Recipe: Sweet and spicy oranges and carrots
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I cheated and used slices from a purchased Cara Cara
orange for this display. My oranges are in the salad.
(Photos: Kathy Morrison)
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Are your oranges ripening yet? My Washington navels are just starting to, and they're getting a burst of sweetness from the cold mornings lately.
I wanted to feature the first of the harvest in a bright salad that didn't taste anything like the foods I've been cooking this past week. This recipe, which I adapted from one on the New York Times Cooking site, fills the bill beautifully. The flavor influences, NYT says, are Moroccan, but it seemed fairly plain to me. I added cracked coriander seed and a bit of cayenne, as suggested by some of the site's users, and the flavors perked up immediately. Taste and adjust as you like.
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My Washington navel orange will have a good crop this year.
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Carrot salad with oranges and dates
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients:
3 to 4 fresh oranges, depending on size (most of mine weigh 4 ounces), washed
2 cups grated carrots, from about 4 large trimmed and peeled carrots
4 to 6 dates, pitted, each sliced lengthwise and cut into 8 pieces
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon or more cracked or ground coriander seed
Dash of ground white pepper
Dash of cayenne (optional)
Instructions:
Combine the prepared carrots and cut-up dates in a large bowl. Juice one of the oranges to get at least 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice. (If desired, grate the orange first and save the zest for sprinkling at the end.)
In a small bowl, make the dressing: Whisk together the lemon juice, the 3 tablespoons orange juice and the olive oil until you have a good emulsion. (Add a touch more oil if desired.) Stir in the 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, the coriander, white pepper and (if using) the cayenne. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Set aside.
Remove the pith and peel from a second orange. Using a sharp knife (serrated works well), cut the sections away from the membranes, holding the orange above a bowl to catch the juice. Cut these "supremes" into two or three pieces, depending on size, and add to the carrot-date mixture.
Stir the dressing again, then add about half of it to the carrot mixture. Toss together, then check the flavors; add more dressing as desired.
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Making "supremes" from the orange is easier with a
serrated knife.
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Using a slotted spoon, lift the carrot mixture from the bowl and arrange on the plate in the middle of the orange slices. Sprinkle the salad with a bit more dressing and cinnamon and, if using, some orange zest. Serve.
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Dig In: Garden Checklist
For week of March 19:
Spring will start a bit soggy, but there’s still plenty to do between showers:
* Fertilize roses, annual flowers and berries as spring growth begins to appear.
* Watch out for aphids. Wash off plants with strong blast from the hose.
* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.
* Prepare summer vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.
* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.
* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to fight blossom blight.
* Feed citrus trees as they start to blossom.
* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.
* Seed and renovate the lawn (if you still have one). Feed cool-season grasses such as bent, blue, rye and fescue with a slow-release fertilizer. Check the irrigation system and perform maintenance. Make sure sprinkler heads are turned toward the lawn, not the sidewalk.
* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and kale.
* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground.
* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.
* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.
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