Erica De Mane

Florida oranges and me.

Recipes:

Orange Sorbetto with Vanilla and Rosemary
Mussels with Orange, Vanilla, Cream, and Rosemary
Lamb Stew with Orange, Rosemary, and Black Olives

Several years ago I jotted down a line in the food notebook I keep on my computer. I wrote, “Think about orange salad with vanilla and rosemary.” This was a dish that caught my attention as I flipped through Daniel Boulud’s Café Boulud Cookbook. A strange mix of flavors, I thought at the time. Then I wrote, “LOOK INTO THIS,” all in capitals. But the thought just sat there on my computer, slightly threatening with its upper-case verve, unexplored until this January, when my mother sent me a box of honeybell oranges from Florida.

These oranges are very sweet and juicy, with little nipple-like tops. After I explored cutting them into quarters and sucking their insides dry, I recalled the Boulud combination that had intrigued me years ago, found the original recipe, and decided to translate Mr. Boulud’s flavor combination into a sorbetto. I am very happy I did. Orange, rosemary, and vanilla make for a beautiful mix of flavors. The rosemary heightens the orange flavor almost the way a shot of lemon would, but it leaves a wintry, evergreen hint on the tongue that’s really lovely and unexpected. The vanilla mellows and blends these two disparate flavors. This is a complex-tasting sorbetto, unlike one with a more clear and predictable fruit flavor. You can make it with any kind of juicy orange. I’m now planning to try a vanilla, orange, and rosemary ciambella, a type of semisweet Italian breakfast cake. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Orange with herbs appeals to my palate. To my culinary mind it’s essentially a Sicilian concept (although an idea originally brought to Sicily by the Arabs). Orange with oregano and orange with bay leaves are both tastes I first experienced in Sicily, usually flavoring some kind of seafood. Sarde a beccafico-little stuffed sardines baked with bay leaves and orange slices-is a great dish, one of the Sicilian recipes that first made me take notice of that island’s fascinating ideas about cooking. Sicily has its own orange salads, some sweetened with sugar, orange-flower water, and/or cinnamon but others that are real salads and can also contain olives, raw onion, fennel, capers, sea salt, coarse black pepper, bitter greens, and other savory bits you wouldn’t immediately think to put with oranges. I still haven’t actually made the Boulud salad recipe, but now I’m confident that when I do it’s going to be wonderful.

After my first trip to Sicily I looked into this herb-and-orange issue and discovered all sorts of combinations in my Sicilian cookbooks. I experimented with orange and thyme, and basil, and mint (very Sicilian), and tarragon (not very Sicilian). Somehow I never tried the orange and rosemary marriage until recently, I think because as intriguing as the combination sounded, it didn’t strike me as something that would taste particularly good. I imagined that the acidy but sweet orange would make the piny rosemary taste medicinal, and the combo could wind up like mentholated cough drops. I did remember the Provençal dish daube à boeuf, with its orange rind and heavy herb presence. That’s not made with rosemary per se but more likely thyme and bay leaf; however, thinking about its rich herby taste, brightened by a touch of citrus, opened me up to experimentation.

The rosemary-orange combination, I discovered, is wonderful with lamb, beef, all sorts of fish dishes, and in desserts. There’s a great recipe in Anna Tasca Lanza’s book The Flavors of Sicily for roast chicken seasoned with orange and rosemary. It’s an excellent recipe that I make often. The last time I cooked it, I added a little vanilla extract to the orange juice I glazed the chicken with. Very nice. It added a sweetness, thought almost too subtle to discern. Next time I’ll try a stronger vanilla presence, and see if I can balance the flavors a little better; this definitely has potential. Will keep you posted.

I don’t use too much rosemary in any of these dishes, just enough to sense it. And I’ve found I appreciate rosemary more if I add it early on in the cooking so it has a chance to soften and blend (scattering it on uncooked at the end, like I would parsley or basil, would let it taste a little medicinal). Sometimes I’ll add more sweetness to emphasize the orange, other times, when I want more acidity, I’ll add dry wine or tomatoes. I very much like this combination with shellfish. Clams, mussels, and shrimp all take to it nicely. Here are a few recipes that I thought came out particularly delicious, some with, some without the addition of vanilla.

Orange Sorbetto with Vanilla and Rosemary

(Makes a little more than 1 pint)

3/4 cup sugar
A large sprig of fresh rosemary
3 cups fresh orange juice, chilled
1 tablespoon Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plain or vanilla yogurt, low- or full-fat

Pour the sugar into a small saucepan, and add water to cover it by 2 inches. Add the rosemary, and bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat. Continuing gently boiling until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 4 or 5 minutes. Chill.

Pour the orange juice, the Cointreau or Grand Marnier, the vanilla extract, and the yogurt into a bowl. Add the sugar-and-rosemary syrup, and whisk everything until well blended. Remove the rosemary sprig, pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the directions.

I love this served along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It tastes like a Creamsicle.

Mussels with Orange, Vanilla, Cream, and Rosemary

This sauce, with or without the mussels, is also very pleasing tossed with tagliatelle.

(Serves 4 as a first course)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 thin slices pancetta, chopped
1 large shallot, cut into small dice
2 large rosemary sprigs, the leaves well chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 35-ounce can plum tomatoes, chopped and lightly drained
The juice and grated zest from 1 orange
1/4 piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 pounds mussels, well cleaned
A handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, lightly chopped

In a skillet or pot big enough to hold all the mussels, heat the olive oil over medium flame. Add the pancetta, and sauté until it’s just starting to crisp. Add the shallot and the rosemary, and sauté a minute longer. Add the white wine, and let it bubble for about a minute. Add the tomatoes, the orange juice and zest, and the vanilla bean. Season with salt and coarse black pepper, and simmer at a lively bubble for 10 minutes. Add the cream, and stir it in.

Add the mussels, and cook, uncovered, at medium high heat, stirring the mussels around frequently, until they open, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the parsley, a few more turns of coarse black pepper, and a generous drizzle of fresh olive oil. Give the mussels a quick stir. Serve hot, in big bowls, with plenty of good bread.

Lamb Stew with Orange, Rosemary, and Black Olives

This stew has a fairly classic Provençal aroma to it. It may have a stronger orange presence than would be considered appropriate in Southern French cooking, but in my opinion the strong lamb taste and the olives keep all the flavors in balance.

(Serves 4 or 5 as a main course)

Extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon sugar
2 thick slices pancetta, cut into medium dice
1 onion, cut into medium dice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
2 large rosemary sprigs, the leaves well chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A splash of cognac or brandy
1/2 bottle dry red wine
The juice and grated zest from 1 large orange
1 cup chicken broth, either homemade or canned, low salt
4 carrots, peeled and cut into thick rounds
A large handful of black Niçoise olives

In a large casserole fitted with a lid, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the lamb chunks and pancetta (do this in batches if the casserole gets crowded), sprinkle with the sugar, and brown the lamb on all sides (the sugar aids the browning). Add the onion, garlic, and rosemary, and sauté until the onion has softened, about 2 or 3 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Add the cognac or brandy, and let it burn off. Add the red wine, and let it bubble for a few minutes. Add the orange juice and zest and the chicken broth. The liquid should just about cover the meat. If it doesn’t, add a little water or more chicken broth if you have it. Bring everything to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Add the carrots, and simmer for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until the lamb is very tender. Skim the surface of excess fat and add the olives. Taste for seasoning.

Serve with orzo or another small pasta tossed with olive oil, a little butter, and a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley and a tiny bit of fresh rosemary.