Orange Spring

The sun was shining, the sky a relaxing blue glow as we finished a long walk at the end of February during a spell of fake spring. On the way to the walk I had picked up some chicken fillets from the local farm shop, where I had also been door-stepped by an old acquaintance who wore her surgical mask like a beleaguered bandido. 

I used the chicken fillets to make a new recipe that featured a healthy amount of fresh orange juice. The ingredients are as follows:

For the marinated chicken fillets:

Two Chicken Fillets.

A tablespoon of Dried Tarragon.

The juice of one Orange. 

For the Butter Sauce

The juice of one Orange.

One Hundred Grams of Unsalted Butter.

A teaspoon of Fennel Seeds. 

For the White Sauce

The grated rind of one Orange.

One Hundred Grams of Unsalted Butter. 

A tablespoon of Cornflour. 

A quarter of a pint of Skimmed Milk. 

As a side dish

A head of Brocolli and some Kale steamed for thirty minutes prior to serving. 

On the player as I started the work on this dish was Emerson, Lake and Palmer's grand and ambitious effort "Works Volume 1". It features everything from a Piano Concerto, lots of obscure love ballads, Jazz Jams and delicate classical interpretations to barnstorming prog rock. All conjured up by three blokes. There's not been a hit album like it since. If you fancy an adventure then check it out at: Emerson, Lake and Palmer- “Works, Volume 1”(full album 1977) - YouTube 

The first job was to marinate the Chicken by rubbing it in Sunflower Oil, the Dried Tarragon and Orange Juice and then placing it on a baking tray and leaving it to cook in the oven for thirty minutes on Gas Mark Five. 

Also steamed for thirty minutes at this time was the Broccoli and Kale. 

I prepared the Butter Sauce by melting the Unsalted Butter in a sauce pan and adding the Fennel Seeds and Orange Juice. Once the Butter had melted I left this to one side until it was time to serve the dish.

Next I melted the Unsalted Butter in another sauce pan, added the grated rind of Orange and the Corn Flour and stirred these all together to form a thick paste. Then I gradually added the Milk to the pan, while keeping it on a medium heat, and stirring it until I had a thick sauce.

I served the dish by putting the Chicken Fillets on plates and pouring the Butter Sauce over them. Next I added the Broccoli and Kale and poured the White Orange Rind Sauce over them. Chicken, Tarragon, Fennel and Orange are flavours that go together well as does White Orange Rind Sauce Broccoli and Kale. There was just the right amount of Orange Juice on the Butter Sauce and the Chicken Fillets and the White Sauce had the rich flavour of a fruity cheese.