Ideas needed for lots of oranges ... lots

[rworange]

This spring when I killed the evil chayote plant that smothered everything last year, it allowed the citrus trees to flourish.

These are kind of just ok oranges, on the tart side. They are not anything I'd make juice from. Not really good enough to donate to a charity or stand on a corner and sell ... did I mention there were lots ... so the idea of being a renegade orange vendor did cross my mind.

They do seem like they would be decent in recipes. They are not juice oranges, more along the line of a navel or Valencia.

So far they are good sprinkled with chile and a shot of lemon. I did a cardemom/cinnamon sprinkle which worked nicely. Orange / pomegranite compote with a splash of brandy ... done that.

So what else?

Any good marmelade recipes? Any liquor I could make? Salads? I have chicken breasts in the freezer. What? What? Help.

BTW, the chayote that won't die seemed to make a late autumn rally. Hopefully I snipped the main vine ... again ... but I did get a few nice chayote out of it. I like chayote. If only it wasn't so agressive.

I'm such a rube though. After growing up in New England, it just tickles me that I can walk outside my door and pick fresh oranges and lemons in December. I'd like to use them since they are there.

[anzu]

This might not use up a lot of your oranges, but it looks intriguing and might make nice holiday gifts: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/din...
You could substitute your oranges for the clementines, maybe?

[Kagey]

The Claudia Roden/Nigella Orange Almond cake. You can use an equal weight of oranges, lemons, clementines. http://www.nigella.com/recipes/recipe...

Or marmalade. It's easier than you think. Boil the whole oranges in enough water to cover them till very soft--about 2 hours. Drain, cool a bit, then slice thin, removing seeds. Put back in the pot with an equal weight of sugar (use white or a combo of white and brown for a nice flavor), heat slowly till sugar melts, then boil till set. Easy.

[Carb Lover]

SALADS, liked others have suggested. I like oranges w/ roasted beets, goat cheese, and hazelnuts. Or avocado, radish, and shaved brussels sprouts/escarole/or frisee for winter.

Or Rick Bayless' Mexican-style one w/ jicama, cucumber & radish below.

Rustic Jicama Appetizer w/ Red Chile & Lime
(Entremes de Jicama)
serves ~8 as snack, app, or salad

1 med (~1 lb.) jicama
2 small cucumbers *I used English ones
3 seedless oranges *I used navels
6 radishes, thinly sliced
Juice of 2 limes (~1/3 c.)
Salt, ~1/2 tsp.
~2 tsp. powdered dried hot chile, ancho or guajillo *I used pasilla
~2/3 c. pickled red onions (optional) *recipe is in book but I didn't add any; you can just use thinly sliced red onion if you like
~1/3 c. roughly chopped cilantro, plus few sprigs for garnish

Instructions paraphrased: Basically chop up all veggies so they are bite-sized. Peel orange w/ knife and segment or slice into rounds. Mix veggies (including raw onion if you're using) and oranges w/ lime juice in bowl and let sit for 20 min. then season w/ salt. Pile onto serving platter and drizzle w/ juices. Top w/ chile powder and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.

Photo:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/btdoan/IMG_1221.jpg

============

If you're in a baking mood, then CAKE. I love old-fashioned orange bundt cake w/ a light orange glaze. I need to ask my mom for her recipe. While I haven't tried it, there's a recipe in the Silver Palate cookbook. Also think that The Best Recipe from the Cook's Illustrated people has one. Some of my Italian cookbooks have orange cakes. Orange yogurt or buttermilk cake also sounds good. There's orange poppy seed cake. Ok, now I will shut up about cake.

============

And since I know about your Jell-O making history, what about that? It would use up the juice as well as the fruit. Orange-prosecco Jell-O sounds about right.

David Lebovitz has a recipe for champagne gelee w/ citrus fruits and kumquat:
http://www.azcentral.com/home/food/cooking201/recipes-11.html#2

For fun, check out this link to an LA Times article entitled, "The Cocktails You Eat":
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/...

[Joebob]

Candied orange peel dipped in dark chocolate is quite tasty, and is a good gift too.

[purple goddess]

2nd the pomanders idea.. great for Xmas pressies, or decorating your tree.

I am a big fan of lamb and orange. Poke holes in your leg of lamb, poke slivers of garlic and anchovies into them. Rest lamb on a bed of aromatics (rosemary, fennel, mint) quater some oranges and some red onions and some lemons, scatter around the lamb. Plonk some vegies on top.. some new potaoes, a kumara or two, a brace of vine tommies, drench everything in some olive oil and a goodly dash of orange juice. Add water to the pan, cover with foil and cook on Med High for 2 hours. Uncover, pour some more OJ over and bake at High for 1/2 to brown and crisp.

