Citrus Zest
The easiest flavor bombs ever
If your sense of seasonality is vague—excusable since we’re pretty lucky to have access to so much year ‘round—it’s good to know it’s citrus season. And certain types of citrus, like tangerines, crimson-fleshed blood oranges, Satsumo mandarins, or kumquats, only make brief appearances (at least where I live in the Midwest) over the course of the late fall and winter months.
During my middle school years when my family moved to southern Arizona, we planted an orange, lemon, and grapefruit tree in the hard desert earth. It was the kids’ job to endlessly water them and race out to throw plastic tarps over the trees if the occasional overnight freeze was imminent. We moved to another house within a few years, and I missed picking grapefruit in our backyard. But I got my citrus harvesting needs met in my high school boyfriend’s yard, where a huge, sprawling, and untended lemon tree lived. The heavy ripe fruit fell to the ground unnoticed and rotted every winter. I helped myself more than once, squeezing bagsful of lemons by hand and freezing the juice for summer lemonade (I know, I was a weird kid—and no, I didn’t have a lemonade stand.)
Being surrounded by citrus groves just felt normal in the southwest, especially with regular family trips to southern California where snitching tangy kumquats from an uncle’s tree, with the novelty of popping the fruit into our mouths whole and not making a sour face, became a game. These days you don’t have to live in the sunbelt to find extraordinary citrus hybrids—many that are new to me. Sumo mandarins, with their pebbly, easy-to-peel skin are the ultimate snack. Rosy raspberry and Cara Cara oranges, vibrant orange on the outside with pink flesh, are fun surprises. And dulce—or chocolate—oranges sport a brownish-green exterior and burnt orange interior that offers up ridiculously chocolatey-orange flavor. And I’ve always been a push-over for tangerines—like freshly juiced sunshine with a twist (being one-upped only by blood orange juice) & one of my favorite Lifesaver flavors.
I don’t know how many types of citrus grow around the world, but the tangy-sweet, puckery tartness of lemons, limes, grapefruit, and pomelo (or pummelo—which is the granddaddy, when crossed with a sweet orange, of the grapefruit), enhance foods in so many ways. And don’t get me started on oranges—in my cursory Google search of orange varietals, they number in the dizzying range of several hundred. Every cuisine has its favorite local citrus, with all sorts of ways to enjoy them, from eating out of hand to making sauces, fermenting foods, or just drinking.
Now’s the time to play with newish-to-you citrus when you run across it. Here are some citrus-centric ideas—with a challenge to sub what you like.
SICILIAN CHICKEN PICCATA
Makes 4 servings
If you’ve got a jar of some type of preserved citrus (see a recipe below) on hand—lemon or otherwise—rinse off some peel and finely shred it to sprinkle over each serving with the capers and parsley.
INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup dry white wine
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 blood oranges*
2 tablespoons small capers, drained
Chopped fresh parsley
DIRECTIONS
Place chicken thighs flat between two pieces of waxed paper or parchment. Lightly pound with a rolling pin or side of a meat mallet until their evenly thick (about ½-inch). Season with salt and pepper; dredge in flour.
Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken to pan; sauté about 8 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink in center. Remove from pan to plate; add remaining oil to pan. Sauté remaining chicken; remove to plate.
Add wine to pan; bring to a boil and scrape up the browned bits. Cook 1 minute; stir in broth. Bring to a boil; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Meanwhile, juice one orange (so you have about 1/3 cup juice) and thinly slice the second one, cutting each slice in half.
Stir juice into pan with the citrus slices. Simmer 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan and sprinkle with capers and parsley.
*You can sub in small pink grapefruit or Cara Cara oranges if blood oranges are scarce.
SMALL BATCH PRESERVED CITRUS
Makes 1 quart
To use preserved lemon or other citrus, remove a piece from the jar and rinse under cool water. Finely chop and add to stews, soups, dressings, or to garnish salads or roasted vegs. I love to mix up citrus, depending on what I can get my hands on (kumquats can be challenging to find in the Midwest). Blood oranges, tangerines, red grapefruit, or Cara Cara oranges are a fun twist; you’ll end up with more bittersweet peels than with lemons or limes. And they’re great in cocktails.
INGREDIENTS
9 organic lemons*
Lots of coarse kosher salt
1 heaping teaspoon black peppercorns
Toasted cumin, coriander, and/or cardamom seed, if desired
2 bay leaves
DIRECTIONS
1. Scrub 4 to 5 lemons—enough to fit tightly in a 1-quart jar. Slice lemons from one end to nearly the bottom, keeping the wedges connected. Rub salt over the cut surfaces, then reshape the fruit.
2. Cover the bottom of the jar with salt. Fit all the cut lemons in, breaking them apart if needed to make them fit. Sprinkle each layer with salt.
3. Press the lemons down to release their juices. Add the desired seasonings, then squeeze the remaining lemons to make enough juice to cover everything in the jar.
4. Screw the lid tightly on the jar. Store in a cool place for 3 to 4 weeks until the rinds are tender to the bite, shaking the jar every day.
5. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 year.
*Try Meyer lemons, key or Persian limes, kumquats, blood oranges, grapefruit, or pummelo. For the larger fruit, cut it into enough chunks to fill the jar + some fruit to squeeze juice over the chunks. For kumquats or key limes, halve them, then use fresh lemon or lime juice to submerge the fruit in liquid.
ROASTED CITRUS CHICKEN with OLIVES
Makes 8 servings
There are never enough chicken legs to go around in my family. So if you’d prefer, you can use all chicken legs (or bone-in thighs) in this dish. The main idea of this recipe is that it’s great for a party but easily halved for a regular weeknight dinner.
INGREDIENTS
1 (3-1/2 to 4 pounds) whole chicken, cut into pieces
6 chicken drumsticks
2 lemons, thickly sliced
2 medium oranges, thickly sliced
2 large onions, chopped
2 cups mixed Italian olives
12 large cloves garlic, peeled & halved
Several sprigs of fresh thyme or fresh bay leaves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 425ËšF.
In two 3-quart baking casseroles, arrange chicken pieces. Evenly divide lemons, oranges, onion, olives, garlic, and herbs between the two dishes. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
Place chicken in oven. Roast, turning chicken pieces once, for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and no longer pink in center.
HERB-CRUMBED ORANGE CHICKEN
Makes 4 servings
Use a mixture of citrus if you’d like—kumquats, limes, Meyer lemons, tangerines, or Cara Cara oranges are all terrific roasted.
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup marmalade
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ cup fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs (from 2 slices sandwich bread—buzz them up in mini chopper)
½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
Sliced citrus, as desired (see headnote)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat oven to 425ËšF. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil. Mix marmalade, garlic, and vinegar. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Spread marmalade mixture evenly over top of chicken.
2. Toss breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon oil, and rosemary together; press onto chicken.
3. Place chicken on baking pan with citrus slices. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper.
4. Bake about 15 minutes or until crust is golden and chicken is no longer pink in center.