too supreme.

I am currently refusing to let: the very down temperatures, the incessant near-daily snow falls [in a not good way], the constant death of my car battery in cold weather, the low-level frost bitten fingers, the unexpected changing of my apartment locks and subsequent lack of appropriate keys/inability to get in, the loss of my debit card, the many salt-grime-gross snow ruined pant cuffs, the gray skies, the crappy grocery store situation, the return to microscope headaches, and the week of tummy shakes bring me into the dark depths of despair.

How? Well, I just continue to seek all that is good [and warm...and tropical] in this wretched winter. And so, in my quest to do this, I return with yet another post about winter fruits. Today's menu involves the Royal/High Powered Mob Family of winter fruits: citrus.

But, instead of going the easy route and discussing the head of that pack--the Great and Wondrous Orange--I've decided to go with some of his royal advisers/underlings [fantastic in their own right]: the Blood Orange and the Lemon.




The main focus here is on the blood orange. Sadly, many people are afraid to approach this gem of a fruit. I, personally, can think of nothing that sends my heart all a-flutter like putting one of those sunset colored orbs in my grocery basket.








The anticipation of delicately supreming it, savoring every last morsel, biting into its crimson goodness, being overwhelmed by its tasty tang flavor...it's all too much to handle!






Alone, the blood orange is divine. But when used properly in combination with other ingredients for a more complex dish, the blood orange pronounces its individuality while simultaneously creating such a beautiful harmony with other flavors.

The lemon is also a beautiful thing--nothing else compares in color and that's why Lemon Yellow is its own Crayola crayon. Now, the typical lemon is actually a summer fruit, but it can be found all year long. However, its cousin, the Meyer Lemon, has a winter growing season and is a treasured fruit to me. Unfortunately, it is a hard to find variant in the US outside of The West and The Southwest. It is sweeter than the "Lemon" but stil has tang--a nice combo of orange and lemon--and makes for delighful curds, tarts, and sorbets.

But, today, I will be using the lowly and oft underrated "Lemon".

Now, before I get to actual recipes, I'd like to discuss an important culinary skill applied to citrus fruits: supreming.

Supreme [sooprehm not soopreem]: Basically, it describes a citrus that has been undressed until it's totally nekkers--no pith, no membrane, just slices of its juicy essence. It's not a particularly useful skill, except for aesthetic purposes, but it makes for those nice little orange slices in fruit salads at diners.

In an effort to provide something useful within these tirades and long-winded musings on my love of food, i'll give here a primer for the Supreming A Citrus skill:





step 1
cut off the top and bottom of the fruit until you can see the flesh










step 2
cut off the peel and pith around the fruit, being careful not to damage the flesh









step 3
once the large swaths of peel and pith are gone, delicately cut off the remaining bits of pith









step 4
cut along the inside of the membrane edges [the vertical lines you can see on the fruit] and pull out the naked slice









step 5
voila! orange supreme!







Alright, well, now that's done let's move on to today's menu:

Bloody Chutney Chicken
Cabbage and Carrot Salad
Lemon Scented Couscous

I am particularly excited to be sharing this menu because the main dish was a complete experiment that turned out a million times better than I ever could have expected. Granted, I wasn't expecting much [see ingredients list] but really, this was a stellar dish.

I must admit, the idea was sparked by this bit from Simply Recipes. However, inspired by a supremely supremed blood orange, I came up with some ideas of how to adjust the recipe. So, given the significant alterations I made, which served to create a completely different dish than the original, I'm going to take a little credit for here.


The salad was a perfect accompaniment. Decent salad produce in winter--like tomatoes, cucumbers and greens--is thin on the ground and tends to be bland or mushy. Cabbage makes for a wonderful alternative as it retains its crunchy glory in the cold months. The color of purple cabbage and orange carrots is also a welcome change from the drab grays of the winter skies and snowy unplowed streets.

The idea of couscous mostly came from my overwhelming need for something new and different. In other words: I'm tired of rice...but, it would suit this meal perfectly well.







Bloody Chutney Chicken









for the marinade:

1 tsp dried coriander, crushed
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
dijon mustard, preferably whole seed [enough to coat chicken]


for the caramelized onions:

olive oil
1/2 medium onion, cut into thin rings


for the sauce:

2 blood oranges, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1 c chicken stock
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, julienned
1-1/2 tbsp mango chutney
pepper
salt

1/2-lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c almonds, coarsely chopped


directions:

1. marinate the chicken
a. put all the marinade ingredients together in a plastic bag and shake to combine.
b. put the chicken in the bag and shake to coat. if there is not enough marinade, add more of everything, particularly the mustard.

2. make the caramelized onions
a. put some oil in a saucepan [2-3 tbsp] and turn the heat to medium-high.
b. when the oil is hot, add the onions. stir and cover. let cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft and brown. be careful not to burn them.

3. make the sauce
a. in a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients except the oranges and stir until smooth.
b. add the orange chunks.

4. cook the chicken
a. put some oil in a large pan and turn the heat to medium-high.
b. when oil is hot, add the chicken. brown both sides. be careful not too cook it too much as the chicken will dry out.
c. turn the heat to low-medium and add the sauce. bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook until chicken is done [about 10 minutes]. stir occasionally.

5. serve
a. put the chicken on a plate and pour sauce over it, making sure to get some of the orange chunks.
b. put some of the caramelized onions on top and sprinkle with chopped almonds.







Cabbage Carrot Salad
[note: if you can, start this up to two hours early. if not, make this first and let it sit while you're making the other dishes. dress it at the very end]







1/2 head purple and/or white cabbage, julienned
3 medium carrots, grated or julienned
lemon juice
olive oil
pepper
salt

directions:

1. drain the vegetables [preferably done 2 hours before, but not necessary]
a. put the cabbage and the carrots in a strainer and put the strainer in the sink or in a bowl.
b. sprinkle a lot of salt on the vegetables and toss to coat. let sit up to 2 hours. the salt will pull water from the vegetables and collect below the strainer.
c. thoroughly wash the salt off with water and toss to get rid of the excess water

2. dress the salad
a. squeeze a lemon and add pour the juice, along with some olive oil and some pepper, over the vegetables. toss to coat. if not serving immediately, keep in the refrigerator.










Lemon Scented Couscous








1/4 c water or stock
1/4 c couscous
zest of 1 lemon
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped

directions:

1. bring the water or stock to a boil in a small saucepan.
2. turn off the heat, add the lemon zest and couscous. stir and cover. let sit 5 minutes.
3. add parsley and fluff couscous with a fork.

it's bloody supreme!



Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.