Tag: orange

  • Pear Ginger Nut Granola

    pear ginger nut granola

    Similarly to adjusting to buying my produce at a small neighborhood market, it took me a while to realize that the supermarket was not the best place for nuts, seeds, dried beans, and dried fruits (staples in my cabinet). The selection is limited, the quality bad, and the prices high, so I’d resigned myself to not having these around as much. Then I realized that the stores here called “dieteticas” were not, as I’d originally thought, purveyors of vitamins and protein powers, but instead actually specialized in just these sort of bulk goods that I like so much. At a nearby one, I stocked up on ingredients for this surprisingly easy to make granola. I tried to use a minimum of oil and honey in this recipe to keep it on the healthier side (although you can take it even further by using applesauce in place of the oil). With extra flavor from fresh ginger and orange zest, alongside traditional oats, nuts, and raisins and less traditional coconut flakes, chia seeds, and dried pears, this granola has more than enough in it to keep it exciting. And, like all granola recipes, it can be easily modified to your liking.

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  • Spicy, Citrusy Black Beans

    spicy citrusy black beans

    On my first trip to the supermarket in my new neighborhood here in Buenos Aires, I was surprised to see hardly any canned beans – and the small cans that were there (I’m used to stocking up on large 32-ounce cans) were quite expensive. So I decided to make this into an opportunity to try my hand at cooking dried beans. I bought some dried black beans, looked up a promising recipe, and was amazed at how easy it was to cook these up. Admittedly, they took quite a long time to cook (though I suspect they had been sitting in the supermarket bulk bins for some time), so I still have to perfect the process (I may try soaking them for two days next time), but the flavors here are amazing. Enough spice for quite a kick, and the tartness of orange juice, lime juice, and red wine vinegar help round out the flavors. I would have really liked to use chipotle peppers in adobo here, so if you have some, definitely toss one in, and I hadn’t yet found a place with cilantro (luckily, I’ve been able to get my hands on some since cooking this), so there’s no pleasant sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro on top. But even without those ingredients (as I’ve written the recipe here), these beans were delicious topped with salsa and sour cream and served alongside fried eggs for breakfast. Even plain, they’re fantastic.

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  • Orange Almond Cake

    orange almond cake

    This cake is not for everyone. Rich, dense, and decidedly tart from oranges that have been pureed whole in the batter. I could see the intense citrus flavor being overpowering for some, but I love it. Not overly sweet but still decadent. Almond flour also lends a pleasantly nutty taste with the added health bonus of fiber, calcium, and iron. I found this cake got progressively moister and nearly creamy in texture after sitting (covered, of course) for a few days – and any powdered sugar on top was mysteriously absorbed (so I recommend topping slices as you cut them). You could also top this cake with whipped cream, of course, or serve it with fresh berries. If you like unique and intense flavors in your desserts (as I do), then this cake should be your next project.

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  • Pluot Mint Salad

    pluot mint salad

    I love pluots – a fruit that is the wonderful combination of plums and apricots. I bought some on sale and knew I needed to do something simple but special with them. So I picked some fresh mint from my garden (it’s been growing like crazy!) and squeezed an orange for a tasty fruit salad. Together, the flavors set my mind down the path of Turkish food, so at the last minute, I tossed in a little Turkish red pepper. If you don’t like spice, feel free to omit it though. And if your fruit isn’t sweet enough on its own (and by the way, feel free to try this out with other stone fruits as well), you can add a little bit of honey. I also had this salad with a little yogurt after it had marinated in the refrigerator for a few hours, and it made for an absolutely delicious dessert. Next time I might try it after grilling the fruit first for a little caramelization.

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  • Peaches in Basil Syrup

    peaches in basil syrup

    I knew I wanted to combine peaches and basil for a tasty summer dessert, but none of the recipes I came across seemed quite right. I wanted something simple, something that would really focus on these delicious, seasonal ingredients – peaches from the farmers market and basil from my garden. So I created my own easy recipe. Basil leaves pureed with orange juice and honey then poured over peaches (I actually used a mix of peaches and nectarines). You only need a handful of ingredients and a couple of minutes of work to create this delicious concoction – great eaten plain but absolutely fantastic served over strained yogurt (straining yogurt makes it extra thick and creamy, just perfect for desserts). A wonderful little celebration of summer!

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  • Blood Orange Curd

    blood orange curd

    I feel pretty lucky to have friends who are wholeheartedly enthusiastic about food. Nothing reminds me of this quite so much as when we get together for brunch; we pull out the leaves on the table just so we can have as much space as possible to load down with food. Bagels with cream cheese and lox, omelets, hash browns, biscuits, scones, bacon, curried vegetables, fresh fruit, crepes… and the list goes on. Sometimes it’s a chance to get creative, sometimes an excuse for a feast, and always a welcome time to relax and chat with friends.

    For our most recent brunch, I decided I wanted to make a blood orange curd to go with the crepes that my boyfriend was cooking. Of course, I managed to undercook my blood orange curd the first time around. As I shook my head with dismay and tried to hide the less than perfect results in the kitchen, my brunch companions excitedly spooned the “sauce” onto their crepes and reassured me that the flavor was still amazing. Nevertheless, I poured the concoction back into the saucepan after they’d left in a second attempt at thickening it up. Luckily, all I needed was a little more heat, and within minutes, I had my curd at the perfect consistency.

    Blood oranges are nearing the end of their season sadly, so now is the chance to embrace them while you still can. If you’ve had lemon curd, you can guess at how delicious blood orange curd is (and if not, a curd is a smooth sweet and tart spread, thickened by eggs, similar to a custard). The flavors here are a bit more subtle than lemon curd; there’s still that citrus tang, only now it’s accompanied by light floral notes and a gorgeous dusty rose color. Crepes are not the only option for this curd; it will do equally well slathered on scones and shortbread or used as the filling for a tart.

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  • Blood Orange and Candied Walnut Salad

    blood orange and candied walnut salad

    I was lucky enough to recently receive a nice bottle of grape must as a gift. Having never even heard of this ingredient, I set about doing some research on it (and, of course, taste testing). Grape must, as it turns out, is essentially freshly pressed grape juice before it’s made into wine. Thick and sweet with just a little tartness, the taste is more reminiscent of raisins than your grocery store grape juice. In some countries, grape must is cooked down to form a thick syrup (called saba, pekmez, dibs, or grape molasses), and in fact, I even recall having eaten this before when in Lebanon (as a dessert with a soft mild cheese and whole wheat bread). I’m excited to experiment with my grape must (and will probably be trying my hand at making a small batch of grape molasses to recreate the dessert I had in Lebanon), and this salad was an amazing starting point.

    I like my salads with a good amount of sweetness to them. So here, in addition to grape must, I’ve used blood oranges and candied walnuts to make this salad truly decadent. Having discovered that traditional balsamic vinegar (i.e. “aceto balsamico tradizionale”) is actually fermented and aged grape must, I opted to let the grape must take the place of balsamic. Goat cheese and mixed greens help to balance the dish. The result is fantastic, and I found myself craving more immediately after eating it (and couldn’t keep myself from making it again the next day and then again a few days later).

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