Tag: citrus

How to preserve citrus fruits, from peel to juice – Italian Cuisine

In order not to throw away that half a lemon that is left in the fridge, freeze it or dry it. Here's how to avoid waste and always have citrus fruits available

How many times has it happened that we only needed a slice of lemon or a little grated zest and then the rest of the lemon remained in the fridge for days or weeks until it was time to throw it away because it wasn't fresh anymore? That waste and what a pity! The solution? To freeze! Yes, because even lemon can be stored in the freezer, did you know? And of course all the other citrus fruits too. Let's see how.

How to store citrus fruits

From zest to juice, all citrus fruits are used, in many sweet and savory preparations, and you really shouldn't throw anything away. So let's learn how to keep them. Such as?
The ways are varied, let's start with the simplest, freeze them. First it is advisable to wash and dry the citrus fruits well and then you can prepare thin slices of lemons or oranges and close them in bags for the freezer. At any time you will have your slice to add to cocktails or to one recipe, as if you had just detached your citrus from the plant. A longer but more spectacular job is to freeze clove after clove, peeled to live. In this case the initial work is more laborious, but the result will be truly spectacular!

You can also freeze alone their peel. With the help of a potato peeler, remove it, avoiding to understand the white part that leaves a bitter taste, and then close the zest in small bags and freeze it. You will need it to prepare an herbal tea or to add flavor to a broth.

Finally the juice: you can squeeze that of oranges and lemons, filter it and then fix it in the containers for ice. In this way you will have the right amount of nectar ready to be used at any time you want. For season a broth, a fish stock or simply to prepare excellent scallops lemon!

Another method of conservation is l'drying, which in this case concerns the peel of citrus fruits. In this case, wash and dry the lemon or orange peel, spread it on a sheet of baking paper and cook it for two hours at 100 °. Once it is very crunchy, put it in a blender and blend it. You can keep the powder you get for a long time in hermetically sealed jars.

In the tutorial you will find some tips for using your citrus fruits

Citrus, a beautiful fruit story (and much more!) – Italian Cuisine

An entrepreneurial project born from the idea of a mother and daughter after a moment of crisis. Citrus enhances Italian and seasonal fruit and vegetables, also communicating the importance of prevention through nutrition

The one of Citrus it's a good story. A story of failure and rebirth, of complicity between a mother and a daughter, a story of strength, perseverance and entrepreneurial creativity by two women. But above all Citrus means Italian fruit and vegetables is Seasonal, minor varieties rediscovered and precious for health, ethical and controlled supply chain crops, social agriculture, support for scientific research, sustainable packaging.

A difficult moment transformed into an opportunity

The project was born in Cesena in 2015 from the experience in the fruit and vegetable sector of Paola Pappalardo and from the passion of the daughter Marianna Palella for marketing, communication and graphics, but in reality it all begins much earlier, when the family business does not stand up to the economic crisis of 2008. "We are born from the desire to transform a difficult moment into an opportunity – says Marianna – When we lost everything, my mom and I started talking a lot, in long phone calls of self-criticism and reflection. Unbeknownst to us, those chats were brainstorming where we looked for ideas for innovate a sector, the fruit and vegetable sector, which has always remained the same and to communicate in a new way the importance of consuming fruit and vegetables".

The rediscovery of the verdello lemon

The first intuition was to enhance the lemons of Sicily throughout the year, offering them not treated on the surface and in theirs three different blooms. One of these is the green lemon, a summer lemon, small and green in color, little known and, indeed, often confused with an unripe fruit or a lime. "The absurdity is that in Sicily the verdello was left to rot on the plants because the sale did not cover the production costs, preferring instead a foreign lemon which, in counter season, offers large and yellow citrus fruits ”. Immediately then, Paola and Marianna find in Umberto Veronesi Foundation an ideal partner for their project: "We did not want to limit ourselves to saying to consume fruit and vegetables: through our products we immediately wanted to sensitize consumers about a healthier food culture. Our citrus fruits are in no way treated on the surface so that they can be grated and enjoy the precious molecule in peace. D-Limonene contained in the peel ".

