You've heard the expression, haven't you, ragazzi? "One man's trash is another man's treasure"? Of course you have. And let's face it: each and every one of us has, at some point or another, pulled something out of a pile of... oh, clothes, or electronics, or what have you, and made it their own. Annalena recalls how, several years ago, she mortified the Guyman with such trash diving (although she really didn't need to do any "diving." ). She and the Guyman were coming back from their annual Christmas eve dinner, very much enjoying "afterglow" and the weather, and as they turned the corner, she saw a huge pumpkin, in perfect shape, in someone's trash. Seriously, ragazzi: not a dent, not a rot spot, nothing: a perfectly good, 8-10 pound pumpkin. As the Guyman looked away, Annalena reached over, got the beast by the stem, and put it under her arm, to the degree it could fit. She got her workout that night, but she got it home. And a couple of days later, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin ice cream all made their way into their refrigerator, and into their friends' gift bags.
And why not? It was perfectly good food, and someone had clearly kept it from Thanksgiving.
Now, had it been spoiled, Annalena would have left it. But this was pure . It really and truly was. You may not believe her, but has Annalena ever lied to you?
Moving on, another example of what is "one man's trash," which Annalena has never followed up on, is grapefruit peels. See, some years ago, Annalena learned how to candy grapefruit peel, using a very complicated, very time consuming method. The results, based on how her fans react, are phenomenal. Annalena stopped making her Christmas cookies a few years ago , due to the ravages of age and a busy life, but she still candies the peel, and people do scream for it. It seems the combination of the color, the mild bitterness ("beaten" out of the peel with hot water), and the crystalline sugar "reaches" people in a way.
It should. The stuff is a pain in the (insert body part here), to make. The method Annalena uses calls for slicing the peel into chunks, and then boiling it for ten minutes, three times, each time with new water. After that, one must clean the peel of residual schmutz, and then slice it into the peel pieces. These then go into sugar syrup, cook to a temperature of 230 (NOT obtained quickly, ragazzi), and then cooled, dried, and dipped in more sugar. Then, and only then, is it ready to eat.
You can only do this when you have plenty of peel around. Annalena and the Guyman do eat grapefruit, but it is not their major citrus. So it sometimes takes a while before she can make it. And she would like to make it: sometimes, she thinks she could retire on the stuff. Her pal June sells it for 11.00 for a two ounce bag, and she has seen it for 16.00 for a quarter pound, with the statement that "it is a bargain."
Hmmm. Annalena wondered how many pounds of grapefruit peel she could pick up from juice shops. Then she only has sugar, and her labor to factor in, before she's making stuff that sells for any where from 16-22.00 a quarter pound. And if you make it, ragazzi, it IS worth it. Wait. This is not for those who are not committed.
Well, not having the gumption to contact the juice bars, Annalena's grapefruit peel has been in short supply, and rationed out carefully. Now, however, she has learned a new method, and it is a method that CAN be used for grapefruit, but has universal applicability, to ALL citrus peels. As she and the Guyman eat a LOT of oranges (supplied by the Citrus bomb and the Citrus stud), use a lot of lemons (from the same), and use limes and grapefruits, securing sufficient peel is not a problem, if you are looking at MIXED citrus peel. Think about it: you can easily, EASILY eat 2-3 oranges a day (and at this time of year, you SHOULD be). You probably use a lemon every day or every other day, for flavoring vegetables, fish, or tea, and you use lime when you drink your bad Mexican beer, or to make guacamole, and so forth. And if you want to make mixed citrus sorbet, well, there you go.
So this method is really something you should have in your bag of tricks. It's far less complex than the one Annalena has used and, remarkably, while you cook the peel together, each variety retains its unique flavor. Absolutely wonderful, says Annalena. So, here we go.
Use peel from organic, or at least non-sprayed fruit, if you can. Juice it, but don't worry tremendously about getting the white stuff off - that will come later. When you have a big bag of it (let's say 8-10 pieces of fruit worth), get them all in a big pot, and cover it with water. Bring it to a boil, lower it to a simmer, and cook for one hour. (Originally, 50 minutes, but one hour is easier). Drain this, and let it cool.
Here comes the only part that is a bit difficult. Take each piece, cut it into a manageable piece, and then, with the back end of a knife, carefully scrape off the white stuff and as much pith as is reasonable. This will take a while, and to be honest, it is messy, disgusting work. But we're getting to something wonderful. We really are.
After you have that done, cut the peel into smaller pieces: strips, triangles, etc. You may want to choose different shapes for each type of fruit, and that's fine. And when you're done, get those pieces into a pot, with a hefty 3 cups of sugar (originally, 3.25 cups of sugar. If you heap up a 3 cup measure, you will have 3.25 cups) and the same quantity, of water. If you are making bigger batches, increase accordingly. Bring THIS to a boil, lower it to a simmer, and let this cook for an hour (again, 50 minutes is what was called for. ). Keep the heat at that medium, low level for a very soft simmer. Now, let this cool, and drain the syrup off. Save this, the same way you saved the juice if you didn't have "waste" peel, and use it for drinks, sorbets, cakes, etc. Lay the cooked peel on racks, with some parchment paper underneath, in order to catch any spill (there probably won't be any, though).
Leave this in an aerated place, away from your cats, and let it dry for 24 hours. Let it dry for the full term, because if you don't, after you do the next step, you'll have a mess. Trust Annalena's experience on this one. When it's dry, fill a bowl with more sugar, and toss the peel until it coats. The peel is sticky, so the sugar will adhere well. Keep doing this until you're done, and then let the peel dry a bit more - let's say for 4-5 hours. The citrusy sugar can also be used, anywhere you would want sugar.
You MUST store this in a metal tin . If water or any form of moisture gets to it, your work is for naught. Metal cookie tins (the ones Annalena used to fill with her goodies), seem to work the best.
This stuff keeps, nearly forever. It does begin to get a bit more than stiff after 3-4 months, but do you really anticipate having it around that long? Annalena thought not. Glorious, isn't it?
So, during this peak citrus season, when you should be getting as much vitamin C as you can, don't let this valuable stuff get away. And if you have no interest, give Annalena a call. She can use those peels.
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