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| Citrus Fruit by Bartolomeo Bimbi (1648-1729) |
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| Lemons and Oranges (1774-1825) |
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| A Basket with Oranges and Lemons by Margaret Olley (1923-2011) |
According to Greek mythology, Hera the queen of twelve gods of Olympus had a beautiful garden on an unknown and distant island. This garden had a precious tree that bore “golden apples” that had the power to grant immortality to whoever ate them.
The tree was guarded by the Hesperides, Atlas’ daughters, and the dragon Ladon, who had 100 heads and never slept. Ladon was coiled around the tree, in order to prevent any human being from stealing the golden apples, eating them and attaining immortality.
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| Hercules in the Garden of Hesperides by Michele Rocca |
Hercules, in his 13th labour, after discovering the garden of the Hesperides, slew the dragon, gathered the golden apples and offered them to the people for the benefit of mankind.
Incidentally, “hesperithoithi” are citrus fruits in Greek.
Citrus fruits besides being an excellent source of vitamin C, also contain glycaemic and non-glycaemic carbohydrate (sugar and fibre), potassium folate, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, thiamine, niacin and vitamin B. Consequently, they are very healthy fruits.
Here are several recipes prepared with citrus fruits.
CARROT GINGER AND ORANGE SOUP
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| Carrot Ginger and Orange Soup |
A delightful aromatic soup
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
6 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
250 ml (1 cup) fresh orange juice
2 tsp grated ginger
500 ml (2 cups) tasty chicken broth
500 ml (2 cups) water
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
65 ml (¼ cup) cream
In a large saucepan, sweat the onion in butter for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add the carrots, orange juice, ginger, chicken broth and water, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 25 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
Purée the soup with a blender and sieve it back into the saucepan. Bring it to a very gentle simmer, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve in hot soup bowls drizzled with cream
EGG AND LEMON SOUP
Avgolemono, a typically Greek soup, is prepared according to taste. For a smooth and creamy soup use beaten egg yolks only, if a frothy texture is preferred, use whole eggs, yolks and whites whipped separately.
2 litres (8 cups plus) tasty chicken, meat or fish stock
6 level tbsp short grain rice
3 egg yolks or
2 eggs, separated, whites whipped into soft peaks
1 lemon, juice only
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring the stock to the boil, stir in the rice, lower the heat and simmer until the rice is soft. (15-20 minutes). Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Beat the egg yolks and if whole eggs are used, fold in the whipped egg whites add the lemon juice and stir gently. Very slowly pour 1½ - 2 cups hot stock into the egg mixture, beating constantly, and pour, slowly, back into the saucepan and swirl.
Return the saucepan to low heat and keep stirring. Don’t let the soup boil! Taste and add more salt, freshly ground pepper and lemon juice, if necessary.
PRAWNS WITH GARLIC AND ORANGE JUICE
A delicious appetiser.
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 kg (2 lb) prawns, shelled, deveined, thoroughly washed and patted dry
A small sprig of rosemary
1 orange, juice and grated rind
Salt and pepper to taste
1 knob of butter
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Sauté the garlic in butter and olive oil, over low heat, for 1-2 minutes add the prawns and the rosemary sprig and cook for 4-5 minutes or until they turn pink.
Sprinkle with the orange zest, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, drizzle with orange juice and simmer for 2 minutes more until the prawns are well coated with sauce.
Add a small knob of butter and when it melts, discard the rosemary sprig and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.
FIVE SPICE MEATBALLS
Five-spice powder is a combination of 5 or more ground spices ( 1 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp cloves + 1 tsp ginger + 1 tsp nutmeg + 1 tsp Szechuan pepper), predominantly used in Chinese and Taiwanese cuisines.
Meatballs:
1 egg white
¾ cup breadcrumbs
¼ tsp five-spice powder
½ tsp salt
500 g (1 lb) minced meat
Sauce:
375 ml (1½ cup) orange juice
3 tbsp honey
4 tbsp cornflour
4 tbsp soy sauce
¼ tsp minced ginger
1 medium-sized yellow bell pepper, trimmed and cut into small pieces
1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
Mix all the meatball ingredients well together and shape into small balls the size of walnuts. Place them on a tin, lined with baking parchment. Roast for 15-20 minutes, in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) or until the meatballs are cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a large wok, stir together the orange juice, honey, cornflour, soy sauce and minced ginger and cook and stir until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Add the bell pepper and the meatballs to the wok and cook stirring until heated through. Serve over rice or noodles sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds.
A DELICIOUS PORK RAGOUT WITH ORANGES AND OLIVES
Pork, in some form, is a must for Christmas in Greece . This dish is from Sparta but hardly Spartan! My talented daughter-in-law Yianna gave me this recipe.
1 kg (2 lb) pork, preferably from the shoulder, sliced
80 ml (1/3 cup) olive oil
125 ml (½ cup) dry white wine
4 oranges, peeled and cut into eighths
Peel of 1 orange cut in very thin strips and blanched
250 ml (1 cup) or more orange juice
1 cup Kalamata olives, blanched and stoned
Pinch of oregano or thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper and sauté in the olive oil until it turns white.
Pour in the wine and simmer until almost done, then add the orange juice and cook for another 10 minutes.
Add the olives and lay the pieces of orange and orange peel on top. Baste the oranges with the meat juices and add some salt. Simmer a further 15 minutes and then taste again and season with salt and pepper if necessary and sprinkle with oregano or thyme. Do not stir after you have added the orange pieces and olives.
