citrus sunshine 🍋
bright flavors to hold us over until spring
Monday, March 6, 2023
Good morning! (I get to say this for another 9 minutes.) We are exactly two weeks from the first day of spring and some sort of coating of snow is predicted in NYC tonight, which I do not think the spring blossoms I spotted on my morning walk will be very pleased about. Fortunately, coaxing sunshine and warmth into the kitchen is a little easier. This is the time of winter every year where I get absolutely obsessed with citrus: the aroma, the crayon-like bright colors, and the bright lift it gives every dish, and I cling to these shards of light until the weather catches up. Below, a dozen ways you can join me.
Cheers,
Deb
Smitten Kitchen Keepers, my third cookbook, has been out for almost four wonderful months and I love to see everything that you’re cooking from it. While the majority of the book tour is behind us, I’ll be in Columbus, Ohio in two weeks, and I’ll be sprinkling in a few other events throughout the spring. You can keep up to date with all of the details on this page.
mixed citrus salad with feta and mint
Impossibly fresh, pretty, and balanced, this showstopper belongs on every breakfast table.
cabbage and lime salad with roasted peanuts
Halfway between a salad and slaw, a mix of cabbage, spinach, roasted peanuts, and lime juice dressing make a very pretty, very tasty salad that goes with anything you're thinking of making for dinner this. Or, you know, just a fork and a bowl.
acorn squash with chile-lime vinaigrette
Sure, this is a crazy delicious way to make squash just as written, but do you know what else you can do with it? TACOS. Add some black beans, a quick slaw, some crumbled salty cheese. Don't forget the vinaigrette. Please invite me over.
lemon potatoes
This is my spin on blissful lemon potatoes. They're crisp at the edges and almost melting in the center with pan juices that reduce to a sticky, intensely flavored concentration. Finish with herbs and eat exactly like this, or as a side to a bigger meal; they're unforgettable.
crispy broccoli with lemon and garlic
Crispy charred broccoli is a top ten food for us; half the tray rarely makes it to the dinner table. Try one of the suggested riffs (crispy egg and crunchy crumbs! burrata sandwich smash! fish sauce vinaigrette!) and you too can unleash your inner broccoli junkie.
bowties with sugar snaps, lemon and ricotta
This pasta is always a massive hit for something so seemingly simple. Ricotta is dolloped in near the end but not stirred or cooked (because we love finding the unmixed pockets later) and then the whole dish gets a six-part finish: olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parmesan and slivers of mint. No sugar snaps yet? Use anything green you like, lightly cooked.
lamb meatballs with feta and lemon
A thing I love: Meatballs untethered from spaghetti. These are Greek-inspired meatballs (lemon, feta, olives, and oregano) and I like them best with those lemon potatoes, or homemade pitas, or even a simple Greek salad.
caramelized brown sugar oranges with yogurt
Don’t sleep on this recipe. Charred, caramelized, and chilled slices of oranges are a dream with plain yogurt and they deserve a place at more of our tables.
whole lemon tart
This is my favorite lemon tart. There's no zesting or juicing or orchard worth of lemons required, just one single one that you grind, skin and all, with butter and sugar and eggs into the most gloriously bright and balanced dream of a dessert.
orange chocolate chunk cake
I know there are people who don't like orange and chocolate together, but this cake isn't for them. It's for us. And it's phenomenal.
grapefruit yogurt cake
Why do baked goods so often celebrate lemon, orange, or lime, but rarely grapefruit? This 2007 cake felt defiant at the time, but remains a beloved winter fixture in my kitchen, perfectly crumbed and not too sweet with a ruby red glow.
blood orange margaritas
Does it seem like all of your so-called friends are on beachy vacations without you? Did you hear it's going to be super cold again this week? I have just the elixir. It’s noon somewhere I think we know what needs to be done.
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
See you next week!
