Blood Orange, Beetroot and Chicken Salad

I’m not normally one to use a lot of citrus in my salads.  Apples are one thing – with a lovely crunch and their round sweetness I think they’re a great foil for the addition of meat or nuts in a big mixed salad.  Yet oranges have always seemed a little too overpowering for me.  I do love the combination of citrus and chicken – as my favourite dish of Chicken, Fennel and Orange with Olives will attest -, and certainly, given the right balance they can do  wonders for a dish, brightening them both to the eye and to taste.  Blood oranges though, seem a different matter.  They are, in fact, the most delicious and delicate of creatures: ruby and amber flesh and a tart sweetness that gives them a sophisticated edge over their rather more obvious cousins.  I spent a bit of time in Venice when I was younger where a popular drink amongst my group was a pouring of dark, deep rum followed by a juicy wedge of blood orange to take the edge off.  A sort of Veneto slammer and seriously one of my favourite things to do late at night (or early in the morning) in a wood panelled corner bar filled with swarthy Italians and friends.  Obviously.

So, blood oranges are clearly on my favourites list and this salad gives them an opportunity to stand proud.  I was inspired by this salad, with its lovely colour play and vibrant feel.  Bright citrus flavours, gently poached chicken, sweet steamed beetroot and the melodic tang of coriander.  It’s what my January needs: a little sparkle and pick me up and perhaps a little pouring of dark rum to follow.

BLOOD ORANGE, BEETROOT AND CHICKEN SALAD

Serves 2

2 skinless chicken breasts

The juice of 1 lemon

A small bunch of coriander 

500g beetroot

2 blood oranges

A pouring of extra virgin olive oil

Trim the stalks from the coriander and place in a large saucepan of water.  Add a large pinch of salt and the juice from the lemon, cover and bring to the boil.  Once the water is boiling, add the chicken breasts to the water, bring back to the boil and then cover and remove from the heat.  Leave the pan to sit for half an hour before draining the chicken breasts and patting dry.  This method allows the chicken to poach slowly, retaining the tenderness of the meat and adding a piquant flavour from the lemon and coriander. The chicken breasts will still be very hot when you remove them from the water so leave them to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220c.  Trim the leaves from the beetroot, place in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to the boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer and leave to cook for 45 minutes or until the beetroot are tender to a knife point.  Remove from the heat and drain, leave to cool for 10 minutes or so and then run under the tap while removing the skins – they should just slide off with ease. 

Peel the blood oranges and remove any excess pith and skin.  Slice the oranges and cooked beetroot into rounds approximately 1 cm thick.  Slice the cooked chicken diagonally giving into 1cm thick slices.  Layer the beetroot, blood oranges and chicken onto a large serving dish or bowl, scatter over the coriander leaves and drizzle generously with the oil.  Season well with sea salt and black pepper and serve.

Blood Orange and Ginger Drizzle Cake

It’s a food fact that if you want to find what’s best in season, head towards the markets.  Whether it’s an organic, bio-dynamic, re-mortgage your house to afford it style farmer’s market or just the local greengrocer and his striped awning.  If you shop from the markets, you will see the seasons as they change and develop, the colours of your purchases satisfyingly ebbing and flowing with the weather.  Right now, blood oranges are having their time again.  Or, as I was recently informed, blush oranges.  The connotation of blood clearly being too much for some shoppers!  Rich ruby red with swirls of amber, these tarter, more intense versions of an orange are utterly delicious and as pleasing to look at as they are to eat.  I’m currently favouring a simple salad made from cooked beetroot, poached chicken and slices of blood orange, lightly dressed in oil and scattered with fresh coriander.  It’s a great combination and one I hope to show you later in the month.  In the meantime, I made this cake from a whim.  I do so love a lemon drizzle and thought that the tartness of the blood oranges would suit the overall feel.  The ginger is a warming addition and a nod to the drop in temperature in recent days.  You’re left with a light and zesty cake, soaked in sweet/sharp nectar and topped with a fine gauze of scented sugar crust.  It’s a winner and a rather lovely treat on a cold afternoon.

To my mind, blood oranges are best.  But I’m sure that if you use regular oranges for this recipe, it will work just as well.  In fact, I’m positive it would be lovely.

BLOOD ORANGE AND GINGER DRIZZLE CAKE

You will need a 2lb loaf tin for this recipe

For the cake

225g/8oz butter replacement - Pure Sunflower Spread

225g/8oz golden caster sugar

4 eggs – 4 tsp Orgran Egg Replacer whisked together with 8 tbsp water

225g/8oz Doves Farm Gluten Free Self Raising Flour

1 heaped tsp ground ginger

1tbsp rice milk

1tsp xanthan gum

The zest of 2 blood oranges

For the drizzle

The juice of 1 blood orange

85g/3oz golden caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180c (160c Fan) and grease and line your loaf tin.  Cream together the butter replacement and sugar until pale and fluffy, then add the egg replacement mixture, a bit at a time, slowly stirring them through until fully incorporated. 

Sift in the flour, ginger and xanthan gum then add the grated orange zest and rice milk, mix well until fully combined and then spoon in to the lined loaf tin, levelling the top of the cake with the back of your spoon.

Bake in the oven for 45 – 50 minutes until cooked through and a thin skewer or cocktail stick inserted in to the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Allow the cake to cool a little in its tin while you mix together the remaining caster sugar and orange juice.  Pierce the warm cake all over using the skewer or a fork and then pour over the drizzle – the juice will be absorbed into the cake and will dry to form a sugary crust on the cake’s surface.  Leave the cake in its tin until completely cool and then cut into slices and serve.

You can also find this recipe at Cybele Pascal's Allergy Free Cuisine