Braised Blood Oranges Food

ORANGE BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• In a suitable casserole dish, sweat the diced vegetables in some of the olive oil without browning until tender.
• Add the thyme, bay leaves, garlic, tomato, wine and lamb stock or water, along with most of the orange zest and juice (retain a few pinches of zest and 1 tbsp of juice).
• Bring to the boil and lower to a gentle simmer.
• Heat a little more olive oil in a separate pan and brown the lamb shanks on all sides, seasoning with a little salt and pepper as you go.
• Transfer to the casserole dish and cover with its lid.
• Transfer to the oven and cook for approx 2hours or until the meat is completely tender and coming off the bone.
• Remove the shanks from the pan and keep warm while you finish the sauce.
• Skim off some of the fat that is floating on it. Taste for seasoning and to assess its intensity, boil to reduce if you think it needs it.
• Stir in the reserved juice to refresh the citrus flavour.
• Serve one lamb shank on each warmed plate with a generous amount of sauce spooned over.
• Sprinkle each shank with a little parsley and a pinch of the reserved zest.

HALIBUT WITH BLOOD ORANGE AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Season fish with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 TBS Olive oil in a saute pan at medium high heat. Add fish and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until fish is cooked through.
• Combine oranges, fennel, lemon zest, and 1 TBS olive oil in non-metal bowl. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Serve with fish.
• Enjoy!

BRAISED ENDIVES WITH BLOOD ORANGES, PISTACHIOS, AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• For the garnish: In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs, orange zest, garlic and parsley; set aside.
• For the endives: Season endives with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt butter with olive oil. Place endives in pan cut side down. Once endive starts to lightly brown, about 5 minutes, add wine and reduce by three-quarters, another 4 to 5 minutes. As the wine begins to reduce, test endive for tenderness. Once the endive is tender, remove and transfer to a plate. Pat dry, cover, and set aside.
• When the wine is reduced, add orange juice and sugar. Turn up heat and reduce to a thick, shining syrup, stirring frequently. Lower temperature to medium-high, add pistachios and orange segments, and heat for 1 minute.
• Uncover endives, and transfer to two warmed plates. Garnish with bread crumb mixture. Pour orange syrup with the pistachios and oranges over the endive. Top with thin shavings of ricotta salata, and serve.

SPICED LAMB SHANKS WITH BLOOD ORANGE RELISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat a large Dutch oven (preferably oval) or soup pot with a lid, over high heat. Add half the olive oil and heat. Pat the lamb shanks dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Add 2 of the lamb shanks to the hot oil and brown on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer shanks to a plate. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and shanks. Add the garlic, celery, carrots and onions and to the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, use a vegetable peeler to strip the zest (just the orange skin, not the white pith underneath) from the orange in large pieces. Halve and juice the orange and set aside.
• Add the red wine to the vegetables and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits that cling to the pot. Stir in the orange zest, currants, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until the wine is syrupy, about 5 minutes.
• Cut a square of cheesecloth and place the parsley stems, thyme, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, juniper berries, peppercorns and star anise in the center. Tie into a bundle with kitchen twine. Add the spice bundle, chicken broth, orange juice and the shanks, along with any collected juices, to the pot, bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, turning the shanks occasionally, until the meat is just falling off the bone.
• Transfer the shanks to a plate. Scoop the vegetables from the liquid using a slotted spoon and set aside. Boil the cooking liquid over high heat until thickened, about 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice, and season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Return the shanks to the sauce and warm over medium heat, turning to coat evenly.
• To serve, mound some of the polenta in the centers of 4 heated dinner plates. Top with a shank, and spoon some sauce and vegetables over and around the meat. Spoon a bit of Blood Orange Relish over each shank and serve immediately.
• Cut both ends from the oranges. Stand them on a flat end and cut away all of the peel and white pith. Quarter them top to bottom. Lay the wedges on their sides and slice them thinly crosswise. Slice the fennel crosswise into very thin slices.
• Gently toss the oranges, fennel, apple, parsley, fennel seeds and vinegar together in a small bowl. Season with the salt and pepper. (This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve.)
• Bring the milk, chicken broth and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Whisk in the polenta in a slow stream and cook, whisking constantly, until the polenta thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. When large bubbles begin to surface, remove from heat and stir in the cheeses and pepper. Taste and season with additional salt, if necessary.