Oranges in Marsala, or Arance al Marsala: Sicily produces some of the best oranges in the world bar none. They are also fortunate enough to have Marsala, a wine initially produced in the late 1700s by an Englishman, J. Woodhouse, who wanted to make something similar to Sherry or Port. His first shipment reached England in 1783 and was a huge success. It's strong, 16-17% alcohol, and can be either dry or sweet. In this case I'd go with the sweeter variety, which is named after Garibaldi, who liked it when he landed in Sicily during the drive to unify Italy. To serve 4 you'll need:
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 oranges
- 2 glasses of Marsala
- 1/8 pound (50 g) chopped walnut meats
- Sugar
Preparation:
Peel the oranges, removing the exterior membranes as well to have live orange pulp. Slice the oranges fairly finely, and layer them in a bowl, dusting each layer with a little sugar. Sprinkle the Marsala over them, cover them, and chill them in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Before serving them, sprinkle them with the chopped walnuts.Notes: I wouldn't serve these with a wine for fear that they would clash with it. Also, I'd probably replace the oranges with succulent yellow peaches in summer.
