Nerantzi glyko – orange spoon sweet
These nerantzi glyko – or orange spoon sweets – evoke images of a loving γιαγιά sitting in her favourite chair beneath a grape-covered arbor …
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Wash and dry the oranges. Remove the zest with a microplane and set the zest aside.
  2. Cut each orange into quarters and remove the flesh. Cut each quarter of orange skin into thirds lengthways, resulting in 12 slices of skin per orange. If your oranges are on the small side, cut each quarter into 2.
  3. Take a length of kitchen string and thread it onto a largish needle. Tie a knot at the end of the string, then start curling each piece of orange skin into a tight coil, threading them onto the string with the needle. Tie off the end with another knot.
  4. Hang the orange garland somewhere inside for 24 hours to dry out, away from sunlight. You’ll notice it becomes a little spongy in texture.
  5. The following day – Remove the thread from the orange peels and toss them into a pot. Cover with water, bring to the boil and drain the oranges immediately. Repeat this process 3 more times. Set the blanched orange peels aside as you prep the syrup.
  6. Place the sugar, water and oregano into the saucepan you used to blanch the peels. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. After 10 minutes remove the oregano and discard it. Simmer the water for another 30 minutes.
  7. Tumble the blanched orange curls into the simmering syrup, allowing them to cook for 17 minutes. Pour in the lemon juice and simmer for a further 3 minutes.
  8. Turn off heat and allow to cool completely before storing in sterilised jars in the fridge or pantry.