Enjoy Citrus Flavors in Winter

By Marie-Christine Perry

Winter is here, and although I do not have in Norfolk the Meyer lemon trees of my Northern California yard, I still  stock my pantry with countless citrusy delights that we will enjoy through spring, summer and fall. 

Citrus fruits have a way of waking up the simplest meal, whether added to a salad, pasta dish, soup or stew, or eaten out of hand at the end of a rich meal. They can also be the basis for more sophisticated confections and are for me great pantry must-haves.

If a few of my favorite recipes are more exotic (Moroccan orange salad, Moroccan preserved lemons, and Indian lime pickle), most are straight from my childhood. Citrus peel was always saved, to be turned into candied strips for holiday treats or dried and used in stews and soups. Citrus juice became curd to slather on brioche toast or a syrup to make a refreshing drink mixed with ice, sparkling water and crushed basil leaves. Juice could be used to make the magic squares of citrus pâtes de fruits. Jars of marmalade, using the whole fruit, lined the pantry shelves with their jewel hues.

Here I give recipes for a couple of my favorites, including an orange peel and vinegar cleaning spray I use almost every day in my kitchen.

Indian Lime Pickle 
Ingredients:

500 g limes (8 limes)

100 g (1/3 cup) salt

2 tsp. cumin seeds

2 tsp. fennel seeds

2 tsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. mustard seeds 

1 tsp. fenugreek seeds

1 tbsp. garam masala powder

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. nigella seeds

100 ml (less than 1/2 cup) vegetable oil

100 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar                                                                                    

Chop limes into eight pieces and place in a bowl with the salt. Cover with a tea towel and leave overnight for the salt to draw out the juices.
Heat cumin, coriander, fenugreek, fennel and mustard seeds in a dry pan for about one minute until aromatic, then immediately remove them from the pan to stop cooking. Crush them in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder.
Heat the oil in the pan and add the ground seeds and all the other spices, stir to form a paste and add the sugar. Leave this to cool completely.
Add the paste to the limes and mix thoroughly with the brine and juices from the limes. Pack into sterilized jars, cover with lids and leave on a windowsill for a week, then refrigerate. It will keep refrigerated for a couple of months. For longer-lasting use, process in a water bath for 15-20 minutes.

You can serve the lime pickle with curry, but do not limit yourself to that. It is delicious with roast chicken or on rice to wake up the flavors, or add a touch to mayonnaise to use in deviled eggs. 

Grapefruit Curd
In medium pot, whisk 5 tsp. butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks, 1 cup juice and 4 tsp. zest. Heat slowly, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats a spoon. Keep refrigerated for up to a week. It won’t last that long!

This can be made with lemons, blood oranges or oranges, and grapefruit. Serve on toasted brioche.

Orange peel vinegar cleaning spray
Fill a jar with orange peel torn into smallish pieces. Pack well. Fill the jar with white vinegar and let the closed jar sit in a corner for two or three weeks (the longer the better). Filter the mixture into a spray bottle. Voilà, the best degreaser, and green as well! I use it on stove, counters, cabinet doors and more.

I hope you enjoy our Norfolk winter, and don’t forget citrus are the most versatile of fruits—good, and good for you.

Bon appétit!