Oranges & mandarins – info & recipes
Oranges & mandarins – info & recipes
The delicious flavour, vibrant colour and beautiful perfume of oranges and mandarins mean that they are enjoyed virtually universally.
Oranges and mandarins are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of thiamin, folic acid, vitamin A and fibre. They are also a source of potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, contain no sodium, fat or cholesterol, and are low in kilojoules. Additionally, the phytochemicals found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables help to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. To avoid chemical residues purchase organic oranges and mandarins when possible, particularly when using the rind or zest.
RECIPES:
ORANGE, CARROT AND MINT BROWN RICE PILAF
• 2 tbsp organic olive oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1½ cups organic brown basmati (or long grain) rice
• 500g organic carrots, finely sliced
• ½ cup currants
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• zest and juice of 1 organic orange
• approx. 2½ cups organic vegetable stock
• 1 tin organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
• a large handful organic mint leaves
Cook onion in oil until soft and brown. Stir rice, carrots, currants, allspice and orange zest through onion. Measure orange juice, add enough vegetable stock to make 3 cups, and pour into rice. Bring to the boil, turn heat down to very low, cover and cook for 50 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Stir through pine nuts and mint leaves, and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve with grilled or barbequed fish, chicken, lamb or vegetables.
Serves 6.
MANDARIN, ALMOND AND SAFFRON CAKE
This recipe is inspired by the classic Claudia Roden orange and almond cake. To make an orange cake the mandarins can be substituted with two oranges (use navel oranges if available, as they are seedless).
• 3 organic mandarins
• 11/4 cups organic raw sugar
• 6 organic eggs
• 2 cups ground almonds
• 1 pinch of saffron threads, stirred into 2 tbsp boiling water
• zest of 2 organic oranges, cut into very thin long strips
• ½ cup pistachio kernels, finely chopped
Place mandarins in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil and simmer gently for 2 hours, topping up the water if necessary to keep the mandarins covered.
Preheat oven to 160C. Drain mandarins and let cool a little. Remove any seeds from mandarins and then blend the whole fruit (including skins) in a food processor. Add 1 cup sugar to the food processor, mix in, then add eggs, almonds and saffron and blend until combined. Pour the mixture into a greased 23cm spring-form cake tin and bake for 60-80 minutes, until cake is cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin.
While cake is cooking combine ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the orange zest and simmer for a couple of minutes. While the cake is still warm spoon over the zest and most of the syrup. Once the cake has cooled, remove from tin and sprinkle over pistachios. Serve with organic cream. Serves 10-12.
ORANGE, ALMOND AND CHOCOLATE CAKE
To change the above recipe into an orange, almond and chocolate cake:
• Replace mandarins with 2 organic navel oranges
• Add 50g of organic cocoa powder
• Leave out saffron
• Add ½ tsp ground cardamom (optional)
• Omit orange zest cooked in sugar syrup
• Spread cooled cake with a chocolate ganache – Put 375g organic dark chocolate and 1 cup organic cream into a saucepan and heat very gently, stirring until combined and smooth. Pour into an electric mixer and whisk until cool. Let ganache set before cutting.
• Sprinkle pistachios over ganache or decorate with thin slices of orange zest.
ORANGE BANANA BREAD
This sugar free bread is very good toasted and spread with organic butter for breakfast.
• 1 cup organic mashed banana
• 175ml organic freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tsp finely grated organic orange zest
• 2 organic eggs
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ cup organic dates, chopped
• ½ cup almond meal
• ½ cup organic wholemeal spelt flour
• ½ cup organic white spelt flour
• 1½ tsp Herbies Fragrant Sweet Spices* (or ½ tsp each of ground cinnamon, coriander and cardamom)
Preheat oven to 175C. Mix bananas, orange juice and zest, eggs and vanilla until combined thoroughly. Stir in dates and almond meal, and then sift in flours and spices and mix briefly. Pour into a greased loaf tin and bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through. Serves 8.
*Herbies Fragrant Sweet Spices is a blend of coriander, cassia, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, ginger, blue poppy seeds, cloves, green cardamom and rose petals, and is available at the Health Emporium.
MIDDLE EASTERN FRUIT SALAD
• ½ cup organic dates, halved and stoned
• ½ cup organic dried figs, halved
• ½ cup organic dried apricots, halved
• ½ cup organic freshly squeezed orange juice
• ¼ cup organic honey
• 1 tsp orange blossom water
Place fruit in a glass or ceramic bowl. Stir orange juice, honey and 1½ cups of water in a small saucepan over a low heat until combined. Add orange blossom water and pour over fruit. Leave to soak for 3 hours or overnight. Serve with organic yoghurt. Serves 6.
OTHER IDEAS:
• Start the day with a fresh juice of mandarin, pineapple and mint, or carrot, orange and ginger.
• Use freshly squeezed orange juice instead of apple juice or milk for soaking bircher muesli.
• Blend fresh orange juice, banana, yoghurt, an organic egg and a spoonful of flaxseed oil for a delicious and healthy breakfast smoothie.
• To make a Moroccan orange salad peel oranges and slice crosswise, and combine with thinly sliced red onion, black olives, mint leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• When roasting a whole chicken stuff the cavity with a few pieces of orange rind, thyme, rosemary and some lemon wedges.
• For a simple dessert toss segments of peeled mandarin or orange and sliced strawberries with a little honey and a few drops of orange blossom water. Sprinkle over chopped pistachios and serve with thick yoghurt.
• Bake rhubarb with orange juice and a sprinkle of cinnamon and ground ginger in a medium oven for 10 minutes or until soft. Serve with cream or yoghurt, or with porridge for breakfast.
