Blood Orange Recipes

Talk about summer months and one thing that we all rejoice is sipping cool, citrus flavored juices. And an excellent refreshing drink is none other than the blood orange juice. The weird name is given with reference to its pulp color, which is dark garnet red.

Its unique taste resembles that of regular sweet orange blended with raspberry flavor. You can enjoy healthy blood orange by simply peeling and slicing it. Or try out easy blood orange recipes for added variety.

Serving 8 ounces of this citrus juice yields approximately 110-120 calories. The calories in blood orange juice come from sugar, which accounts to 22 g in one glass. Just like other citrus fruits, blood orange is a storehouse for vitamin C. A glass full of this juice is sufficient to provide the daily recommended ascorbic acid based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

According to blood orange juice nutrition facts, it is rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, potassium, and contains calcium too. Also, what makes blood orange a healthy fruit is the absence of cholesterol, sodium and fats.

Blood orange recipes are based on the fruit juice and pulp. For using pulp part, you can core the rind first and peel with a sharp kitchen knife. Before serving, do not forget to remove the white pith that imparts a bitter taste. Likewise, squeezing juice out of fresh, firm fruits is a common preparatory step for recipes that call for juice.

Since there are very few seeds in ripe blood oranges, juicing them is not messy at all. For your information, some favorite recipes based on blood orange juice are described below.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe blood oranges
• 2 navel oranges
• ¼ small red onion
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 8 green olives, pitted and cut into quarters
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Peel blood oranges as you usually do, and cut the whole fruits into ¼ inch thick, round slices. Follow the same for navel oranges. Arrange them beautifully in two salad platters. Then, cut the red onion into very thin slices and top the oranges with these sliced onions. Sprinkle vinegar and olive oil sparsely over the salad base.

Divide olive pieces into two halves, and toss one part in each of the two platters. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 2 cups blood orange juice
• 100 g of granulated sugar

This is one the easiest blood orange recipes that you can serve to beat the summer heat. Obtain juice from fresh, firm blood oranges by using an orange squeezer or juicer, whichever is convenient for you. Measure 2 cups of the freshly prepared blood orange juice. Add 100 g sugar in a saucepan, and pour about ½ cup juice to it.

Warm it over low heat setting and continue stirring, until sugar gets dissolved completely. Allow this sugary syrup to cool down a bit and mix with the remaining juice. Pour this into an ice cream maker to make tasty sorbets.

Ingredients

• 1 blood orange
• 2 cups sugar
• 1½ cups water
• 2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Campari

Peel blood orange and preserve the rind. Cut the peel and fruit pulp into thin slices. Combine these with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a medium-sized saucepan. Warm the mixture over medium high heat, and stir well till sugar dissolves. Continue cooking in low heat setting for half an hour, so that the orange slices become tender.

Remove from heat and strain mixture to separate orange slice and liquid part. You can discard the liquid portion. In another saucepan, add ½ cup water, 1 cup sugar and lime juice.

Heat mixture in medium heat for some time and stir in the cooked orange pieces. Simmer for another 30 minutes, and add Campari. Cover lid and store in the refrigerator for serving any time.

Ingredients

• 2½ ounces fresh blood orange juice
• 2 ounces vodka
• ¼ ounce triple sec
• ¼ ounce regular syrup
• 6 ice cubes

Juice 2 blood oranges and strain to get clear juice. Add ice cubes and orange juice in a cocktail shaker along with the remaining ingredients - vodka, triple sec and regular syrup. Close the lid and shake the mixture vigorously for a few minutes. After ensuring that the ingredients are mixed well, you can serve cocktail immediately.

Or else, chill it in the refrigerator for some time to enjoy a rich flavored drink. At the time of serving, pour cocktail in two martini glasses. Garnish blood orange cocktail with citrus peels and serve.

For this cocktail recipe, alter the alcohol quantities added to suit your taste buds. You can even try blood orange cocktail recipes with lime juice and pomegranate juice.

The sweet and tart juices blend well, giving a real treat for cocktail lovers. And what about making blood orange syrup in the peak season? Just juice them and boil the fruit extract with regular syrup. You can preserve it in the refrigerator and enjoy the rich taste of blood orange yearlong.