http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/02/citrus-recipes-lemon-orange-lime

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's citrus recipes to alleviate the winter blues

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
The Guardian, Saturday 2 January 2010

When it's cold and miserable outside, perk things up in the kitchen by giving your cooking a citrussy bang


Quick and perky: Orange, red onion and beetroot salad. Photograph: Colin Campbell

If, like me, you've really gone to town over the holiday season, now might be the time to rein it in a bit. But I don't want to feel in the least bit deprived, of course; you'll find no ode to crispbreads and skimmed milk here. So how do you perk up a jaded palate without ladling on yet more calories? Well, I reckon the perfect strategy at this time of year is to make friends with citrus fruits. Don't let them sit on the sideboard sulking with the walnuts – get them into the kitchen and into your dinner quicker than you can say "squeeze".

Citrus provides the perfect antidote to weeks of buttery mash and rib-sticking stews. Its tang emphasises sweetness and cuts through fat; its zest has an almost unparalleled ability to perk up a sauce, dressing or marinade. Like salt, it can even make things taste more "of themselves", too. Think of squid with a squeeze of lemon – you don't just taste the lemon; somehow, it makes the squid taste even more of the sea.

In this, the chilliest of months, it's handy that imported citrus fruits are at their juicy, plentiful best. Offset your anxieties about food miles by looking out for Fairtrade and/or organic fruits. Enjoy the place names and fruit names that smack deliciously of sunnier climes: Valencia, navel, kumquats, Maroc, tangelo, mandarin, pomelo, satsuma. And soon there'll be Sevilles for marmalade, too. Just peeling a clementine in shafts of sunlight on a winter's afternoon, sending a fine mist of its sweet and bracing oils cascading into the air… it can't fail to lift the spirits.

Citrus fruits can carry you through the whole day, too. Add segments of fresh orange, grapefruit or tangelo to a syrupy compote of dried figs or prunes. Or sprinkle a halved, segmented grapefruit with a pinch of ginger and a teaspoon of demerara sugar (or trickle with the syrup from a jar of preserved ginger), then pop it under the grill for an update on the 70s hotel menu favourite. Or slip a few segments of orange and either lemon or lime into baking parchment or foil parcels of fish, pop in some chopped spring onion, a few slivers of ginger root, garlic, coriander and a dash of soy sauce, and away you go. And next time you roast a chicken, why not toss some halved lemons into the tin and squeeze out the sharp, sweet, caramelised juices when you take the bird out of the oven?

So, please, don't moan about the weather or the weight on your hips. Slice, squeeze, peel and zest, and sharpen up for the year ahead.

Orange, red onion and beetroot salad

A quick and perky starter for a winter lunch or supper. Serves four.

3 beetroot, roasted, peeled and thinly sliced

2 oranges, peeled with a knife to get rid of all traces of skin and pith, then thinly sliced (hold the fruit over a bowl, to catch any juice, and squeeze any juice you can extract from the skin and add this to the dressing)

1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

For the vinaigrette

1 tsp white-wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Arrange the beetroot, orange and onion on four plates (or on one large platter). Whisk together the reserved orange juice, vinegar and mustard, then whisk in the oil. Season to taste, and trickle the dressing all over the salad.

Beef, grapefruit, mint and coriander salad

The flavours in this zingy dish really sing. Serves four.

For the marinade

3 tbsp light soy sauce
1½ tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 small red chilli, finely sliced (seeds left in if you like it hot)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small thumb fresh ginger, peeled and grated
450g steak, cut into 1.5cm thin strips

For the dressing

Juice of 1 lime
1 grapefruit, peel and pith cut away, cut into segments, juice squeezed from the skin and reserved
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp fish sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp honey
1cm ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp groundnut oil
A couple of handfuls fresh rocket
1 small red onion, peeled, halved and sliced into thin rounds
1 small handful coriander, leaves picked and roughly torn
1 small handful fresh mint, leaves picked and roughly torn
1 small handful toasted cashews

Whisk together the soy sauce, honey, fish sauce, chilli, garlic and ginger. Add the beef, cover and leave to marinade for an hour or two. Just before you're ready to cook, make the dressing. Whisk together the lime and grapefruit juices, sesame oil, fish sauce, garlic, honey and ginger.

Drain the beef from the marinade, heat the groundnut oil in a frying pan or wok until just smoking and stir-fry the beef for a couple of minutes. Divide the rocket between four plates. Spoon the beef over the top with the red onion, coriander, mint, grapefruit and cashews. Trickle the dressing over the top and serve immediately.

Moroccan orange salad

This refreshing salad is a great way to end a rich meal. That said, you can turn it into a savoury salad by ditching the orange flower water and the cinnamon, and instead trickling over some good olive oil and then scattering some finely sliced red onion, black olives and coriander over the top. Serves four.

3 oranges, peeled and sliced (as for the orange, red onion and beetroot salad above; again, reserve any excess juices and squeeze the skins)
1 tsp orange flower water
1 good pinch ground cinnamon

Spread the orange slices on a plate, overlapping them slightly. Stir the orange flower water with the reserved juice and pour over. Cover and chill. Sprinkle with cinnamon just before serving.

Thai-style chicken soup with lime

An easy soup that's guaranteed to banish winter sluggishness. Serves four.

100g fine rice noodles
1.25 litres chicken stock
1-2 red chillies, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 small thumb fresh ginger, peeled and cut into very thin slices
Grated zest of 1 small lemon
Grated zest of 1 small lime
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
350g chicken breast or thigh, cut into thin, 5cm x 0.5cm strips (or use leftover meat picked from a roast)
250ml coconut milk
70g finely shredded cabbage or kale
1 large carrot, cut into very fine matchsticks
60ml lemon and/or lime juice
1 small handful shredded coriander leaves, plus sprigs for serving
Salt and pepper
Lime wedges, for serving

Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions; set aside while you get on with everything else.

In a large saucepan, combine the stock, chilli, garlic, ginger, fruit zest and fish sauce, place over medium heat and simmer for five minutes. Add the chicken meat and coconut milk, simmer for five minutes, then add the vegetables and simmer until just tender. Add the noodles, lemon or lime juice, and coriander, and cook until the noodles are warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more fish sauce if you like. Serve sprinkled with coriander and with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over.

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