Preparation:
Wash and scrub oranges with a small brush; dry. Using a vegetable peeler peel off the orange zest (leave the white pith behind--too bitter) and mince finely. (I used a zester and didn't bother to mince because it was fine enough.) Combine zest with remaining ingredients in a heavy non-aluminum saucepan. Over medium-low heat, heat to 225 F on a deep-frying thermometer and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Solids will drop to the bottom. If you like, strain through a fine strainer. Pour into a clean glass bottle.
Uses: Brush on some fish or chicken when it comes out of the broiler, grill or steamer. (Especially nice on prawns.) Drizzle some on hot pasta and toss with steamed vegetables. Add to marinades. Use in salad dressing for a bit of zip.
Rich's notes: I came across the following orange-chili oil recipe on the Chile-Heads mailing list a couple years ago. The recipe doesn't mention using it as a base for rubs, but I use it that way...works great. I also use it to saute the rice and chopped chiles 'n onions when I make Mexican rice; and, I brush it on sliced onions and chiles before grilling. I use dried orange peel instead of fresh and toss in about twice the chiles called for in the recipe. And, I heat the oil up to 250 to 260 deg. F and keep it at that heat until bubbling stops and I'm sure all the moisture from any fresh ingredients has been evaporated for safety sake...I store it on the kitchen counter by my stove. If your unsure about it, store it in the fridge and run it under hot water before using if it solidifies from the low |
