Cara Cara Orange Produce Tips & Recipes
Robbie Sigona’s Produce Tips:
- As with any citrus, choose Cara Caras that are heavy for their size and with peels that are smooth, tight and free of blemishes
- As the season progresses into late January, the sweetness and flavor intensifies
- Citrus is best stored in the refrigerator once you get it home
- The juiciest and sweetest Cara Caras will have a sweet, clean fragrance.
- The Cara Cara is sometimes referred to as the Red Navel.
Cara Cara serving suggestions:
Cara Caras have a distinct, unique flavor. They’re sweeter than navels as they have a lower acid content, and have hints of blackberries and raspberries.
They’re delicious out of hand, but also make nice additions to salads and desserts.
Citrus Salad Drizzled with a Spiced Satsuma Vanilla Cream Balsamic Reduction
Grapefruit has a zing to it, as you know, but mixing it with other citrus and drizzling the array with a sweet balsamic reduction softens the punch. This dish is nice as a side for breakfast or served simply as dessert (if you serve it along side a scoop of yogurt or gelato, we won’t tell anyone). Inspired by Sunset. Serves 4 to 6.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Sigona’s Satsuma Vanilla Cream White Balsamic
- A pinch of ground cardamom
- A pinch of ground allspice
- 2 Texas Rio Star grapefruit
- 2 Navel or Cara Cara oranges
- 2 blood oranges
- Zest of one lime
Directions: Bring the balsamic and spices to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low to allow mixture to simmer and reduce reduce by half, stirring occasionally. This takes some time, but have patience and do not increase the heat or the reduction will be too hard. Once reduced, remove from heat and allow to cool a little. It will thicken as it cools.
Meanwhile, slice the peel and pith from the citrus: Cut the top and bottom off of your citrus. Working form top to bottom, run a sharp knife down the side of the fruit, removing both the pith and peel to leave only the fruit by getting as close to the flesh as possible. Go back over it to slice off any remaining pieces of pith from the fruit so no white remains.
Slice the citrus horizontally into rings about 1/4-inch thick. Arrange the fruits either on a platter or on individual serving dishes, providing about 2 of each variety per person. Drizzle half or all of the balsamic reduction over the dish and finish with lime zest. Serve immediately.
Upside-Down Cara Cara & Blood Orange Cake
It’s pretty and delicious! Using fine-ground cornmeal adds to the texture of the cake, making it even more unique and memorable. You can use any citrus, but we like the aesthetic combination of the Cara Cara and the Blood oranges. Inspired by Eating Well.
Ingredients:
- 2 Cara Cara oranges
- 2 to 3 blood oranges
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup fine cornmeal
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup Sigona’s Meyer lemon fusion olive oil (or try our Navel orange olive oil, coming soon)
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper; spray the inside of the parchment-lined pan with cooking spray.
Zest 2 of the Cara Caras, set zest aside. Remove the peel and pith from the oranges with a knife, working from top to bottom around the outside of the fruits. Cut the oranges into slices about 1/4-inch thick, discarding any seeds. Lay the slices on paper towels and blot the tops to remove excess moisture. Set aside.
Add the butter and brown sugar to a small skillet over low heat. Cook, stirring, for about 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is melted and bubbly. Spread mixture in the bottom of the cake pan. Allow to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, yogurt, olive oil and extract. Add in the zest and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then use the mixer to beat on low until the mixture comes together.
Arrange the orange slices in a single layer in the pan on top of the brown sugar mixture. Pour the batter into the pan and carefully spread it over the oranges. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Set the cake pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert a serving plate over the pan and carefully turn the cake over onto the plate. Remove the pan and parchment paper. Serve warm.
Sigona’s Sicilian Citrus Salad
It’s citrus season, and what better way to celebrate these bright, fantastic, vitamin-packed fruits than serving them all together as a simple salad? Recipe and photo by John Nava, Sigona’s specialty food & cheese curator. Serves about 6.
