Cooking With Citrus Recipes

CITRUS OIL

Steps:

• Use a peeler to remove the peel of both the lemon and orange. Try to press gently with the peeler, so that you remove only the rind and avoid peeling off the white pith.
• Put the citrus peels and olive oil in small saucepot. Heat over low heat for about 3 minutes, until the peels soften and bubble but do not curl. Set aside to cool and steep, about 3 hours.
• Remove the peels from the oil. Using a funnel, pour the flavored oil into a spouted cruet. Store in the refrigerator. This oil can be used to make vinaigrettes, pastas, sauces, etc.

CITRUS BAKED FISH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
• Place salmon fillets in the baking dish.
• Mix lemon juice, orange juice, lime juice, butter, parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper together until well blended. Drizzle over salmon in the baking dish.
• Bake salmon in the preheated oven until easily flaked with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

LEMON AND TAHINI DRESSING

Steps:

• Combine tahini, olive oil, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, pink salt, and pepper in a 2-cup measuring cup. Stir briskly with a whisk until all ingredients are well blended. If a thinner dressing is desired, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring after each addition, until the desired consistency is achieved.

CITRUS CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Add olive oil and butter to the skillet and swirl it around.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Put flour on a plate. When the butter foam subsides in the pan, dredge the chicken in flour, shaking to remove the excess.
• Add the breasts to the skillet and cook, turning once, until the chicken is browned on both sides and nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. (Chicken should be constantly sizzling but not burning.) Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
• Cut the orange in half. Section one of the halves as you would a grapefruit, removing any seeds. Juice the remaining orange half and one lime.
• With the heat still on medium-high, add the orange juice, lime juice and sugar to the skillet and let it bubble, stirring, until it is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
• Add the orange sections to the skillet and turn heat to low, stirring, until mixture is slightly thickened.
• Return the chicken to the skillet, turn it in the sauce, then serve, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. Cut the remaining lime into wedges for garnish.

CARNITAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large Dutch oven, combine pork, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and the oregano, and toss to evenly coat the meat in the spices. Squeeze orange juice all over the pork and add the juiced orange quarters to the pot. Add onion, garlic, cinnamon stick and bay leaf, and toss until well incorporated, nestling everything in an even layer. Drizzle oil evenly over the meat. Cover and braise in oven until pork is tender, about 2 1/2 hours, stirring once halfway through the cooking.
• Heat broiler to high, setting a rack 6 inches from the heat source. Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet and shred the meat. Strain juices from the pot through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing on the solids; discard solids. Skim fat from top and reserve the juices.
• Broil pork until golden and crisp in spots, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer carnitas to serving plates and drizzle with some of the reserved juices. Serve warm with tortillas and toppings of choice.