[gabby29]

Refer to katie's posts on egullet regarding making Orangecello. She includes her recipe which can be adapted for oranges.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=40048&st=0

One man's journey making Orangecello
http://chicagoist.com/2006/05/25/orangecello_finally.php

Caravella makes a commercial Lemon and Orangecello. Their website lists a number of recipes that might come in handy should you up to make the spirit.
http://www.caravellaus.com/html/carav...

Given the number you have. Making a nice jam or marmalade and giving some away as gifts would be a nice gesture as well. Many people love to receive food after the holidays for quick snacking.

[alkapal]

rworange, slightly tart oranges are best for marmalade anyway! good luck. so many great suggestions here!

this variety ripeness chart may help:
http://www.floridajuice.com/nutrition...

[Fleur]

You might like to make a year's supply on Candied Orange Peel, to use in baking throughout the year.

I am currently making Pomanders out of Oranges, and they are looking beautiful.

[MrsT]

I was watching the Ina Garten Holiday Special last night. She made ornaments out of dried fruit. She cut up some oranges and pears. Put them in the oven on 100 overnight to dry them out and then string them up. Not only are they pretty, but edible.

[Agent Orange]

Oh no, I think I might have watched that holiday special last night, too. Twice. Just wanted to butt in and say that I think Ina dried her fruit in a 170 degree oven. 100 might not get the job done.

[kathinmadrid]

Narancino, the orange equivalent of limoncello. Oranges, alcohol, more sugar than you think necessary and about a two-week rest. I'm sure you could find an actual recipe for it though.

[dubedo]

There is a recipe on Epicurious for "dilled couscous with chicken" that has a dressing made of orange juice and red wine vinegar (and zest). The resulting dish is delicious - way more than the sum of its parts - and keeps beautifully - which is good because it makes a ton, but then you have delicious lunches all week. I usually add dried cranberries.

[ArikaDawn]

Segmented oranges are surprisingly good when tossed in stir-frys. Also great over cottage cheese for snackin' and as a component in a pork loin marinade. Also, when cooking fish, I will often just cut oranges into wedges peel and all, add them to a foil packet with the fish, a little butter, and either asparagus, green beans, or potatoes and cook in the oven. It imparts a wonderful flavor and is a super quick healthy dinner.

[BrandonPHX]

My favorite thing to do with oranges is make a salad with slices of orange and avocado, with a little red wine vinaigrette and some torn basil. Like a caprese, but with orange avocado.

I also marinate pork chops in orange juice, lime juice, sherry vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.

Other ideas that I don't have recipes for:
Asparagus with orange hollandaise
Orange cardamom ice cream
Orange fennel salad with prosciutto
Citrus roasted chicken
You could also use the orange rind to make compound butters for fish or chicken.

Try the avocado and orange salad though, it is really good.

[violabratsche]

Here, let me give you my address....

AnnieG

[Egg]

I like making salads with half roasted beets (marinated in balsamic vinegar), half orange slices, walnuts, blue cheese, simple vinaigrette. Yum! Easy, too.

[rworange]

Mmmm ... I love beets ... and blue cheese ... and walnuts ... great ideas everyone.

[piccola]

Orange curd? Or a pie (like lemon meringue, only with orange)?

[dibob817]

All the ideas sound good,; I'd make a wine tho. It would make a good dessert wine , thats for sure. I dont think an orange dry dinner wine would be too good tho.

Also, u could make a rather stong wine - let it ferment out, then freeze it and siphon off the alcohol. YIPES !!

[OCEllen]

Give them a little time more on the tree - they may well sweeten up! Navels don't reach full flavor until January or February.

[ziggylu]

Likewise if they're Valencias they may not be ripe yet. I'm in Arizona, my Valencias come ripe in late March and make great juice oranges. THey're starting to turn orange now but aren't ripe yet.

[OCEllen]

Orange County, CA here.
People have already started stealing oranges off my front yard tree and they are far from 'ripe'. I was getting in my car and two women walking on the sidewalk begged me for some! I said 'okay - two' even though they are still sour!

[rworange]

Thanks !!! Being a Connecticut Yankee, I don't know nothing about picking no oranges. I assumed orange = ripe. Anyway the couple of dozen I picked today should last awhile.

[miss louella]

My most reliable ripeness test for CA citrus is to grasp the fruit lightly and gently turn it upside down; if it comes off in your hand, it's ripe, if you have to tug or pull, it's not ready yet.

