Citrus fruits to put some zing in spring

Oranges are a constant joyful presence in my kitchen, carnelian peels beaming sun-soaked vibes from whichever corner I’ve stacked them in. I live for the visible spritz of a fruit mid-strip, the area around me a jumble of bobbled skins and sticky juice. I zest, squeeze, slice and roast whenever I feel the need for a burst of an oranges’ juddering verve, which is often.

All of this is to say that, actually, I’ve become addicted. I submerge the fruit in salt and juice like making preserved lemons, to use in tagines, tacos and salad dressings, and I’m exploring the possibilities of condiments: hot sauces, drizzles and syrups. Two of my favourite renditions are a variation on the spicy Japanese condiment yuzu kosho (swapping hard-to-find yuzu for orange or mandarin zest) and a fun, fragrant steer on everyone’s go-to topper: chilli crisp, infusing the oil with orange before pouring it, sizzling, over a host of crispy garlic, onion and spices.

I slice the fruit into salads with lightly pickled, peppercorn-flecked fennel, or layer strips fastidiously with a crudo of white fish. Barely a pork roast happens without a few fist-crushed halves nestled in the tray, their fragrance scenting the kitchen and complementing the natural sweetness of the meat. And, of course, there are desserts. While I’m not keen on fruit with chocolate in general, orange and chocolate is an instinctive pairing, perhaps due to the natural citrus oils.

Join me in celebrating the fierce glow of this special fruit, endlessly capable of sluicing away sluggishness. Aside from the bitter pith and pips, each part of the orange has qualities to harness. Whether preserved for the future like glimmers under glass or swooping in with a hard-to-rival freshness, there’s always room in my kitchen for these high-energy orbs.

This is my take on yuzu kosho, a Japanese seasoning that’s become popular over the last few years. Regular oranges or even mandarin peels will work perfectly well here. Leaving the jar at room temperature for a couple of days allows the kosho to start fermenting, which adds complexity to the flavour. It’s brilliant sprinkled on raw or cooked fish, grilled meat and rice dishes. Makes about 200g. Takes 15 minutes, plus fermenting time.

jalapeno 8, or other large green chillies

oranges 10-12

sea salt

Before you start, a note that the basic formula here is 80:20 chilli to citrus zest, so adjust the weight as you go according to the instructions below.

Remove the stalks and deseed the chillies. Scrub the oranges well under a hot tap to remove any wax.

Finely chop the chillies, then weigh them – I had around 160g, meaning I added around 40g of citrus zest. Check the total weight of your chillies and zest, then add 2% of the total weight in sea salt. Transfer everything to a pestle and mortar and mash to a coarse paste.

Transfer to a sterilised jar leaving a little room at the top, and allow to sit at room temperature for a few days. Stir each day to prevent mould, then transfer to the fridge. The kosho will keep for a couple of months.

This is traditionally made with sour oranges. When in season, the sour, bitter juice of Seville oranges works well, chiming with the natural sweetness of slow-cooked pork and floral heat of scotch bonnet chilli. However, this combination of lime and orange juice, loosely based on a mojo, does the trick nicely the rest of the year. Serve with rice, black beans or tortillas. Serves 8-10. Ready in 10 hours.

pork shoulder 2-2.5kg, skinned and boned

onion 1, large

garlic 2 whole bulbs

fresh coriander a large handful

fresh mint leaves a large handful

For the marinade:

orange juice 100ml

fresh oregano a handful

lime juice 200ml

ground cumin 1 tbsp

ground coriander 1 tbsp

scotch bonnet chillies 3

brown sugar 2 tbsp

olive oil 50ml

flaky sea salt 1 tbsp

Make the marinade. Juice the oranges and finely grate the zest, strip the leaves from the oregano. To a blender, add the citrus juices and zests, the cumin and coriander, oregano, 1 scotch bonnet chilli (deseeded), sugar and olive oil with 1 tbsp of flaky salt and whizz to combine. Remove any string from the pork joint and massage half of the marinade over the pork. Leave for a couple of hours or up to overnight. Refrigerate the remaining marinade.

Preheat the oven to 130C/gas mark ½ and line a roasting tray with several layers of foil, leaving plenty hanging over the outside to wrap over the pork. Make a bed of sliced onion in the lined tray and sit the pork on it, fat-side-up. Add the marinade the pork has sat in, along with the garlic bulbs and the remaining scotch bonnets. Season again with salt. Wrap up the pork under a tent of foil, leaving room for air to circulate.

Cook for 5-8 hours, basting every now and then with the juices, until the pork is very tender. Leave to rest for 30 minutes,

Carefully drain the pork juices into a jug and skim off most of the fat from the top. Add 100ml of the pork juices to the reserved marinade. Squeeze the garlic from the bulbs, mash, then add to the sauce along with the chopped coriander and mint.

Once the pork has rested, pull it apart, shredding the fat and mixing it through the meat. Serve with the sauce and your choice of accompaniments.

This mousse is topped with gentle folds of whipped cream (substitute for clotted cream if you dare) and festooned with sparkling, boozy oranges steeped in negroni syrup. Far too impressive for the minimal effort involved. Serves 4. Ready in 4 hours (including minimum chilling time).

dark chocolate 200g, broken into pieces

eggs 4

golden caster sugar 40g

lemon juice ¼ tsp

whipped cream or clotted cream to serve

For the negroni oranges:

golden caster sugar 50g

orange juice 25ml

Campari 25ml

red vermouth 25ml

gin 25ml

oranges 2, peeled and segmented

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl). Set aside.

Separate the eggs. Whisk the whites and lemon juice to soft peaks. Add the sugar, then whisk to stiff peaks.

Whisk the egg yolks quickly into the melted chocolate, then whisk in a third of the beaten egg whites. Fold in the remaining whites very gently until just combined, then divide between 4 bowls and refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) until set.

To make the oranges, combine all the ingredients except the fruit in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Pour this over the orange segments and refrigerate until needed.

Serve the mousses topped with whipped or clotted cream and a spoonful of the boozy oranges.