Whole Naartjie Preserve is a traditional South African recipe for a classic preserve of tangerines that are pared, soaked in water, cooked in sugar syrup and packed into jars with the syrup. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic South African version of: Whole Naartjie Preserve.
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Naartjie is the Afrikaans word for 'tangerine' and anyone who has been to South Africa will vouch for just how fantastic the citrus fruit in general are, and the tangerines in particular. The beat have thin skins that you can chew on as a snake after paring straight from the fruit. When eating these types of tangerines I like to sun-dry the skins and then powder for use as a spice. But that is a whole other recipe. On to the classic South African naartjie preserve. Depending on your preferences the fruit can be preserved with skin on or peeled. As the peel is used as a spice in South Africa, I tend to leave the skin on, but the image shows them peeled. You will need wide-mouthed jars so you can add the whole fruit to the jar without squishing them.
Ingredients:
3kg naartjies (these should be the smooth, tight-skinned variety [or use tangerines])
3kg sugar
3l water
For the Syrup:
1.5kg white sugar
2l water
4 tsp lemon juice
whole cinnamon sticks, to garnish (optional)
Method:
Take a potato peeler and pare the surface peel from the naartjies in thin strips, being very careful not to break the skins. Or, if you prefer, peel them completely.
Using a sharp knife make five, equidistant, vertical incisions in the sides. Place in a large pot, cover with water and set aside to soak for three days (replace the water with fresh on the second day).
Drain the fruit, place in a large pan then cover with fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the skin is tender but not broken (it should be soft enough to be pierced by a matchstick).
For the syrup, combine the sugar and water in a heavy-based pan. Place over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon juice then bring to a boil. Add the fruit, along with 1l extra water, bring back to a boil and cook until the naartjies are translucent and the syrup is thick.
Skim the foam from the surface then use a slotted spoon to pack the tangerines into sterilized and warmed jars. Pour over the syrup, ensuring that the tangerines are completely submerged. If desired, you can add in a whole cinnamon stick for extra flavour.
Seal immediately, allow to cool, then label and store.
