(Starting off a new series on G&G - "Grab them before they go". In this series we feature a seasonal produce or fruit our family is enjoying thoroughly these days. Infact it's so good that we think it deserves you opening another tab on your browser right now and finding out your nearest farmer's market to visit!
We at G&G strongly believe in simple & quick recipes with local and seasonal produce and fruits; not only you will be enjoying fresh bounties of the nature without the preservatives and 100s of food miles, you will also be helping the local farmer's ecosystem and sustainable growing)
It's that time of the year again when citruses are everywhere in California. Farmer's markets are filled with rows and rows of navel oranges, satsumas & mandarins (peelable oranges), cara-cara oranges (rose color flesh), blood oranges, grapefruits and pamelos and meyer lemons too!
I have a detailed post here going over different citrus varieties and their taste differences.
We know it can be over-whelming at first to know that "orange" is not just "one variety", but fret not, it's as simple as trying out a piece of each and taste testing at home!
Oh, and while you are at it, try out this winter citrus salad.
Oh, and while you are at it, try out this winter citrus salad.
It's so pretty, you can substitute this salad for a table centerpiece for the next gathering you host! A centerpiece which is so yummy you can eat it off the table, now that's something :)
Recipe is very simple and extremely adaptive.
Recipe: Winter's bounty citrus salad
Ingredients:
1 navel orange
1 cara cara orange
2 blood oranges
1 meyer lemon (sweet lemon)
1 grapefruit
1/2Tbsp chopped mint
1/2Tbsp very finely chopped shallot or red onion
handful of toasted slivered almonds
2Tbsp olive oil
1tsp lemon juice
salt & pepper.
Recipe:
Salad dressing:
- Zest one navel orange to get 1/2Tbsp orange zest.
- Combine olive oil, lemon juice, orange zest, red onion, mint, salt & pepper.
- Mix well. Taste, add more lemon juice if not acidic enough; add more olive oil if too acidic.
- Set aside.
Assembling the salad:
- Using a knife remove the tops and bottom parts of the citrus so they stand well.
- Peel the orange using a knife. Cut as much of the white skin as possible.
- Dice the citrus into equal thickness disks.
- Arrange the various colored citrus disks.
- drizzle the dressing on top.
- Sprinkle some toasted slivered almonds and enjoy!
And while we are on the topic of oranges, I have got to tell you about this orange marmalade I made! I don't make it as often as I should now a days, but it's so wonderful to make a big batch - you and your family can enjoy spreading on a piece of toast, or as a marinade for chicken pieces or homemade marmalade makes great gifts too you know! Free up one of your Sunday afternoons and cook a big batch of these...
Anyway, however you like to enjoy your oranges, be sure to grab them before go out of season!