As I write this, wonderful aromas are emanating from the crockpot in my kitchen. Earlier, I put a pork butt in there, squeezed the juice of three fresh oranges over the pork, sprinkled it with cumin, chili powder and salt, tossed in a chopped shallot, and put on the lid. Carnitas for dinner, and so easy. I didn’t need to measure anything, and the best part is that the citrus will balance the fat in the pork, provide a great sauce, and help tenderize the meat. Just serve a little salsa and some avocado slices on the side, along with warm tortillas, and have a dollop of sour cream or yogurt available.
Citrus is a culinary powerhouse in the winter. Besides offering lots of vitamin C to ward off colds and boost immunity, lovely lemons, limes and oranges brighten up many recipes on a gray day, adding zesty flavor to keep our palates happy. If you poke your fingernail into the zest of an orange and take a sniff up close, the bergamot oil in the peel will give you a little pick-me-up. (This was a great tip when I was in college, sitting in dark lecture halls. I carried an orange in my backpack to poke and sniff so I’d stay awake.) Now, I am fortunate to have Meyer lemons, limes, and even an orange tree, so I can enjoy peak nutrition and those little bursts of energy from picked-on-demand citrus anytime I want. Bragging aside, I hope you will add more citrus to your daily life. There really is no down side. Here are a few favorite recipes to try this season.
Quick-cured Lemons
If you don’t have time or patience to make a jar full of preserved lemons, this short cut from Food Arts magazine will work just fine in many recipes.
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup kosher salt
3 lemons, thinly sliced into circles
Mix sugar and salt in a large sheet pan with sides; add lemon slices and mix a bit. Cover pan with plastic wrap; let stand 2 hours at room temperature. Remove lemons from sugar/salt mixture; store in covered container in refrigerator until ready to use. Rinse before using.
Quinoa cakes with preserved lemon aioli
This aioli is also great to top grilled fish, slather on vegetables, and much more. Here it’s a major player in a healthy side dish; makes 8 (3-inch) cakes.
Quinoa:
1 ¼ cups water
¾ cup red quinoa, rinsed and drained
In a medium saucepan, bring water and quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cover and cook until water has evaporated, 10 -15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and spread to cool for about 20 minutes.
Cakes:
½ cup finely diced shallots
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ cup chopped cilantro
Just shy of a ½ teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of chipotle powder
¼ teaspoon lime zest
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons plain bread crumbs
2 large eggs
Salt and black pepper to taste
Olive oil to fry cakes
In a sauté pan, over medium heat, sauté shallots with olive oil until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Once cooled, add shallots and remaining ingredients (except olive oil) to the quinoa, stirring well. Allow mixture to sit in the refrigerator for a half hour. Once firm, shape quinoa mixture into 3-inch cakes. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place cakes in pan and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Gently flip cakes and cook another 4 minutes or until golden brown.
Preserved lemon aioli:
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped preserve lemon rind (available in Middle Eastern section of most supermarkets; if unavailable use Meyer lemon zest)
2 teaspoons chopped capers
½ teaspoon caper juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Combine above ingredients in a small bowl, mixing well.
Assembly: Top each quinoa cake with a small dollop of aioli (more or less as desired). Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chicken breast with braised carrots and oranges
Try this main dish with fluffy long-grain rice or noodles. Recipe from “Smart Food” by Marlisa Szwillus; makes 4 servings.
4 chicken breast fillets (4 oz. each)
Salt and white pepper
3 oranges
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 pound carrots, trimmed, peeled, and cut into small dice
2 ribs celery, trimmed and cut into thin slices
1 shallot, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
Lemon juice
1 pinch each: ground cumin, cinnamon, sugar
2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
Half bunch fresh parsley
Sprinkle chicken breast fillets with salt and pepper. Squeeze juice from 1 orange into a pan large enough to hold chicken. Add 2 tablespoons of the wine, and the coriander. Marinate chicken in mixture for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a skillet; saute carrots, celery and shallot for 3 minutes. Add stock, the rest of the wine, lemon juice to taste, cumin, cinnamon and sugar; cook gently, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes. In separate skillet, heat remaining oil over medium heat; brown chicken on both sides. Brush chicken with maple syrup; cook 10 minutes more or until done.
Peel and section remaining two oranges, reserving juice. Coarsely chop parsley. Add oranges, juice and parsley to vegetables; season to taste. Cut chicken diagonally into half-inch slices and serve with the vegetables.
Grilled shrimp with grapefruit zest
This can be an appetizer or a main course. Recipe from “The Gourmet Prescription” by Deborah Friedson Chud, M.D.; makes 4 servings.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons grated grapefruit zest
1 teaspoon fructose (or sugar)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 1/4 pounds extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
In a large bowl, combine oil, zest, sugar, salt and pepper; whisk to blend. Add shrimp and toss to coat evenly. Prepare a hot fire in the grill. When ready, grill shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until bright pink and opaque. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Coconut and lime sorbet
Perfect for a hot day or after a spicy meal, this refreshing sorbet has a nice balance of tart and creamy. Recipe from “Brazilian Barbecue &Beyond” by David Ponte, Jamie Barber and Lizzy Barber; makes about 4 cups (4 to 8 servings.)
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
Finely grated zest of 4 limes
Juice of 3 limes
3 1/2 cups coconut cream (canned OK)
Put a large freezer-proof bowl in the freezer. Place sugar, lime juice and 1 cup of the coconut cream in a pan. Place over high heat; stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat; stir in remaining coconut cream. Pour mixture through a fine strainer in the chilled bowl, pressing through any lumps of coconut cream. Add lime zest and stir.
Pour mixture into an ice cream maker; churn until soft sorbet consistency. Transfer to a clean plastic container; freeze a few hours until firm. Alternately, if you do not have an ice cream maker, freeze mixture in a shallow plastic container for 2 hours, then whisk by hand and return to freezer. Repeat process twice, then return sorbet to freezer for a final freeze.