Peel away the winter blues with these delicious citrus recipes. 

Orange and butternut soup with blue-cheese crumble  

Serves 4  

Ingredients 

3 Tbsp butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
750g butternut, peeled, seeded and diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 orange (½ zest + ¼ cup juice)
3 cups vegetable stock
½ cup thick cream + to serve
½ tsp cinnamon
Salt and milled pepper
100g blue cheese
Coriander, to serve 

Method 

1. Melt the butter in a pot and fry the onion until soft.
2. Add the butternut, potatoes, orange zest and juice, and stock. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until veggies are soft, 30 minutes.
3. Transfer to a food processor and blitz until fairly smooth.
4. Return the soup to the pot and add the cream, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and heat through.
5. To serve the soup, crumble the blue cheese over it, add a swirl of cream and garnish with coriander.

Recipe & styling: Diane Heierli
Photography: Christoph Heierli 

Asian-style sticky orange chicken 

Serves 4  

Ingredients 

¼ cup marmalade
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
8 chicken thighs or drumsticks
2 oranges, halved
1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
⅔ cup chicken stock
150g rice noodles, cooked 

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Mix marmalade, soy sauce, mustard, ginger and garlic in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
3. Place the chicken in an oven dish, add the oranges and onion, then pour the stock over.
4. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and golden brown.
5. Serve with rice noodles.

Duck leg with orange, fennel and watercress 

Serves 4  

Ingredients 

4 duck legs
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and milled pepper
5 oranges, 1 zested and juiced, 4 halved
¼ cup sugar
2 star anise
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 bulb fennel, sliced
90g watercress 

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Place the duck in a bowl. Add 1 Tbsp oil and season. Toss to coat. Place the duck skin-side down in a pan. Cook over high heat for 5 minutes until browned. Place in a roasting tin, skin-side up.
3. Place the orange zest and juice, sugar, star anise, fennel seeds and ½ tsp salt in the pan the duck was cooked in. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes to form a glaze.
4. Pour the glaze over the duck and add the orange halves. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Remove the duck from the oven and transfer to plates to rest. Add the fennel bulb to the roasting tin and bake for 8 minutes.
6. Dress the watercress with the rest of the oil and season.
7. Serve the duck legs with the baked fennel and orange, and the watercress.

Quick tip: To check if your bird is ready, make a small incision near the bone. If it’s done, the juices should run clear. And this works with chicken as well! 

Orange meringue pie 

Serves 6  

Ingredients 

1 roll shortcrust pastry
1 tin condensed milk
3½ oranges
4 eggs, separated
¾ cup caster sugar 

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 200º C. Grease and line a tart tin. Press the pastry into the tin.
2. Bake blind for 10 minutes and then set aside.
3. Lower oven to 180º C.
4. Mix together the condensed milk, the zest and juice of 2 oranges, and 4 egg yolks.
5. Pour into the crust and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Bring ½ cup caster sugar and ¼ cup water to the boil. Cook until the syrup is a rich amber colour.
7. Whip 3 egg whites until foamy. Beating continuously, drizzle in the syrup until stiff and glossy.
8. Spread the meringue over the top of the pie and pop under the grill until browned. Refrigerate.
9. In a pot, bring the juice of 1 orange and ¼ cup caster sugar to a simmer. Cook until the sugar is dissolved.
10. Thinly slice ½ an orange and add to the mixture in the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes. Use orange slices to decorate your pie.

Recipes & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Samantha Pinto  

The post 4 Scrumptious ways with oranges this winter  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Welcome to the colourful world of citrus, where tangy grapefruits and lush oranges brighten even the coldest days.

Jan Ellis pudding with citrus and brandy 

Makes 1x 25-30 cm pudding

You can omit the brandy for a less boozy pudding. 

Ingredients

2 tbsp (30g) butter, softened
½ cup (100g) sugar
2 eggs, whisked
2 tbsp (30ml) orange marmalade
½ cup (125ml) milk
1 tbsp (5ml) bicarbonate of soda
1½ cups (350g) self-raising flour
Pinch salt 
Pinch nutmeg 
Custard or vanilla ice cream, for serving  

For the brandy syrup  

1 cup (250ml) boiling water
1 cup (250ml) cream
1 cup (250ml) butter 
1 cup ((250m) sugar
½ cup (80ml) brandy 
2 tsp (10ml) vanilla essence  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
2. Cream butter and sugar until pale. 
3. Add eggs and mix well. 
4. Whisk in jam and marmalade.
5. Combine milk and bicarbonate of soda, then mix until dissolved. 
6. Add milk to egg mixture and mix well. 
7. Mix dry ingredients and add to wet mixture until smooth and well combined. 
8. Pour batter into a greased 25-30cm oven dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. 
9. While pudding is in the oven, combine all ingredients for the brandy syrup over medium heat. 
10. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes. 
11. Pour syrup over pudding as soon as it comes out the oven. 
12. Serve with custard or vanilla ice cream if you like.

