Bloody Good Oranges

Tomato Marmalade with Blood Oranges

As far as I'm concerned, there hasn't been a bad year for any fruit for a very long time.  In fact, I think that every fruit I've tasted over the last few years has gotten better each year.  Case in point, the Blood Oranges from Melissa's that are currently on the scene.  The color looks fantastic, and the fruit tastes phenomenal.  Eaten out of hand is easy and quick and better than ok for eating these ruby-tinged, bright orange orbs. But since this blog usually features recipes, and since I do love to play around with jams, pickles, etc., I found this recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine for an easy Tomato  Marmalade with Blood Oranges.

R-Romas, C-Blood Orange Peels, L-Blood Orange Segments

(Slight variations I made to the recipe were using only blood oranges (3), no lemon, adding a pinch or more of ground cloves, and definitely not "letting the marmalade stand for 2 weeks" but eating it as soon as it wasn't too hot to burn the roof of my mouth.)

Mostly sweet, but slightly savory, the recipe pares this fabulous citrus with plump, juicy Roma tomatoes to create a thick, glistening concoction you'll want to slather on the nearest piece of bread.  You'll probably also want to drizzle some over yogurt or ice cream, spread some between cake layers, drop a little into a salad dressing for a touch of tart sweetness, and spoon some on top of cream or goat cheese with savory crackers on the side for a quick but very nice appetizer.

Speaking of seasonal citrus, keep your eyes out for some of these other delicious varieties from Melissa's: Pixie, Yosemite Gold, Tahoe Gold, Shasta Gold, and Kishu Tangerines; Kumquats, Sweet Limes, Variegated Calamondin, Mandarinquats, Ugli Fruit, Pummelos, Cocktail Grapefruit; Seedless and Meyer Lemons, just to name a few.

And here are some citrus prep tips:  http://www.melissas.com/Recipes/Cooking%20Tips/Citrus-Tips.aspx

Oh, and Citrus Man wants to say "hello" and remind you about turning citrus peels into candy - http://adventureswithnancyrose.blogspot.com/2011/03/very-peeling-candied-citrus.html

Tomato Marmalade with Blood Oranges

As far as I'm concerned, there hasn't been a bad year for any fruit for a very long time.  In fact, I think that every fruit I've tasted over the last few years has gotten better each year.  Case in point, the Blood Oranges from Melissa's that are currently on the scene.  The color looks fantastic, and the fruit tastes phenomenal.  Eaten out of hand is easy and quick and better than ok for eating these ruby-tinged, bright orange orbs. But since this blog usually features recipes, and since I do love to play around with jams, pickles, etc., I found this recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine for an easy Tomato  Marmalade with Blood Oranges.

R-Romas, C-Blood Orange Peels, L-Blood Orange Segments

(Slight variations I made to the recipe were using only blood oranges (3), no lemon, adding a pinch or more of ground cloves, and definitely not "letting the marmalade stand for 2 weeks" but eating it as soon as it wasn't too hot to burn the roof of my mouth.)

Mostly sweet, but slightly savory, the recipe pares this fabulous citrus with plump, juicy Roma tomatoes to create a thick, glistening concoction you'll want to slather on the nearest piece of bread.  You'll probably also want to drizzle some over yogurt or ice cream, spread some between cake layers, drop a little into a salad dressing for a touch of tart sweetness, and spoon some on top of cream or goat cheese with savory crackers on the side for a quick but very nice appetizer.

Speaking of seasonal citrus, keep your eyes out for some of these other delicious varieties from Melissa's: Pixie, Yosemite Gold, Tahoe Gold, Shasta Gold, and Kishu Tangerines; Kumquats, Sweet Limes, Variegated Calamondin, Mandarinquats, Ugli Fruit, Pummelos, Cocktail Grapefruit; Seedless and Meyer Lemons, just to name a few.

And here are some citrus prep tips:  http://www.melissas.com/Recipes/Cooking%20Tips/Citrus-Tips.aspx

Oh, and Citrus Man wants to say "hello" and remind you about turning citrus peels into candy - http://adventureswithnancyrose.blogspot.com/2011/03/very-peeling-candied-citrus.html