Winter Citrus Jelly
February's seasonal shopping list, some home craft with Winter bulbs and the perfect jelly to celebrate then bright zing of Winter citrus.
We are almost at the halfway mark for February and as the last of Winter clings onto our days and nights my kitchen feels bare and austere. It is not a time of plenty, with only a pinch of seasonal produce to choose from, making it a confusingly difficult time of year to eat the seasons. In the supermarkets temptation is everywhere with row upon row of seemingly season-less berries and worse the arrival of the Valentines strawberries. None of which we should be buying now. Shopping has become a tiring act of checking labels for ingredients, considering endless plastic packaging and battling out of season produce but despair not there are some beautiful seasonal highlights which aren’t to be missed. This week I am including a shopping list of what to buy and eat in the UK now.
At the top of the list are the bright and zesty Winter citrus, nutrient dense brassicas and softly comforting root vegetables. There are also some stand out beauties such as rhubarb, which I cooked with last week (should you be searching for a how to of making a simple rhubarb compote) and Jerusalem artichokes which make for the most beautiful creamy soup when roasted and spiked with cream and good stock. At this time of year blood oranges are also a delight and can be simply juiced to make a beautiful drink, or cocktail such as a Blood Orange Bellini. Blood Oranges also work beautifully when cut into segments and tossed through Winter leaves, to complete the salad you could finish with a ball of burrata, some toasted nuts and good extra virgin olive oil. Nothing could be simpler to assemble, or more delicious to eat.
February Seasonal List
What to buy and enjoy now.
Vegetables
Brussel sprouts, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Kale, Leek, Onion Parsnip, Potato, Purple sprouting broccoli, Savoy cabbage, Sweet Potato and Swede
Fruits
Apple, Banana, Blood Orange, Clementine, Cooking apple, Lemon, Orange, Pear, Pomegranate, Rhubarb
February Edit
At home we have planted a whole host of beautiful bulbs in old pots and bowls: Hyacinths my late mother’s favourite and Paperwhites my personal favourite were what we chose this year. When in full bloom the scent wafts through the house and the sight of growing flowers really does lift a whole room.
All you need to do find some shallow pots, this is the time to get creative and use vintage finds. Take a handful gravel or small stones to line the base of the dish, then add soil or potting mix until half-full. Carefully arrange the bulbs (pointy end up) and space evenly so you don’t overcrowd. Cover over with more soil or potting mix until you just reveal the tips of the bulbs. You can cover around the bulbs and over the soil with moss to tidy up the planting. Most spring-blooming bulbs will thrive like this: hyacinths, daffodils and tulips. This is a great way of saving money as I am always astounded at the cost of planted bulbs in the shops. Find a sunny window sill and gently water, when the bulbs open you can then stake them with twigs collected on walks, or for a more professional finish willow, or pussy willow stems look beautiful, the wilder the branches the better.
Recipe of the Week
This week I wanted to celebrate Winter citrus and this wonderful recipe would work well for both oranges and blood oranges, depending on what you can find. Looking through my late mother’s recipes the fun and whimsy of these jelly boats stood out. My mother loved cooking food for children and jellies of all descriptions were a staple. She collected a beautiful array of jelly moulds, which I’m hoping to clean and display in her kitchen; the animals and shapes are too fun not to enjoy. This recipe is loved by both adults and children and a core childhood food memory of mine, as they were at the centre of so many of our birthday parties as kids. They are still a little magical and make me smile, making these bought back lots of happy memories.
There is the slightly fiddly job of prepping the oranges, I found the combined use of a grapefruit knife and a melon baller helped me best to scoop out all the pith, but it did require some patience and Mum would probably know a trick to speed the process up, if only I could ask her. Nonetheless I hope the finished version does her justice. You can of course skip this entirely and set your jelly in any bowl or jelly mould.
Winter Citrus Jelly
makes 12 orange halves/ or 24 orange jelly boats (orange quarters)
1 pint (570ml) fresh orange juice
reserve the orange halves for the boats
4 gelatine leaves
a little sugar (optional)
edible rice paper and cocktail sticks, to decorate
Juice freshly squeezed orange juice, enough to make 1 pint of juice. Reserve the orange halves, for the jelly boats. Taste for sweetness and adjust: I added 1/2 tablespoon of golden sugar. Scoop out the remaining fruit from the orange halves, so that you have empty orange shells, add 12 empty orange halves to a muffin tin so they are secure and ready for the jelly.
Use gelatine leaf, or you can use a vege-gel alternative, and follow the packet instructions for the quantities. For gelatine leaf you simply soak the leaves in warm water for 5 mins, squeeze out the water and add the leaves (x4) to 1 pint (570ml) liquid. In a saucepan warm the orange juice to blood temperature, don’t boil or the gelatine won’t set. All the gelatine should be dissolved, strain it through a sieve to triple check.
Pour the jelly mix into the prepped orange halves, place the whole muffin tin with oranges into the fridge for 4 hours at least to set, or overnight. To serve cut the orange halves into quarters. Take a cocktail stick and pin on a triangle of edible rice paper for a sail. Serve.