Blood Oranges: It's What's for Dinner

Blood orange and kale salad

Blood oranges seem to be everywhere in California right now - restaurants, farmers' markets, restaurants and I love them so it's the perfect time to indulge.

Despite the rather graphic name (when you cut into them you can see why they are called blood oranges) they are super sweet and delicious. They are great to serve any time and work especially well for murder and/or zombie theme parties (although I never seem to be able to find them at Halloween which is a pity). 

Blood oranges are native to the Mediterranean but are also grown in California. In Southern Italy they are often served fresh for dessert. The red color comes from anthocyanin which develops naturally in the oranges with hot days and cooler nights. 

The photo above is of a blood orange, kale salad with almonds and blood orange vinaigrette and here's the recipe:

3 cups kale, torn away from the spine (discard spine)

a sprinkle of almonds for crunch

Blood Orange Vinaigrette

1/2 cup blood orange juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

1 small clove garlic, minced

lightly season with salt and pepper

The dressing works well on other salads as well. 

Sanguinelli Blood Orange