Seasonal cooking - Blood oranges are back! A couple of recipes to try - a cocktail and a warm salad

There's almost something jewel-like about blood oranges, and there's a bit of a mystery to them - the exact colour is never known until they are peeled. They just add a zing to everything, and I love them. I keep mine in the fridge until I'm ready to use them, as they can go 'over' quite quickly. The window is short, so here are 2 new ideas for delicious blood orange recipes you may like to try:

Blood orange, spiced rum sour cocktail recipe - as served in Rocpool in Inverness

The cocktails at Rocpool were very, very good - so much so that I asked for the recipe!

I tried this cocktail a couple of weeks ago as an aperitif before a delicious meal at Rocpool; the Head Waiter was kind enough to share the recipe with me.

Ingredients per cocktail

• 50ml spiced rum, I used Sailor Jerry's

• 50ml blood orange juice

• 25ml lemon juice

• 25ml gomme syrup

• 1 egg white

Instructions

• Squeeze your orange and lemon

• Add all ingredients to a shaker without ice.

• Shake for 15 seconds then add ice and shake again.

• Double strain, then pour into a glass and garnish with a fresh blood orange slice.

The finished product, yummy!

Baked feta with chickpeas, kale and blood oranges recipe

Ingredients

• Bag of kale, leaves stripped from the stalks

• tin of chickpeas

• 3½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• packet of feta

• 1 tsp sesame seeds

• ½ tsp each nigella seeds, mustard seeds and chilli flakes

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 2 blood oranges

• 1 tbsp blackberry vinegar - red wine vinegar would also work

• 1 tsp honey

Method

Ready to go into the oven

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Put the kale in a large bowl and sprinkle with fine salt, this helps to make it more tender when it cooks. Massage the salt into the leaves for 3 minutes until softened.

2. Put the kale in a large bowl. Partially drain the chickpeas, keeping half the liquid, then add to the kale. Toss together with ½ tbsp of the oil, then spread out evenly onto a baking tray. Place the feta in the centre. Scatter over the seeds and drizzle with 1 tbsp of the oil. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle over the chilli flakes and oregano, then bake for 20-25 minutes until the feta is golden. Some of the kale may go crispy and a little brown, just like the 'seaweed' starter found on the menus of Chinese restaurants.

   

   Straight out of the oven and add the blood oranges

3. Meanwhile, finely grate the zest of the oranges into a bowl. Peel the oranges removing as much pith as you can, then Suprême them, cutting just inside the pith; do this over the bowl of zest to catch the juices. (there are lots of videos showing you how to do this). Whisk the remaining oil, the vinegar and honey into the juice and zest, then season.

4. Pour the dressing over the feta and add the orange segments, then break into the feta, toss it all together and serve. Delicious with some crusty bread.

Ready to eat!