Etrog Recipes

Photo by: The Kosher Foodies

You spent a lot of money for a nice looking etrog, used it for all of eight days and Sukkos is over. Now what do you do with it? Many readers asked us for etrog recipes, after scouring the web we found this one at Torah Women.org:

Etrog Jam

*Please keep in mind that etrog are sometimes raised commercially not as food and may be saturated during growth with pesticides. Please ensure that your etrog is safe for consumption.

Ingredients

• 1 etrog (citron)
• 6 cups water
• 3/4 cup sugar

After the Hebrew holiday Succoth, families everywhere will have an extra etrog which can make a delicious jam. Here’s Green Prophet’s recipe to make your own:

Slice and remove as many seeds as possible. Try slicing the long way into eighths to get seeds out as efficiently as possible. There are a LOT of seeds in an etrog so allow at least 1 hr for this step.

Chop fruit into very small pieces, including the peel, consider for this step using the food processor.

Cover fruit with water and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Next, bring everything to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Drain fruit.

Cover fruit with water and simmer again for 20 minutes, then refrigerate everything for at least 12 hours. Drain. Cover fruit with water and simmer uncovered again for 20 minutes. Drain fruit.

(These steps are important since if you skip them the finished product will be bitter!)

Cover fruit with water and add most of the sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Be careful here, if you leave it for a minute it can burn on the bottom. If it does burn, do not stir up the burned parts into the jam. Dump the stuff into a clean bowl, wash out your pot, put the jelly back in and continue.

Taste to see if you need to add more sugar. Continue simmering for ½ hour or more. The temperature should be 220º–222º, the water should be syrupy and the fruit should be clear-ish.

It should cool and congeal, if it is still runny some people add ¼ – ½ cup of orange marmalade per quart to add “pectin” and cook 15-20 minutes more. Personally, I think that however it comes out is nice.

And at Chabad.org we found this recipe that is sure to become a favorite:

Etrog Schnapps

Ingredients:

• Up to 3 Etrogs (citrus)
• 3 cups Vodka
• 1.5 cups superfine sugar

Rinse the Etrogs well, and peel the thick yellow skin. Place the peels in a 4-cup container, and add 2 cups of vodka. Store for a minimum of 48 hours in a cool, dark place. Remove the peels from the vodka. Add all the sugar and stir until the liquid is clear. Add the remaining cup of vodka and stir until the mixture is clear. Seal the top and keep it in a cool place for about 6 weeks.

The schnapps will have a distinctive citrus aroma, and a delicate and sweet flavor. A wonderful addition to any occasion.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

SYR