer for you. Apart from the cooling time, the marmalade can be made and smeared on toast within an hour!

Despite considering myself to be relatively brave, I must confess that pressure cookers rather alarm me. I can see the sense in them – cutting cooking times, using less energy and sealing the flavours in. I did invest in one back in the 1980’s – it hissed and huffed like a petulant cylindrical dragon. I can’t remember what I was trying to cook but after that first outing it was promptly returned to its cardboard box. Its opening breathy aria was unfortunately its swansong.

This recipe came from TCL’s grandmother, Bubba. Clearly a brave and plucky lady who welcomed her portly dragon to save on time and energy. The recipe is exactly as Bubba wrote it, using Imperial measurements.

Bubba’s quick Seville orange marmalade recipe using a pressure cooker

Ingredients:

2 lb of Seville oranges
2 pints of water
1 lemon
5 lb of sugar

Method:

Pressure cook the oranges and lemon (whole fruit) in the water for 10 minutes at 15 lb pressure.
Leave overnight or until cool.
Scoop out the middle of the fruit and put through a sieve or mouli. Add to the water.
Chop the peel and put back into the water with the sugar.
Slowly bring to the boil and boil til gel (setting point). Test after 15-20 minutes.

Makes 7-8 lbs