Blood orange cordial

Blood oranges arrive at the end of winter and herald the start of longer days and slightly warmer weather. They’re the quintessential seasonal fruit and are only around for a short time so get out there & grab some while you can! And look: too much sugar is a bad thing but at least with this treat you’re avoiding all the hideous all-pervading artificial colours & flavours seen in supermarket brands…

Fresh from the garden: blood oranges

Recipe source: Melissa, kitchen specialist at Bondi PS

What to do:

• Roll each blood orange a few times between the heel of your palm and the tabletop to release the juice, and then cut each in half. Hand juice the oranges with the citrus juicer and measure the liquid to yield about 375ml.
• Or, if using an electric juice fountain, peel the skin from all the oranges, turn the motor on with dry hands, fix the jug underneath the chute & juice away! You will need to clean the machine straight away after juicing otherwise the pulp will stick – do this by dismantling the machine parts and carefully scrubbing away at them under running water. The leftover pulp can go to the compost.
• Place the water, blood orange juice and sugar into the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid off until the liquid is reduced by about a third.
• Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180C. Wash the bottles in hot, soapy water & rinse. Drain them and then place on a baking tray and carefully slide into the hot oven for 5 minutes. Remove when the bottles are dry and leave them to cool somewhere safe. This process is to sterilise the bottles before filling.
• Cool the liquid in the saucepan for a few minutes before measuring out & then pouring into a large jug filled with ice. Add twice the amount of fizzy water to the cordial and serve immediately!
• If you’re bottling the cordial, strain it into a large jug and then funnel it into the bottles. Close tightly and store in the fridge for up to a month.

Notes: What does seasonal mean? Why are they called blood oranges? Why do we sterilise the bottles?