Serve the pork, olives and orange pieces in separate piles on a serving dish accompanied with buttered rice or noodles
AVOCADO AND GRAPEFRUIT SALAD
Dressing:
2 tbsp vinegar
2 spring onions, trimmed and very finely sliced
65 g (¼ cup) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
(Whip all the ingredients well together until the dressing thickens)
3 ripe avocados, peeled, stoned, thinly sliced and drenched with
1 tbsp lemon juice to prevent discolouration.
3 large ruby red grapefruit, peeled, pith and membranes discarded and then divided into segments
10 tender lettuce or rocket leaves, torn into pieces
Place the sliced avocado and the grapefruit in a salad bowl, cover with cling film and refrigerate. Just before serving, add the lettuce or rocket leaves, drizzle with dressing and toss gently.
RENEE’S LEMON CAKE WITH LEMON ICING
My beloved Mother used to often prepare this fabulous cake, which has a lovely texture and aroma. You can either cover it with icing or cut it in half and fill it with lemon cream.
Cake:
150 g (5 oz) self-raising flour
120 g (4 oz) butter softened
120 g (4 oz) sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1¼ tsp lemon juice
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Lemon Icing:
4 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
Grated rind of a small lemon
Enough icing sugar to make a smooth runny icing (about 1¾ cup)
120 g (4 oz) icing sugar
Lemon Cream Filling:
395 g (13 oz plus) 1 tin sweet condensed milk
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
1½ tbsp grated lemon rind
(Mix all the ingredients well together)
Mix all the ingredients together and beat for 2 minutes. Pour in a prepared tin and bake in a moderately hot oven, preheated to190 C (275 F) degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
While the cake is cooling, mix all the ingredients for the icing together until a smooth, runny icing is obtained. Prick the warm cake all over is a skewer and pour the icing over. Leave the cake in the tin until completely cold.
Alternately, cut the cake in half. Spread one half of the cake with lemon cream filling, sandwich it with the second half and refrigerate. Serve sprinkled with icing sugar.
LEMON MOUSSE
This is a lovely light dessert.
250 g (½ lb) double cream, whipped stiff with
1 tbsp icing sugar or more if necessary and
A pinch of salt
200 g (1 tub) thick Greek yogurt
One 395 g (13 3/5 oz) tin sweet, condensed milk
150-200 ml (5–7 fl. oz) lemon juice
The grated rind of 1 lemon
Extra grated lemon rind for garnish
Beat the yogurt to make it creamy. Also, whip the condensed milk with the lemon juice and the grated rind until it thickens and resembles a glossy cream. Stir in the yogurt until very well combined.
Finally, gently fold in the whipped cream. Place in small glasses and serve sprinkled with grated lemon rind or garnished with any fruit of your choice.
LEMON TART
This is a lovely tart, the crust is crisp the lemon cream is delightfully aromatic.
Crust:
250 g (½ lb) butter, at room temperature
100 g (½ cup) sugar
260 g (2 cups) or more self-raising flour combined with a
Pinch of salt
Filling:
4 eggs
440 g (2 cups) sugar
The grated rind of 1 lemon
50 g (1.6 oz) self-raising flour, sifted with
½ tsp baking powder
160 ml (almost 2/3 cup) lemon juice or according to taste
For the crust, blend the ingredients until just combined. Wrap and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 180 C.
Roll out the dough, thinly, and line a 30 cm tart tin, prick with a fork all over, and chill for 15 minutes until firm. Bake the pastry shell blind, for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, whip the eggs with the sugar and lemon zest until light, fluffy and almost doubled in bulk. Gently fold in the flour and baking powder mixture and, finally, the lemon juice.
Pour the filling over the hot baked crust and bake for 25 minutes (or more). Serve sprinkled with icing sugar.
BITTER ORANGE MARMALADE
This is an excellent marmalade recipe. The fresher the oranges are, the quicker the marmalade will set.
1 kg (2 lb) bitter oranges
2 kg (4 lb) sugar
Water
Put the washed bitter oranges in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Place a plate on top and press it down to keep the oranges well covered. Simmer the oranges until very soft.
Remove the oranges – reserving the water – and chop up roughly, reserving the pips. Then place the reserved pips in the reserved water and boil for about 10 minutes to extract as much pectin as possible. Strain the pips and discard them, reserving the water.
Boil the chopped oranges, the sugar and water, until set. Pour the hot marmalade into hot sterilized jars. When the marmalade cools, cover with rounds of greaseproof paper and seal.
BERGAMOT SPOON SWEET
This fruit is not edible raw, but its essential oil is extracted from the rind and used for preparing confectionaries and distilled into an aromatic liqueur.
1 kg (2 b) bergamot peel, pith discarded
1 ½ (3 lb) sugar
1 lt (4 cups) cold water
The juice of 2 lemons
Grate the washed bergamots with a cheese grater, slice into 6 pieces and remove and discard the fruit.
Weigh the peel and boil in plenty of water until soft. Drain and place in cold water for 24 hours. Drain once more and cut each slice in half and roll and secure it with toothpicks. Boil the water and sugar for 5 minutes, allow the syrup to cool, add the bergamot pieces and boil for 25 minutes. After 24 hours, boil them once more until the syrup thickens. Five minutes before removing from the heat add the lemon juice.
Cool the spoon sweet, discard the toothpicks, place in sterilised jars, cover with round pieces of greaseproof paper and seal tightly.
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| Oranges and Lemons by Paul Cezanne |
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