The Main Menu: Oranges are nature’s gift to winter

By JAN MAIN

Oranges, sweet, tangy and juicy are nature’s gift to winter. Their zest and luscious juice add zip to steaming soups and cold weather stews. Slices of their fragrant fruit can be added to salads and desserts. Even their pips are used in marmalade to help thicken this magic winter spread.

Originally from Southeast Asia, oranges now grow in any warm climate: Portugal, Spain, with the majority grown in California, Texas and Florida.

There are sweet oranges and bitter oranges. Sweet ones are eaten raw such as the navel orange while bitter oranges, the Seville, are cooked for marmalade. There are tight skinned oranges such as the navel or loose skinned like the mandarin or clementine where the skin comes away easily from the fruit.

However, any way you slice oranges, their distinct citrus taste perks up our winter dishes and provides us with vitamin C for good health through the cold months.

Carrot, Orange and Ginger Soup

Super-fast to make with lots of zing, this is the perfect soup for a blustery day. Evaporated milk is the magic ingredient (not to be confused with condensed milk). Because the milk has had 60 per cent of its liquid “evaporated”, it gives the soup a creamy taste and texture without the fat calories from cream but with double the calcium from concentrated milk!

2 lbs (1kg) (about 6) carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
4 cups (1 L) chicken stock
1-2- inch (10 centimetre) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1- 2-inch (10cm) piece orange peel
1 can, 354 mL evaporated milk
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
Garnish: thin slices of orange peel

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine carrots, onion, celery, bay leaf, chicken stock, ginger and orange peel.
Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender about 25-30 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Puree in blender until smooth.

Stir in evaporated milk; season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately or cool and refrigerate for up to 2 days; freeze for up to 3 months. Garnish with thin slices or orange peel. Serves 4- 6.

Salad with Oranges, Peppers and Orange Vinaigrette

This vibrant salad is sure to pick up winter weary taste buds.
To remove peel from oranges: Using a sharp knife cut the ends from the orange to reveal the top and bottom of the naked orange. Stand the orange on the one cut end and starting from the top of the orange and following the rounded shape of the orange, cut from the top to the bottom removing all the skin and pith. Repeat all the way around to reveal a clean, naked orange with no pith.

To cut horizontally: Lay the naked orange on its side and slice horizontally in even slices about ¼ inch (1.2 cm) You now have perfect orange slices to use in a salad or dessert.

6 cups (1 1/2 L) mixed greens
1-2 navel oranges, peel sliced away, sliced horizontally
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk cut on the diagonal
1/2 cup (125mL) thinly sliced English cucumber

Orange vinaigrette

1/2 cup (125 mL vegetable oil)
1/4 cup (50 mL) each, orange juice and wine vinegar
1 tbsp (15 mL) liquid honey
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp (5 mL) each, Dijon mustard, orange zest and salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) fresh black pepper

Dressing: In a food processor, combine oil, orange juice, wine vinegar, mustard, honey, crushed garlic, orange zest, salt and pepper until smooth. Pour into a jar; refrigerate. This will be enough for several salads.

Salad: Arrange greens on a serving platter, arrange orange slices on top, scatter red pepper slices evenly over greens with a sprinkling of celery and cucumber.

Drizzle with just enough dressing to coat leaves and toss.

Serve immediately. Serves 4-6

Scones with Orange

Scones, warm from the oven, are the perfect accompaniment to a winter soup or salad. Try it with the carrot soup – you won’t be disappointed!

2 1/4 cups (550 mL) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp (45 mL) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, cold from the refrigerator cut into cubes
1 tsp (5 mL) finely grated orange rind
1 cup (250 mL) coarsely grated old cheddar (optional)
1 egg
Milk, enough milk to measure 1 cup with the egg

Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour mixture until the consistency of coarse crumbs. Stir in orange rind and cheese if using.

In a measuring cup, whisk egg with enough milk to measure 1 cup (250 mL). Reserve 1 tablespoon of milk mixture to brush tops of scones.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and stir in the remaining milk. Combine well then knead with lightly floured hands 8-10 times

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into ½ inch high shape. Using a 2- inch cutter or glass, cut 10-12 dough circles placing each on prepared baking sheet leaving at least ½ inch space between each scone. Gather up remaining scraps and shape into a round scone of equal depth.

Place on baking sheet. Brush with reserved egg wash mixture. Bake 12- 14 minutes or until deep golden brown on the bottom and pale brown on top. Makes 10-12(2- inch/10 cm) scones.