Pretend you’re on an episode of “Iron Chef America” and the secret ingredient is: orange. This week, I’m sharing various ways to use orange – juice, segments, zest, and even orange juice concentrate – in your appetizers, entrees and desserts. See a great sale on oranges? Stock up and let nothing go to waste with these simple and affordable recipes. Links to recipes are below; each includes video and photo of the recipe too!
I hope you’ll give some of these dishes a try this week. I’d love to hear what other creative ways you like to use orange in your recipes. Share your thoughts and photos with me on Facebook and Twitter.
Appetizers
Spinach and Citrus Salad with Sweet and Spicy Pecans
When buying pecans, the baking aisle of your market is perhaps the priciest place to go, even when the nuts are on sale. Instead, stock up in the bulk aisle. When you get home, transfer to a large resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to six months. If you need pecan pieces, just chop the pecan halves—halves are a more versatile ingredient than pieces, and they don’t cost more when you buy in bulk.
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Carrots are great to have around for snacks or for turning into a quick side dish such as a slaw or sauté. One of my favorite recipes for carrots is this easy soup. It’s creamy, citrusy and fresh thanks to the little bit or orange zest I add along with garlic and oregano.
Entrées
When I have ripe, in-season tomatoes, this no-coo sauce is what I make. It’s fresh and fast and can be mixed together at the last minute or made in the morning to eat later in the day (the heat of the pasta warms it up). The orange zest really adds a refreshing yet subtle citrus note to the dish.
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Crispy-Skinned Chicken a L’Orange
A boneless, skinless chicken breast is handy for dinner in a pinch, but sometimes I crave the juiciness and crispy-skin combo that can only happen when you’re cooking a skin-on, bone-in chicken breast. Removing the bone after cooking is surprisingly simple—just take the tip of a sharp knife and, starting at the rounded top end of the cooked chicken breast, insert the tip where the meat meets the bone, gently separate the meat from the bone, and then thinly slice. Three breasts can easily feed four people. Orange juice concentrate is the secret to giving this sauce its sticky glaze. I like to keep a can of orange juice concentrate in the freezer and take out a scoop to wake up a pan sauce, make a smoothie, freshen up a salad dressing, or add a hint of citrus to cake and muffin batters.
Desserts
Crunchy, twice-baked cookies that you can make 3 days ahead and store in an airtight container at room temperature for a go-to dessert any night of the week. Since biscotti are not an overly sweet cookie, they make a great canvas for bold flavors like the orange and basil in this recipe.
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These rich, beautiful and delicious cakes are topped with a sprinkle of sea salt and olive oil yielding a fancy-yet-simple decadent dessert perfect for company. I use a basic muffin tin to make these individual cakes, and I pop them in the oven right as we’re clearing the dinner plates since they cook up in 10-12 minutes.