Llimona Mermelada

… as many of my regular readers will know The Viking and I try to steal a week or two in Mallorca every year.  I’m entirely surprised but totally delighted that we managed to squeeze a full 8 days in this week, although do keep it quiet, I’d hate for our clients to find out.  We’re really fortunate that my lovely auntie Sonia has an apartment in Puerto Pollensa, however for the last few years we’ve made a conscious decision not to stay there for the full time we’re on the island, rather we use it as a base to explore a more ‘rustica’ side to life here in the ballaerics.

…this year we’ve found a beautiful hotel in the old town of Pollensa.  In-land from the port the Hotel Son Sant Jordi is tucked away down one of the many labrynth-like streets and is one of those glorious town-house hotels that feels more like you’re staying in someone’s home.  It is intimately luxurious with just 8 rooms in the main house, a little restaurant of its own and a tranquil little garden with fish pond for fish and another for us humans… The garden is lush with a variety of plum and citrus trees, one of which The Viking and I are relaxing in its shade.  Tucked away in the corner of the garden is an elegant little pool house and stacked in the corner of the pool house are a number of boxes heaving with all kinds of incredible homemade marmalades, preserves and jams…

Llimona Mermelada
I feel totally honoured that Jaime the hotel owner has agreed to share this incredible recipe for his homemade Lemon Marmalade and I for one cannot wait to get home back to the cottage and try this out for myself… what I love about this recipe is that Jaime travelled the world with work and spent some time in North Africa learning to cook and in particular how to preserve in the traditional ways.. So this is a North African lemon marmalade being explained to me in Spanish whilst I write it all up, so I want to leave it as naturally as it comes from him to me to you…

Firstly you need to use old lemons. This means yellow, ripened lemons if you’re buying from a supermarket or the older yellow lemons from a tree… Hose who have a lemon tree will understand.  You’ll need roughly 3 or 4 kilos of lemons and roughly the same of jam sugar but to be honest these measurements are so vague it’s all going to be about trial and error…

Jaime has worked out that for his lemon marmalade for every 2 whole lemons you need the peel of one lemon… Just the peel, no white, sliced very thinly.

Cut the lemons into large chunks and boil the lemons and peel 3 times, straining and using clean water each time. After the third time squeeze the lemons and remove the white and pulp and pips.

Then sit the boiled lemons in water for 24 hours, changing the water every 5 hours.

Next place all the lemons in a large pan, cover in water and boil for about 5 mins until it turns white, remove the water and keep this water for lemonade

Add a little more water and the sugar, bring to the boil and after 5 mins it is ready… Pour into jars till completely full then place the lid on and turn the jars upside down…

eat and of course, enjoy!