Lemon marmalade

Lemon marmalade (marmellata di limone) is a delicious way to preserve lemons, Italian-style. Recipe and image by Mario Matassa

lemon marmalade preserve
Makes 4 x 250g jars of marmalade
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg organic lemons

• about 1kg caster sugar

Instructions:

1 Begin by washing the lemons very well. Then bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the lemons. Boil for 20 minutes.

2 Drain the lemons, place them back in the pot and fill the pot with fresh water again. Bring the water to the boil and boil for a further 20 minutes.

3 Drain away the water, refill, and repeat the process one more time. This time, remember to keep the cooking water. Remove the lemons from the water with a slotted spoon and pass through a mouli (if you do not have a mouli, you can use a sturdy sieve). 

4 Once you’ve puréed all the lemons, weigh the pulp. Place the lemon pulp back into a heavy-based saucepan and add the same weight of sugar (about 1kg), and 500ml of the cooking water that you set aside. Place the pan on the heat and allow the marmalade to boil for 15 minutes. Ladle the hot marmalade into sterilised jars and secure the lids. Leave to cool, then store in a cool, dark place. 

Find more Italian preserve ideas here

You can find plenty more delicious Italian-inspired recipes here