Blood orange: seasonal recipes for March from treacle tart to chargrilled radicchio

Say goodbye to beige coloured winter food and hello to fresh, tangy flavours as spring hails the arrival of the sanguine citrus fruit

Flesh and blood: the fruit’s dark red colour comes from antioxidant pigments which are uncommon in the citrus family (Getty)

It’s almost spring. Although it couldn’t feel further away, it technically is just around the corner. And it can’t come soon enough, as our tolerance of winter thins – just like our creative capacity for reinventing warming stews.

Instead, we’re longing for colour, freshness and bite from citric fruits and brightly coloured veg that be used until our heart’s (and imagination’s) content.

We’re welcoming the tentative arrival of British asparagus, but this is just the beginning. As an increasing amount of people are becoming more aware of food miles and the importance of eating local and reducing our food-related carbon footprint, now is the time to make the best of our own.

Wild garlic – otherwise known as ramson – will soon be growing in abundance, so cue the wild garlic soup. Just be sure to clean it properly and follow a recipe. You’ll know when you’re near some growing, as you’ll most likely smell it before you see it. It’s also time for homegrown sprouting broccoli too, which will start appearing in shops.

From further afield however is our featured fruit this month: the blood orange. Its colour, texture and taste cuts through the richness (and drabness) of winter food. The two types you’ll most likely come across are the moro and the tarocco. The former is the more vivid of the two and more bitter, with a stronger smell, while the latter is available longer, until May.

Treacle tart with blood orange by Graham Garrett

This delicious tart can be made the day before and warmed just before serving, making it a perfect dinner-party dessert. To cut through the rich, sugary centre, serve with segments of blood orange and a scoop of crème fraîche.

Time: 40 minutes, plus 1 hour cooling

Serves 8

For the pastry

450g plain flour
150g icing sugar
Zest of 1 blood orange
225g salted butter, chilled and diced
1 large egg
1 tbsp milk

For the filling

275g golden syrup
25g black treacle
85g brioche loaf, or breadcrumbs
60g ground almonds
1 large egg
150ml whipping cream
Zest of 1 orange

To serve

Blood orange segments
Crème fraîche
1 handful of sorrel, buckler leaf

To begin, make the pastry. Place the flour, icing sugar and zest into a food processor, blitz until fully combined then add the butter​. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then add the egg and milk. Pulse again until it just comes together, taking care to not overwork the dough. Turn the pastry out on a work surface and shape into a ball. Flatten it out slightly, wrap in cling film then leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

To make the filling, gently warm the syrup and treacle to make them easier to work with, then transfer to a blender with the remaining ingredients and blitz until emulsified​. Preheat an oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible, then cut out 8 circles of pastry big enough to fit 6cm-tart tins. Line the tins with pastry then line with cling film or parchment paper. Fill with rice or baking beans and blind bake for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 170C/gas mark 3.5.

Remove the cling film/baking paper and baking beans and fill each pastry case with the treacle filling. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. To serve, place a warm tart in the centre of each plate. Arrange a few orange segments on each tart, finish with a spoon of crème fraîche and garnish with buckler leaf sorrel.

Blood orange sorbet by Galton Blackiston

This vibrant sorbet will make the perfect, refreshing counterpart to a citrussy dessert, or you can enjoy a scoop on its own.

Time: 25 minutes, plus chilling and churning

Serves 6

6 blood oranges, juiced
275ml water
175g caster sugar
1 lemon, juiced

Place the sugar and water in a pan and bring to the boil. Keep cooking until all of the sugar has dissolved, then leave to simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Set aside to cool, then mix in the blood orange and lemon juices. Set aside in the fridge until chilled, then churn in an ice-cream maker. Freeze until ready to serve.

Chargrilled radicchio and blood orange dressing by Ollie Moore

With just three ingredients, this simple recipe makes a beautiful and unusual addition to a dinner party or lunch. Chargrilling adds colour and a smokey flavour.

Time: 10 minutes

Serves 4

Radicchio, 2 heads, washed

For the dressing

6 blood oranges, juiced
200ml extra virgin olive oil

Gently heat the blood orange juice in a small pan and reduce it to a syrupy consistency. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified, then set aside to cool. Halve the radicchio heads and chargrill until coloured, then drizzle the radicchio with the blood orange dressing and serve.

Seared scallops with salsify, blood orange and brown shrimp by Richard Corrigan

This elegant dish contains monk’s beard – a plant similar to samphire that’s grown in Tuscany. The blood orange’s tang brilliantly offsets the seafood.

Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Serves 4

For the scallops

16 scallops
Butter
Oil
Lemon juice

Blood orange and shrimp butter

4 tbsp brown shrimp
40 blood orange segments
2 shallots, cut into julienne
6 white peppercorns
2 sprigs of thyme, small
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300ml white wine
250g butter, diced
200ml lemon juice
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Chervil, chopped
Thyme leaves, chopped
Dill, chopped
Salt to taste

Poached salsify

500g salsify, cut into 4-inch batons
2 shallots, sliced
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 garlic clove
​4 white peppercorns
100ml white wine
500ml white wine vinegar
500ml chicken stock

To serve

Monk’s beard, blanched

Make a beurre blanc by placing the shallots, peppercorns, thyme, garlic and white wine in a saucepan. Gently simmer for 40 minutes, then pass through a fine sieve. Place 100ml of this reduction into a clean pan and bring to the boil.

Slowly whisk the butter into the reduction, one or two pieces at a time while cooking – only add the next piece of butter once the rest has melted and emulsified into the sauce. Finish with the fresh lemon juice and season with cayenne pepper and salt. Set aside until ready to serve.

To cook the salsify, sweat the shallots in oil with the thyme, garlic and peppercorns until soft but without colour. Add the white wine, bring to the boil and reduce by half, then add the white wine vinegar and chicken stock and bring to the boil​. Check the seasoning, then add the salsify batons and poach until tender, about 5-10 minutes​.

To cook the scallops, add a knob of butter and a dash of oil to a frying pan and heat until very hot. Season the scallops and place them in the pan. Cook on a high heat for 2 minutes – do not move the scallops around the pan until they have caramelised on each side. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the scallops, remove from the pan and finish under a hot grill.

Meanwhile, gently heat the beurre blanc with the brown shrimp and the blood orange segments. When hot, stir in the herbs. To serve, warm the salsify in its cooking liquor and arrange into hot bowls. Spoon over the sauce, then place the scallops around. Finish with the blanched monk’s beard over the top.

​Recipes courtesy of Great British Chefs. Visit their site for more blood orange recipes