ORANGES AND OLIVES

A few weeks ago, I wrote a recipe in the Press for sour – a.k.a. bitter, or Seville – oranges. Apparently, one reader can’t get enough of the slightly puckering variety of orange and, in an earnest phone message, asked me for more tips about using them.

Well, for Sour Orange Fan and the rest of you looking to make the most of oranges this winter, try this salad, best made not from a strict recipe but with your own amounts, in accordance with your own tastes.

Section a few sour oranges and one sweet orange, such as a Cara Cara (which has a pinkish interior). Make sure you remove the bitter pith. Slice the segments in half. Place the oranges in a bowl, then add pitted and halved black olives (such as Kalamatas), to taste. Do not use canned olives, but get high-quality olives. Take a small red onion and finely mince as much of the onion as you’d like, then toss that in, too. Now, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the orange-olive mixture, then dapple some extra-virgin olive oil and coarse sea salt over the salad.

You can eat this as is or play with it: Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes or chile pepper, some cumin, maybe, or add some finely chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley or mint. Before you eat the orange-olive salad, taste and adjust the seasonings.

How are you using the season’s citrus fruits?

cheers,
Andy
2.1.07