Breakfast,  Nutritional information,  Savoury,  Sweet

Whisky and ginger marmelade and indigestible books

Whisky and ginger marmelade

Following my previous blog post, I had a message from somebody irked by my flippancy, with recommendations for, amongst other things, dog training books. Many years ago, when I got my first labrador puppy, Loulou, I bought a book called ‘How to have an obedient dog’. As it turned out, I should have bought the sequel too: ‘How to avoid having books chewed to pieces as soon as you buy them’. So no thank you, I won’t be going down that road again.

Loulou the book chewer

I think for many people, myself included, trying to see the funny side of things is a coping mechanism. And let’s face it, life is a bit of a shit show at the moment. Also my sense of irony is often directly proportional to my back pain. For example, when I wrote this post, I didn’t know whether I was going to walk again properly.

So now we’ve cleared up the fact that I’m not a sociopathic monster, just a bit ‘bantery’ and immature, on to the marmelade.

While citrus peel provides many of the same nutritional benefits as the rest of the fruit such as antioxidants, vitamin C and polyphenols, it also contains provitamin A, B vitamins and calcium. The essential oils in the peel contain high levels of limonene, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory that helps ease heartburn and reflux, and reduce anxiety and stress. In addition to this, it helps maintain a healthy metabolism and lower high blood sugar levels.

Surprisingly enough, whisky too is a good source of polyphenols, the antioxidants linked with multiple health benefits. Whisky is also purported to help clear the mucous and congestion caused by colds. As with all things, to be taken in moderation…

Recipe for whiskey and ginger marmelade

  • 1kg Seville oranges
  • 1 lemon
  • 2cm piece of fresh root ginger
  • 1kg sugar
  • 250ml whisky

Wash the fruit well as you won’t be peeling. Cut into quarters, and place in a food processor, along with the ginger. Blitz until you obtain the desired texture. Transfer the chopped mixture to a large non-stick saucepan and add the sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until you reach the required texture. Add the whisky at the end of cooking time, stirring well. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to sterilised jars.

7 Comments

  • KJ

    In the countryside, where I was raised, one didn’t ‘train’ his or her dogs; one co-existed and hoped for the best. Those relationships seemed to work out well for both human and beast. As you well know, free-will isn’t solely an attribute of humans. It would have been comical to witness an eight-year-old boy trying to tell a huge, German Shepherd what to do, anyway. He never did listen to me, but he was a great friend and protector.
    As for the ‘flippancy’ often present in your posts: if it were not there I would be asking who you are and what have you done with the Healthy Epicurean.
    As for the whisky part of your post, upon first reading the topic note that came in my email, I was all set to scold for mixing whisky with anything. But, you didn’t suggest using a single malt, so all is forgiven. I may even try this recipe, as M does enjoy a bit of marmelade with a croissant.

    • The Healthy Epicurean

      You know, I think you’re definitely on to something when you use the word ‘protector’ to describe your German Shepherd. A dog, or even a horse for that matter, can’t possibly protect if he is submissive. Hugo is definitely a case in point. Java less so as she’s too scatterbrained to do much of anything other than running around in circles being mad.
      Don’t worry, I agree it would be heresy to consider using a single malt in cooking. I used a very run-of-the-mill whisky we’ve had for ages as neither of us drinks spirits anymore. I did used to enjoy a nice peaty single malt before becoming such a lightweight!

Leave a Reply