Bergamot enters a supermarket for the first time

The verdello lemon of Citrus the Italian Garden accompanied by this educational communication was so successful in supermarkets that it was decided to expand the range of products: "By pure chance, during one of our production trips, we came across the Calabrian bergamot, a wonderful citrus fruit that immediately made us fall in love with its intense fragrance and multiple beneficial properties. The bergamot, also known as the green gold of Calabria, it had never been marketed in supermarkets (there was not even a code to identify it!). We thus began to rediscover it, enhancing its rich presence in flavonoids, which promote the cardiovascular system and the regulation of cholesterol. With this operation we have contributed in our small way to favoring the economic development of the territory ".

Support for producers and research

Citrus l'Orto Italiano products come from ethical and controlled supply chains that operate respecting the environment using farming methods such as integrated pest management, organic, zero residue (new entry is the line of legumes and cereals). The producers are gathered under the Agricultural cooperative The Leaves which allows Citrus to support the social agriculture project, capable of generating and redistributing value along the entire supply chain, starting from a fair remuneration of the production base.

Since its birth Citrus has decided to spontaneously donate gods funds to support scientific research promoted by the Umberto Veronesi Foundation: in 4 years of activity, 32 researchers were financed through one-year scholarships. "A special initiative of which we are exclusive partners is Lemons for Research that this year in just two weeks, despite the Covid-19 emergency, has allowed us to raise 240 thousand euros for scientific research ".

Smart and sustainable peaches

The latest product launched by Citrus is the yellow pulp peaches and the nuts peaches nectarines proposals in a smart and sustainable packaging, ideal to carry with you in your bag or backpack: "This product combines the practicality and sustainability of the tasteful packaging by offering the fruits at the right degree of ripeness, ready to be eaten. The packaging is environmentally friendly and made only of FSC certified paper. Being a project that starts from the Earth, we cannot but love and respect it ”.

The peaches of Citrus the Italian Garden

Looking to the future, generational exchange and positivity: the ingredients of success

“We represent a market niche, but in our own small way we hope to make our contribution to the issues of prevention through food, environmental sustainability, fair pay to farmers. Consumers are changing and are increasingly sensitive, curious and informed, perhaps when we started this journey few were aware of it.

If we are here today I have to thank my mom for giving me confidence and space to act even if he did not always fully share my ideas and for giving me the opportunity to make mistakes, only to rush to remedy them. My message is from don't let yourself down, but to accept situations, even the most difficult ones, because from a moment of crisis, as is also the one we are experiencing now, many beautiful stories can be born, like ours! ".

Citrus risotto with scampi crudités – Italian Cuisine

Ingredients for 4 people

Total time: 38 minutes
10 minutes preparation
28 minutes cooking

Use of ULTRABLADE BLADE – ACCESSORY FOR MIXING

For the rice
50 g of shallot
50 ml of extra virgin olive oil
350 g of Carnaroli rice
80 ml of Prosecco
juice and zest of 1/2 untreated lemon
Untreated orange juice and zest of 1/2
1l of hot vegetable broth
30g of butter
30g of Parmesan cheese
salt

For the prawns
8 prawns
extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
salt and pepper

For the prawns

1) Wash the prawns with cold water, with the help of kitchen scissors cut the carapace just under the head and cut up to the tail; remove the carapace taking care not to break the pulp and eliminate the intestine or the black thread that is on the surface. Emulsify together the lemon juice, a small cup of oil, salt and pepper; 5 minutes before serving, put the prawns in the marinade to flavor them.

For the risotto

1) Grate the citrus peel and collect the citrus juice in a glass; leave aside.

2) After inserting the ultrablade blade, in the bowl put the peeled and coarsely chopped shallots; chop for 15 seconds at speed 11.

3) Replace the ultrablade blade with theaccessory for mixing, add the oil and start the SLOW COOK P1 program without a cap for 7 minutes.

4) When the timer indicates that 4 minutes are left, add the rice.

5) Deglaze with prosecco and start again SLOW COOK P1 program for 3 minutes.

6) Add the citrus juice, the hot vegetable stock and start the program SLOW COOK P3 for 18 minutes without cap.

7) 2 minutes from the regular end of salt.

8) At the end of the cooking add the butter, the citrus peel and the grated cheese; stir and serve with the marinated raw prawns.