Roasted beetroot and citrus salad 

Serves 4  

Vibrant and refreshing, this is the perfect accompaniment to any winter roast. 

Ingredients

200g baby beetroot, quartered 
Salt and milled pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
200g baby pak choi, blanched
4 spring onions, shaved 
3 radishes, thinly sliced
2 grapefruit, 1 sliced and 1 segmented 
2 oranges, 1 sliced and 1 segmented 
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, for serving  

For the dressing  

¼ cup olive oil
1 orange, zested and juiced
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
½ small shallot or ¼ red onion, finely chopped
3cm knob ginger, grated
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Arrange beetroot on a baking tray, season and drizzle with oil. 
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. 
4. Arrange pak choi, spring onion, radish, grapefruit, oranges and beetroot on a platter.
5. Combine the dressing ingredients.
6. Serve salad drizzled with dressing and sesame seeds.

Honey, soy and grapefruit pork with slaw 

Serves 4  

Sticky, sweet and tart, citrus pairs brilliantly with the richness of pork. 

Ingredients

¼ each soy sauce, honey and strained grapefruit juice
Salt and milled pepper
8 boneless pork rashers 
1 stalk celery
1 bulb fennel
2 Granny Smith apples
¼ head green cabbage 
1 grapefruit, segmented
Handful fresh coriander, chopped
3-4 Tbsp plain yoghurt or mayonnaise (optional)
1 Tbsp olive oil  

Method

1. Heat oven grill on high. 
2. Whisk together soy sauce, honey and grapefruit juice. Season pork rashers and marinate in soy sauce mixture for 15-30 minutes. 
3. Place pork on a lined baking tray and grill for 15 minutes, turning over regularly. Remove from oven and set aside. 
4. Shred celery, fennel, apples and cabbage. Toss with grapefruit and coriander.
5. Stir through yoghurt or mayonnaise, if using.
6. Heat oil in a pan and retook rashers (reserving the marinade) until caramelised.
7. Add marinade to pan and reduce until sticky. Serve pork on slaw.

Upside-down rosemary & citrus cakes

Makes 24  

The sweet and tangy treat everyone will request again and again! 

Ingredients

1 cup (250ml) brown sugar
1 cup (250m1) orange juice 
2 sprigs rosemary
1 vanilla pod, sliced  

For the cake 

2 small oranges, unpeeled and sliced
1⅕ cups (300g) butter, softened
1⅕ cups (300g) caster sugar 
5 eggs 
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla essence
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour, sieved
Pinch salt
Mint, to garish 

Method

1. Heat brown sugar, orange juice, rosemary and vanilla in a pan over medium heat. 
2. Reduce heat and leave to infuse. 
3. Preheat oven to 180 C. Spray two regular 12-cup muffin pans with some non-stick spray.
4. Place orange slices at the base of each muffin cup.
5. Cream butter and sugar with an electric beater until pale and fluffy.
6. Add eggs one by one while whisking continuously (make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next addition).
7. Mix through vanilla, then fold in flour and salt.
8. Spoon batter into muffin cups until two-thirds full.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool cakes in muffin pan. 
10. Remove rosemary sprigs from syrup and reheat.
11. Pour hot syrup over the cakes and carefully turn out on a plate.
12. Garnish with mint and serve

By: Lichelle May
Photography by: Zhann Solomons
Text courtesy of MyKitchen magazine

The post 4 Zesty ways with citrus  appeared first on MyKitchen.

No one likes wasting fresh produce, but did you know the way you store your fruits and veggies can make all the difference? Here’s how to store these fresh and ripe fruit so they can last longer.  

Apples  

Whether you love a crisp Granny Smith or lean more towards a sweet Honeycrisp, you’ll find apples all year round, but it’s more prominently an in-season autumn fruit. According to Ken Wortz, the head distiller for Sauvage Distillery New York, apples should be stored in a cool, dry place. If you keep them on the counter, they will last about one week. But if you want to store them long-term, keeping them cool in the fridge will be the better, more reliable option. “They can last six to eight weeks stored in a refrigerator,” says Ken. 

Oranges  

Oranges are winter fruit – and just in time to give us that extra vitamin C boost when the cold and flu season is at its peak. They should be stored in a cool, dry place like the fridge, but it is quite picky when it comes to which fruit it can be stored with. Oranges emit a small amount of ethylene gas, so they shouldn’t come into contact with apples and bananas. They can, however, be stored with other citrus fruits.   

Pro tip: Looking to eat an orange that’s been in the fridge? “Like a fine red wine, if you’re keeping your oranges in the fridge, ideally, you would pull them out about an hour before you want to eat them,” says Riley Davies, produce category manager at Misfits Market, an online grocery store. She adds that the flavour will be more intense when the orange has slightly warmed up.