There's an epicurious recipe for an orange mojito marinade for pork loin that was fab. Can't remember how many oranges it required, though... you might have to marainate a whole pig and share.

[carswell]

Simplifying a little here but -- as I, definitely not a botanist, understand it -- the colour change is a function of temperature. Cool weather turns the peel orange due to the chlorophyll breaking down and letting the carotene shine through (analogous to what happens to maple leaves in the fall in your old stomping grounds). In places where the weather never turns sufficiently cool -- southern Thailand, for example -- the peel, even of ripe oranges, is usually green.

[alkapal]

i can't speak to the green thai oranges, but growing up in florida, oranges are never green and ripe. a slight twist should release from the branch where the orange is attached, any more force required means it is not ready to be eaten.

Just for fun:
Location Latitude Longitude
Lake Wales, Fla. Latitude: 27° 54' 5" ; Longitude: -81° 35' 9"
Bangkok, Thailand Lat:13 degrees 45' 0" ; Long: 100 degrees 31' 0"

[mlgb]

Whats up with all the fruit theiving! It used to be that the protocol was you could pick one or two if they were hanging over the property line. Last month we saw someone climbing up in the neighbor's avocado tree, and the week before someone came in to my back yard and scooped up the 30+ persimmons I had just picked and left back there.

I would give them more time also, mine are just barely starting to turn color. If there are tons and tons I would juice them or make marmalade. The latter is simple, you don't need the pectin called for in other recipes. If you can find a cheap breadmaker at a thrift store they usually have a jam cycle.

BTW they hold on the tree for a loooonnnnnnnnng time. You'll be glad you didn't pick all of them around March and April.

[Agent Orange]

If they're more than just slightly tart, why not use their use in place of naranjas agrias in your favorite Mexican and Cuban recipes (maybe add some lime juice, maybe not.) Cochinita Pibil and Lechon Asado come to mind.

[sasha1]

Even if the juice is not phenomenal, try juicing them, tempering the flavor with some sugar or lemon juice, concentrating the flavors by boiling if they are watery, then make a sorbet. I haven't done it with oranges, but many a not so great grape in my house achieved glory by becoming sorbet.

[DanaB]

You could make marmalade, sorbet, candied orange peels, homemade 50-50 bars. I wonder if there's an orange equivalent of lemoncello?

Edited to add: I remembered there was a really interesting thread last Christmas on candied citrus peels. Here it is: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/288000

You also could make the orange version of "preserved lemons" (I guess that would be "preserved oranges" :-)

[Gio]

If there isn't, you could invent it.

Those oranges could be a component along with lime juice & lemon juice for a marinade from anything from shrimp to pork...adding minced garlic, onion, chilis...anything else you can come up with.

Marmalade is a super suggestion, adding a coupla other taste sensations.

[soypower]

This would really just take care of the rinds, but whenever I have oranges that aren't great for eating alone, I zest them and dry them in a dehydrator and use them in my baking...I've also heard of orange vinegar...Might be good for marinades?

[rworange]

Ohhh ... vinegar ... that would be good. Any idea how to go about this? Just add to vinegar for a while and let marinate on the shelf? I have some terrible red wine vinegar that could use pepping up. Think it would work with red?

[soypower]

looked up some recipes and it sounds like you would just use the rind and throw it into any vinegar you have...here's one that sounds good:

http://www.dlife.com/dLife/do/recipe/...

[rworange]

Thank you for taking the time. That does look good. I stumbled across one recipe looking for something else ... well somehow there was this recipe for vinegar pudding ... and curious about that link ... a lot of vinegar recipes.

Anyway I was slightly disappointed to find it was just the peel ... but then again ... I have all these oranges, so why not give it a try. I'm going for one white vinegar and one red ... just to see what happens.

[soypower]

I was also disappointed to see it was just the peel...I was thinking you could just juice the orange and let it ferment, kinda like apple vinegar...but i've never done it myself, so...here's a link to making homemade vinegar so maybe you could substitute apple juice w/ orange juice? again, i'm not sure all the food science involved, but i'm sure it couldn't hurt to try since you have such a surplus...;o)

http://www.ehow.com/how_3894_make-hom...

[rworange]

Thanks. I was about to say that I found a recipe that uses the whole orange which is either somewhere in this link or another link about vinegar. However, the above link isn't about adding apples to vinegar but making vinegar out of apples, sort of different. I wonder if you can do that out of oranges ... like you said I have a lot of oranges.

[alkapal]

orange vinegar? wow, so many cooking, condiment ideas await!

[soypower]

i'd love to hear what you come up with...if it works out, i may have to buy a box of cheap oranges and try it myself. :o)