Marcella Hazan’s Macerated Orange Slices

Ingredients

• 6 sweet juicy oranges
• The peel of 1 lemon grated without digging into the white pith beneath
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• The freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon

Instructions

1. 1
   Using a sharp paring knife, peel 4 of the 6 oranges, stripping away all the white spongy pith and as much as possible of the thin skin beneath it.
2. 2
   Cut the peeled oranges into slices less than ½ inch thick. Pick out all seeds. Put the slices into a deep platter or a shallow serving bowl, and sprinkle with the grated lemon peel. Add the sugar. Squeeze the remaining 2 oranges and add their juice to the platter or bowl. Add the lemon juice, then toss rather gently several times, being careful not to break up the orange slices as you turn them over.
3. 3
   Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or even overnight. Serve chilled, turning the orange slices over 2 or 3 times after taking them out of the refrigerator.
   
   Note: I find the oranges quite perfect as they are, but if you want to vary them or give them a more celebratory and emphatic accent, you could toss them, shortly before serving, with 2 tablespoons of one of the following liqueurs: Cointreau, white Curaçao, or best of all, Maraschino.