Cooking Lesson #1013: Blood Orange Sangria

…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar

How you doin’? Holy Moly… It’s spring already! Just a few “moments” ago we were in the middle of the Christmas season. How is this happening? The world is zipping by even as I write this Happy Hour recipe.
 
I know it’s spring because the birdies are chirping while they gather twigs and dry grasses building their nests. I’ve started to see little bitty buds pushing their way out of the dry hedges and trees around my house.
 
In the supermarket this week I saw beautiful red ripe strawberries and beautiful thick stalks of asparagus. It reminded me of spring in Paris when the green grocers would run through the streets announcing, asperges, Asperges, ASPERGES—ici… maintenant—Asparagus is here… now!
 
I also saw some spring citrus… my favorite, blood oranges. What a wonderful flavor—not quite the sweetness of an orange or the tartness of lemon… it has a flavor like no other. 
 
The Blood Orange is a variety of orange with crimson, near blood-colored flesh. It is one of the sweetest, most complex orange varieties. The dark flesh color is due to the presence of anthocyanins, a family of polyphenol pigments common to many flowers and fruit, but uncommon in citrus fruits. The flesh develops its characteristic red color when the fruit develops with low temperatures during the night. Sometimes, dark coloring is seen on the exterior of the rind as well. This depends on the variety of blood orange. The skin can be tougher and harder to peel than that of other oranges but well worth the effort. Blood oranges have a unique flavor compared to other oranges, being distinctly raspberry-like in addition to unusual citrus notes.
 
The blood orange is a natural mutation of the orange, which is itself a hybrid, probably between the pomelo and the tangerine. And my Blood Orange Sangria is a mutation of ordinary white or red sangria.
 
Prep time:  10 to 15 minutes
Yield:  4 to 6 servings
 
Ingredients 
6 large ripe blood oranges
2 750ml bottles of pinot grigio
8 ounces club soda
4 ounces brandy
12 ounces stemmed and sliced of strawberries
1 pint raspberries
 
1 chopped sweet red apple,
1/2 cup sugar, for rimming the serving glasses
 
Directions

1. Zest one of the blood oranges and combine it with the sugar in a small bowl.
2. Rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers until fragrant.
3. Juice four of the blood oranges, discard the seeds and pith.
4. Chop the remaining blood oranges into pieces for use in the sangria.
5. In a large pitcher, combine the wine, club soda, brandy, blood orange juice,  strawberries, raspberries, chopped apple, and blood orange pieces. Stir well to combine.
6. Place the combined blood orange-sugar on a plate, run a lemon, lime or orange slice around the rim of each glass.
7. Coat each glass rim in the sugar, coating well.
8. Fill each glass with a few ice cubes, then add some of the fruit from the sangria.
9. Pour the sangria into each glass and serve!

ChefSecret:  This is one of those recipes that definitely gets better as it sits, so make it ahead and store it in the refrigerator.

Quip of the Day:  Q. What do you serve a vegan vampire?  A. Blood Orange Sangria!
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

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