Every month we feature a fruit or vegetable that is in season, along with a fun fact or recipe idea.
It’s almost winter, and almost Christmas, and next to all the merriment that brings, it also means the start of the local citrus season!
Savor the delicious taste of local oranges, lemons and tangerines, and ensure you get a daily dose of vitamin C to boost your immune system.
Although they are now considered to be typically Maltese, citrus trees are not indigenous to our islands. Lemon trees were brought to the Mediterranean in the first century, but orange trees were only introduced later, by the Arabs in the 9th and 10th century.
This year we published the AgroKatina report about the local fruit & vegetable supply chain, and the pocket guide highlighting when local fruits & veggies are in season. Find out more on www.foemalta.org/agrokatina, where you can also order a free copy of the pocket guide.
Here is a delicious recipe for orange & almond cake, just in time for some holiday baking!
Orange & Almond cake (gluten free)
- 2 oranges, washed (make sure they are pesticide free, as the rind is also used in this recipe)
- 250 g fair trade demerara sugar
- 6 eggs
- 250 g almond meal
- 1 tsp baking powder
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Wash the oranges and cook whole in the boiling water for 2 hours. Drain, allow to cool to room temperature, then puree.
2. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 22 cm spring form cake tin with baking paper.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar until well combined.
4. Stir in the orange puree followed by the almond meal and baking powder.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and dust the top with extra caster sugar. Bake for 1-1¼ hours, until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool in the tin. Dust with icing sugar, cut into slices and serve.
This activity has been funded with support from the EU and co-financed by the Ministry for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs, and Civil Liberties. This project reflects the views only of the author, and funders cannot be held responsible for the content or any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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