What you need:
- 2 Cara Cara oranges
- 2 Blood oranges
- 2 heirloom Washington Navel oranges
- 2 Rio Star Grapefruit
- 2 Persian Cucumbers
- Sigona’s Sicilian lemon white balsamic
- Sigona’s Fresh Press extra virgin olive oil, such as California Arbequina
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions: Peel or slice the rind from the citrus. Cut the fruit horizontally into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Peel the cucumber and slice into rounds. Arrange the citrus and cucumber together on a serving tray by color/variety. Drizzle the arrangement with an oil and balsamic mixture of 3 parts balsamic and 1 part oil, to taste. Finish with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Serve at room temperature.
Curry Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Cara Cara Oranges and Golden Raisins
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 large head cauliflower cut into 1-inch florets (about 7 to 8 cups)
- 1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
- 7 Tbsp. Sigona’s wild rosemary fused olive oil or Sigona’s herbes de Provence olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 large cara cara oranges
- 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds toasted if desired, divided
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 3 to 4 cups baby spinach arugula
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of the oil, curry powder, salt and pepper. Spread out the mix on the baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and lightly browned. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile, segment the citrus: Cut the top and bottom off of your orange. Slice the peel from the fruit, top to bottom, getting as close to the flesh as possible. Once the peel is removed, slice any remaining pieces of pith from the fruit so no white remains. Working over a small bowl, slice closely along the sides of each membrane to neatly remove the citrus segments in between, allowing the juices to fall into the small bowl. Place the segments in a larger bowl. Squeeze the juice from the remaining membranes into the small bowl.
- In another small bowl, whisk the vinegar and mustard. Slowly whisk in the remaining 5 tablespoons oil. Whisk in about 3 tablespoons of the reserved orange juice and season to taste with salt and pepper; add more orange juice if desired.
- To the large bowl with orange segments, add the cauliflower, half of the almonds and all the raisins. Toss with enough dressing to coat well. Add the spinach and a little more dressing; toss well to coat.
- Using tongs, transfer the mix to a platter or divide among plates and top the rest of the almonds. Either drizzle on more vinaigrette or serve the remaining on the side.
Chicken, Cara Cara Orange and Millet Salad Tossed with Avocado, Lime and Cilantro
Light, refreshing and packed with protein, this salad is suitable for brunch, lunch or dinner, served as a side or main course. You can also use couscous or quinoa. Adapted from Sunset. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup millet
- 2 chicken breasts
- 3/4 tsp. chili powder, divided, more or less to taste
- 3 Tbsp. Sigona’s Fresh Press extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing grill (Mix it up! If you’re looking for more heat, try Sigona’s red chili Harissa olive oil.)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 large oranges, such as a mix of cara cara and navel, peeled and segmented*
- 1 avocado, peeled and cubed
- Juice from one lime
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or mint, whichever is preferred
- 1/3 cup shelled pistachios
Directions: Cook millet according to package directions. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
Season chicken breasts using 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, salt and pepper. Brush an indoor grill pan or outdoor grill with a bit of olive oil. Grill chicken over medium-high heat about 6 to 8 minutes a side or until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, slice on the bias into strips, then cut strips in half.
*Meanwhile, segment the oranges: Cut the top and bottom off of your oranges. Slice the peel from the fruit, top to bottom, getting as close to the flesh as possible. Once the peel is removed, slice any remaining pieces of pith from the fruit so no white remains. Working over a small bowl, slice closely along the sides of each membrane to neatly remove the citrus segments in between, allowing the juices to fall into the small bowl. Place the segments in a large bowl. Squeeze the juice from the remaining membranes into the small bowl.
Gently toss the avocado cubes in the reserved citrus juice, then use a slotted spoon to remove avocado from the juice, adding them to the citrus segments; discard remaining citrus juice.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice and remaining chili powder. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the chicken, millet, cilantro and pistachios to the large bowl with citrus and avocado. Pour in the lime dressing and gently stir the mixture to coat well.
Allow salad to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld. Stir again just before serving; season with salt and pepper if necessary.
