Winter isn’t known for its produce. And it is tough at times to embrace the limited selection that it offers. I have decided to challenge winter and come up with some great recipes that can steer us towards healthy comfort and away from the heavier stews and braises.
There are many things I love on the winter seasonal food list… brussels sprouts, oranges, grapefruits, lemons, squash, kale, and occasionally all the ingredients to make a good braised short rib. So what great things can we do with these foods? The answer is quite simple and so I started with the most refreshing ones I could think of…oranges, lemons, and grapefruits. I gathered some interesting types of oranges and pink grapefruits. For those of you that aren’t familiar with all the fancy types of oranges in the market (Whole Foods has most of these), I can give you a quick low-down. Cara Cara oranges are light pink in color and are similar to a grapefruit with the slightest bit more of sweetness. They are my personal favorite. The blood oranges are cool looking and purple orange in color. They are slightly more bitter like a lemon, but delicious. Navels are standard so no need to really explain those.
Thinking along these lines I decided to aim for a great salad that can be eaten with meat as something like a salsa. I tossed together segments of blood oranges, cara cara oranges, and a grapefruit in a bowl. They looked so pretty together and I felt totally inspired. I added some lemon juice, parsley, shallots, sea salt, and olive oil and it created the most beautiful and delicious salad. I could hardly wait for the meat part of the meal!
I made the salad on two separate occasions with two different meats and both times the salad worked beautifully. The grilled citrus marinated pork chop was really great under the refreshing bite of the citrus. It was a nice change from the usual pork chops and applesauce of our youth.
The second dish was my absolute 100 percent favorite meal I’ve made all winter. I coated chicken cutlets with panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese to make an updated version of the chicken Milanese. The grapefruit and oranges with the chicken breading were so delicious and cut through the pan-fried (lets just admit its fried not sautéed) feeling that chicken Milanese can give.
So I ended up with one salad and two recipes to use it in. A little experimenting led me to some really great food. This is what I love about cooking!
I think you will find both of them to be perfect meals for the family or a weekend dinner party. Super versatile! See the recipes below and let me know what you think!
Chicken Milanese with Blood Orange, Parsley, and Grapefruit Salsa
Serves 4
4 Chicken Cutlets, boneless, thinly sliced or pounded thin
8 Thyme Sprigs, leaves only
1 ½ cups of Italian Bread Crumbs
1 ½ Cups of Panko Bread Crumbs
3 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 Cup Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt and a Few Grinds of Fresh Ground Pepper
1/2 Cup of Grated Parmesan
For The Orange, Parsley, and Grapefruit Salsa
2 Navel Oranges, peeled, segmented
2 Cara Cara Orange, peeled, segmented (can use a regular navel orange as well)
2 Blood Oranges, peeled, segmented
1 Pink Grapefruit, peeled, segmented
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 Shallot, Diced
½ Teaspoon of Course Sea Salt (Maldon is my favorite) and a Few Grinds of Fresh Ground Pepper
1 Container of Arugula (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees
For the Chicken:
1. Place the chicken on a plate and season it with the thyme leaves, salt, and pepper.
2. Put the beaten eggs in a medium-sized, shallow bowl. Sprinkle a few pinches of salt and pepper into the eggs. Mix the breadcrumbs, panko, and parmesan in another medium-sized, shallow bowl. Dip the chicken into the eggs and then dip the chicken into the Bread crumbs. Set them aside on a plate.
3. Heat a large sauté pan over a medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of oil into the pan. Add the chicken cutlets. You should be able to fit 4 at a time into the pan. Be careful to not crowd the pan. Sauté the chicken for about 2-3 minutes per side (until they are a light golden brown) and then place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
4. Put the chicken in the oven to finish cooking. Cook the cutlets for about 10 minutes. When they have finished cooking, place them on a plate and garnish them with the optional arugula and the fruit salad.
For The Orange, Parsley, and Grapefruit Salsa:
1. Cut the peel off of the oranges and grapefruit with a knife. There should only be orange showing and all of the white pith should be removed. Slice the segments out of the orange with a sharp knife. This is done by cutting the membranes from the sides of the orange segments.
2. Place the fruit in a medium-sized bowl. Chop the parsley and shallots and add them to the citrus segments. Add in the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Gently combine and set aside.
Citrus Marinated Pork with Grapefruit, Orange, and Parsley Salsa
Serves 4
4 Center Cut Pork Chops
8 Thyme Sprigs, leaves only
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Leftover juices from the grapefruit and oranges
1 Lemon, Juice only
1 Tablespoon of Honey
1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt and a Few Grinds of Fresh Ground Pepper
For The Grapefruit and Orange Salsa
2 Navel Oranges, peeled, segmented, juice reserved
1 Cara Cara Orange, peeled, segmented (can use a regular navel orange as well)
1 Pink Grapefruit, peeled, segmented, juice reserved
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 Shallot, Diced
½ Teaspoon of Sea Salt and a Few Grinds of Fresh Ground Pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees
For the Pork:
1. Peel and segment the fruits. To segment the fruit, start by cutting both sides of the fruit off (stem and other side). Lay the fruit flat on a cutting board. Starting at the top, cut the peel off all the way through the white pith so that only the segments appear. Then cut out each segment between the membranes. If this is to complicated, just cut the orange into thin rounds and then quarter the rounds so they are little triangles. Place the segments in a bowl and set aside. Reserve the membranes and squeeze the juices from them into a Ziploc.
2. Place the pork in a Ziploc and add in the olive oil, thyme, orange juices, grapefruit juices, honey, salt, and pepper. Allow to sit up to 24 Hours before cooking.
3. To make the salsa: Chop the parsley and shallots and add them to the citrus segments. Add in the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Gently combine and set aside.
4. Heat the grill to a medium high heat. Season the chops with salt and pepper. When the grill is really hot, add the pork chops and sear them on each side for a couple minutes. Remove them from the grill and place them on a sheet pan. Finish cooking the pork chops in the oven for about 7-10 minutes or until they are slightly pink in the center.
5. Place the pork chops on some plates and top with the citrus salsa.