’Tis the season for citrus, with oranges, grapefruit, lemons and other juicy fruits coming our way from places such as California.
When not eating them as is — or simply squeezing their juice on fish or in a drink — in January, I most often incorporate them into savoury dishes. It’s a logical thing to do. Many foods benefit from their eye-catching appearance and bright, save-me-from-the-winter-blues sweet and tangy taste.
Today’s recipes provide three examples of that, all of which serve two.
Although it’s winter, I still find myself occasionally having salad for dinner on nights I want to dine a bit lighter. Recently, that desire saw me plate up what I called a winter citrus salad.
To make it, I arranged slices of peeled orange and grapefruit on the edges of two plates, before mounding butter lettuce leaves in the centre. The salads were then topped with tangy cheese and nuts and a mix of colourful ingredients, including grated carrot, dried cherries and cucumber.
If that’s not enough for you, in the “options” section of the recipe I suggest proteins you could also set on each salad, such as shredded, cooked chicken or flakes of tuna.
My second recipe is an Asian-style prawn and broccoli stir-fry with cashews, where the sauce for those key ingredients is infused with the taste of lemon, lime and orange. Balancing their acidic flavours is salty soy sauce and sweet honey, and adding punch to the dish is garlic, ginger and hot chili sauce. Serve the dish with steamed rice and create a very tasty mid-week meal.
My last recipe is veal piccata. It’s an Italian-style dish where boneless veal cutlet is pounded until very thin, coated in flour, fried until golden and then flavoured with a lemony, butter/wine sauce. Serve it with pasta, such as orzo, and steamed green beans or wilted kale.
Winter Citrus Salad with Nuts, Dried Fruit and Vegetables
There’s a rainbow of colour and a range of nutritious things in this light and flavourful salad. After cutting the peel off the orange and grapefruit, squeeze the juice out of the flesh left on the skin and use it in the dressing.
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: none
Makes: two servings
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp grapefruit juice
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
• pinch dried tarragon
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 small red grapefruit, peel and pith removed, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium navel or cara cara orange, peel and pith removed, thinly sliced
1/2 head butter lettuce, separated into individual leaves, or 4 cups baby salad greens
6 to 8 thin cucumber slices, each halved
16 to 20 pecan or walnut halves
3 to 4 Tbsp dried cherries or cranberries
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup (about 60 grams) soft goat cheese, pulled into small nuggets
Make dressing by combining the first seven ingredients in a small bowl. Divide and fan grapefruit slices on the outer edge of each of two plates. Divide and fan orange slices on the other side of the plates. Divide and mound butter lettuce (or baby salad greens) in the centre of each plate. Arrange the cucumber, nuts, cherries (or cranberries), carrot and cheese on top of the lettuce. Drizzle each salad with the dressing and enjoy.
Eric’s options: For a protein boost, you could top this salad with shredded, cooked chicken, cubes of ham, flakes of canned tuna, or small, cooked salad shrimp.
Prawns, Broccoli and Cashews with Citrus Honey Sauce
Succulent prawns, bright green broccoli and rich cashews combine in this stir-fry flavoured with a sweet and tangy sauce featuring orange, lemon and lime.
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 10 minutes
Makes: two servings
For the sauce:
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp grated lime zest
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
3 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp Sriracha or hot chili sauce, or to taste
1 tsp cornstarch
For the prawns and to finish
12 large prawns, peeled and deveined (see Note)
4 tsp vegetable oil (divided)
12 small (about 2-inch wide and long) broccoli florets
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
2 Tbsp water
1/4 cup unsalted, roasted cashews
Place all sauce ingredients in a small pot and whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer one minute, or until the sauce lightly thickens. Remove sauce from the heat, cover and set it aside for now.
Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large skillet or wok set over medium-high heat. Add the prawns and stir-fry two minutes, or until prawns are just cooked through. Remove pan from the heat and lift prawns onto a plate.
Set pan back on the heat and add the remaining oil. Add the broccoli and onion and stir-fry two minutes. Add the water, bring to a simmer and cook and stir until the broccoli is bright green and the water is evaporated, about one minute.
Add the sauce to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Return the prawns to the pan, add the cashews, heat through one to two minutes and serve.
Note: To peel and devein a prawn, hold the tip of the tail in one hand. Slip the thumb of your other hand under the shell between its legs. Pull off the shell and, if desired, leave the very tip of the tail in place. With a small paring knife, make a lengthwise slit along the back of the prawn. Now pull out, or rinse out with cold water, the dark vein. Pat prawn dry and it’s ready to use.
Veal Piccata
This Italian-style dish sees tender veal cutlet fried and accented with lemon, butter, wine, garlic and parsley.
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 10 minutes
Makes: two servings
2 (5 oz/140) boneless veal leg cutlets (see Eric’s options)
osalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp butter (divided)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp white wine
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp chicken stock
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 thin lemon slices, for garnish
Set one of the veal cutlets on a work surface and cover with plastic wrap. With a kitchen hammer, pound the cutlet until very thin, about 1/8-inch thick. Pound the second cutlet in the same fashion. Season the veal with salt and pepper. Now evenly coat each cutlet with flour, shaking off the excess.
Place the oil and 1 Tbsp of the butter in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add the veal and cook until golden brown, about two minutes per side. Remove the veal from the pan and set on a plate.
Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium, then add the remaining butter. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 to 60 seconds. Add the wine, lemon juice and stock, bring to a simmer and simmer the mixture two minutes. Return the veal to the skillet and simmer until veal is hot again, about one to two minutes.
Set a cutlet on each of two plates, spoon the pan sauce over it, garnish with lemon slices, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Eric’s options: Instead of veal, make this dish with pork or turkey-breast cutlets. If you like capers, add 2 tsp of them to the sauce when you add the lemon juice.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His latest is The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