Lemons 

From slicing them into a warm cup of tea to using them in delicious zesty desserts – this citrus fruit is always handy to have at home. But how do it keep them fresh? “You can keep them on the counter but they won’t last as long and will start to dry out,” says Anina von Haeften, co-founder of the food delivery service Farm to People. “On the counter, they will last about a week, and in the fridge, they can last up to a month.” She advises that you pop the whole lemons into a sealed, airtight container first and store them as is to keep them juicy. 

Image: Pexels 

The post How to store these 3 fruits to keep them fresher for longer  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Indulge this winter with our delicious July cover! These pancakes with rooibos-poached oranges and spiced cream make the perfect family treat.

SERVES 16 // COOKING TIME 55 min

INGREDIENTS
For the oranges
9 cups strong rooibos tea
½ cup honey
3 mint sprigs
9 oranges, sliced
For the pancakes
6 cups flour
½ tsp salt
5¼ cups water
¾ cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
6 eggs
For the spiced cream
3 cups cream
¾ tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp nutmeg
¾ tsp allspice
2 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD
For the oranges
1. Preheat the oven grill to high and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Bring the tea, ⅓ cup honey and the mint to a boil over medium.
3. Add the oranges, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the oranges from the pot, arrange on the prepared tray and grill for 5-10 minutes, until caramelised.
5. Continue simmering the liquid in the pot until reduced and syrupy.
For the pancakes
1. Mix the flour and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the water, oil, lemon juice and eggs.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and gradually whisk in the wet mixture, until fully combined and lump-free. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
4. Grease a pan and place over low-medium heat.
5. Add a ladleful of batter to the pan and swirl until it covers the bottom of the pan in a thin, even layer.
6. Cook for 1–2 minutes, then flip and cook the other side until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Continue until your batter is finished.
For the spiced cream
1. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
2. Mix in the spices and vanilla essence and whip again.
To assemble
1. Place 2-3 pancakes on a serving platter. Pipe dollops of the spiced cream in a single layer on top and add a few orange slices.
2. Repeat until your ingredients are used up, finished with a cream layer.
3. Drizzle the rooibos syrup over the top just before serving.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

The post Cook the cover: Pancakes with rooibos-poached oranges and spiced cream appeared first on MyKitchen.

While it may be tempting to fill up on all your favourite comfort foods this winter, remember to keep your gut in check with healthy recipes like this yoghurt French toast with honey oranges.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 30 min

INGREDIENTS
For the French toast
5 eggs
¼ cup plain low-fat yoghurt
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch salt
4 slices wholewheat bread
4 tsp butter
½ tsp olive oil
To serve
¼ cup plain low-fat yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 tbsp almond butter
2 oranges, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp honey

METHOD
For the French toast
1. Whisk the eggs, yoghurt, baking soda, vanilla essence and a pinch of salt until smooth.
2. Place the bread in the egg mixture and let it soak it all up, about 3 minutes per side.
3. Heat the butter and olive oil in a pan and fry the soaked bread for 4 minutes per side.
To serve
1. Combine the yoghurt and vanilla essence together.
2. Spread almond butter on each piece of French toast. Dollop yoghurt, place a few slices of orange on top and then drizzle with honey.

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

The post Yoghurt French toast with honey and oranges appeared first on MyKitchen.

Dinner is served! It doesn’t get any more festive than a delicious Christmas turkey braised in amazing flavour! Try our orange and bay-leaf turkey for a fresh citrus explosion.

SERVES 8 // COOKING TIME 3 hours 15 min

INGREDIENTS
3 kg turkey
8 oranges (5 juiced, 3 halved)
90 ml olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cardamom
Handful fresh bay leaves
Salt and pepper, plus extra to serve

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 250°C.
2. Remove the giblets from the turkey and pat the turkey dry with paper towel.
3. Combine orange juice, olive oil, garlic powder and cardamom.
4. Prepare a roasting tin with a roasting rack on top. Lay the bay leaves on top of the rack. Place the turkey on top of the rack, with the breast-side up.
5. Rub the orange mixture all over the turkey and under the skin on to the breast meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Tuck the wings under the turkey and tie the legs together with string.
7. Add 3 cups of water to the roasting tin. (This will create a steaming effect to cook the turkey evenly.)
8. Turn the oven temperature down to 200°C and roast the turkey for 45 minutes, until the skin is golden brown.
9. Remove the turkey from the oven and cover with foil. Reduce the heat to 180°C and cook for another 2 hours. During this time, baste the turkey every 20 minutes with the pan juices.
10. The turkey is ready when a thermometer inserted into it reads 74°C. Leave to rest for 20 minutes in the foil.
11. To serve, brush orange halves with 1 tsp olive oil and fry in a hot pan to caramelise.
12. Place the rested turkey on a plate and garnish with oranges and bay leaves.

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

The post Healthy Christmas turkey with orange and bay leaves appeared first on MyKitchen.