Blood Orange Lemonade
Citrus season is a welcome addition to the gloom of January. Bright jewels of blood oranges, passion fruit, pineapple and lemons add brightness to dishes. Blood orange season is by far my favourite of all, I simply adore them. I try and use them in all elements of cooking and this recipe is still one of my all time favourites. I just love slicing one up and seeing all the lovely red tinted flesh. The season runs from December to February, so I always slice up loads for the freezer and use them for pitchers in the summer.
Apart from being rich in vitamin C, blood oranges also offer unique health benefits associated with high levels of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are red flavonoid pigments that give the blood oranges their intense colour and wondrous antioxidant properties. Nutritionists believe that anthocyanins have anti-inflammatory properties that help prevent cancer, bacterial infections, diabetes and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Citrus is great with meat, fish, veg and in drinks. It adds just the right amount of tang to curries, is fantastic with the sweetness of meringue and delicious with porridge or yoghurt. This lemonade is super refreshing with just the right amount of tang. I don't like a lemonade to be too sweet. But if you do, add an extra 10g of sugar to the recipe. Or instead of sparkling water, top with fizzy lemonade instead.
Blood orange lemonade
Serves: 2-3Prep time: 10 minsCook time: 5 mins
Ingredients
- 250-300ml blood orange juice
- 100ml lemon juice
- 25g sugar
- Fizzy Water
- Blood orange and lemon slices
- Crushed Ice
Directions
- Juice blood oranges and lemons, pass through a sieve to catch pulp and pips.
- Add juice to a pan with sugar on a low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Fill a glass half way with the juice, add slices of blood orange and lemon, top with with fizzy water and ice. Stir and enjoy.
