IN SEASON

Add some citrussy zing to your cooking this month with these recipes by Rosie Birkett

Rosie Birkett’s zesty orange recipes bring a ray of sunshine

The vivid glow of a plump-skinned orange in winter is a joyful thing – a happy reminder that while we’re months away from the soft fruits we took for granted in summer, there is brightness; vital acid and oodles of flavour lurking in citrus. Oranges are so familiar to us these days they’re in danger of seeming somewhat prosaic, and while foodies fawn over the delights of pink, blush and blood oranges when their season comes, we mustn’t overlook the potential of regular varieties. In fact, a standard orange, harvested from warmer climes after months and months of sunshine, is anything but dull when bang in season. It brings a wonderfully balanced sharpness and sweetness to both desserts and savoury dishes throughout the winter, helping to cut through the richness of the cheeses, roasted meats and caramelised root vegetables we favour at this time of year, and lending zing and vibrancy to cakes, scones, biscuits and pastries. Making marmalade is a winter ritual (my cardamom and vanilla version is on bbcgoodfood.com) and I’ve also been experimenting with preserving whole slices in jars packed with salt, just as I do lemons. After a few weeks or months, their flavour deepens and they’re lovely finely chopped and sizzled in butter to pair with fish or seafood, or tossed with olive oil, garlic and woody herbs and used to marinate chicken or roast parsnips. While cheap and plentiful, I’ll buy whole boxes of oranges from my greengrocer, keeping them on the kitchen counter to start the day with freshly squeezed juice. Whisked with a little cayenne and grated ginger, this is the perfect post-christmas bloat pick-me-up (see recipe, p50). The skins should never be discarded, bursting as they are with aromatic oils just begging to be grated into cake mixes, salad dressings or marinades. My orange olive oil cake

(p50) uses the whole fruit to make a gluten-free batter rich with olive oil and fluffy with ground almonds. Look out for navel oranges (so named because they have what looks like a belly button), particularly for this recipe, because they’re naturally seedless and have a beautifully balanced flavour. The cake is drizzled with a rosemary-laced syrup, because I think there is something magical about the combination of rosemary and orange, which also happens to be my favourite garnish for a

Campari spritz.

ALSO IN SEASON apples bananas beetroot brussels sprouts cabbage cauliflower celeriac celery chestnuts Q chicory clementines grapefruit jerusalem artichokes kale leeks lemons pak choi parsnips pears pomegranates purple sprouting broccoli radicchio rhubarb salsify spring onions swede sweet potatoes turnips