Free Flavor – Citrus Zest

What is better than free (or multi-use)?!  One of my favorite ingredients is citrus for the zest, juice, and flavor capabilities.  First the outside, the rind has so much strong, great flavor plus oils from the citrus.  The next layer is the juice of the citrus to use for drinking, adding to water, or using as dressings for salads and proteins.  The third part is the pulp which can be blended into smoothies, to flavor water or beverages, or used to cook with proteins.  Lastly, the rind can be used for garnishing a dish or infusing flavor.  Use a normal vegetable peeler to cut strips from the citrus to “decorate” or garnish a dish.  

A fun way I have incorporated orange is using part of the orange peel to infuse flavor into marinara sauce while cooking. This gave the Meatball & Marinara Sauce dish SUCH a unique, different flavor.  Overall, any cut citrus can be used to infuse dishes, entrees, and beverages. 

My rule of thumb is, if a recipe calls for citrus juice (such as lemon or orange juice), always add the zest anyway.  This will elevate your dish and the flavor – making you the superstar!!

Utilize – 

Lemon

Orange (plus different varieties)

Tangerine

Clementine

Mandarin Orange

Lime

Grapefruit

What do you use citrus for?  How do you get creative?

Photo Credit:

Photo by Edgar Castrejon on Unsplash

Photo by Tamanna Rumee on Unsplash

Photo by Cristina Matos-Albers on Unsplash

Photo by FOODISM360 on Unsplash