Weekend Wokking: Oranges

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We are honoured to be hosting this month's edition of Weekend Wokking.

Weekend Wokking is one of our favourite monthly events. The ingredients chosen are never too exotic to discourage participation, and the dishes everybody comes up with using these ingredients are always unique and interesting.

To wit, last month's host, Marija of Palachinka chose oranges. Although oranges are everywhere now, especially at this time of the year, speaking for ourselves, we usually do not use oranges as ingredients in sweet or savoury concoctions, eating most of our oranges out of hand.

Therefore, we are pleased to present these orange-you-glad creations from our participants this month.

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Enjoy this orange-y buffet!


Heidi, from aromasysabores (Shanghai, China)
Orange Vanilla Pound Cake (Panque de Naranja y Vainilla)
http://aromasysabores-heidileon.blogspot.com/2009/01/sweet-orange-naranja-dulce-orange-and.html
Heidi may have successfully created an edible version of heaven with her Orange Vanilla Pound Cake.


ila, from i nom things
Satsuma Mandarin (Mikan) Sandies
http://inomthings.blogspot.com/2009/01/cant-stop.html
Ila is obsessed with all things citrus! She has uses for all different types, even adding citrus slices to bath water. She has made these cookies with lemons, Meyer lemons, yuzu... This time, she used satsuma mandarins to make these sandies.


Christine, from Kits Chow (right here in Vancouver)
Grand Marnier Pork Chops
http://kitschow.blogspot.com/2009/01/199-grand-marnier-pork-chops-recipe.html
Christine had the "unfortunate task" of finishing up a bottle of Grand Marnier. ;) She made these deep-fried pork chops with an orange and Grand Marnier-based sweet and sour sauce.


Darlene, from Blazing Hot Wok
Chicken Salad with Cilantro-Orange Dressing
http://www.blazinghotwok.com/2009/01/got-oranges.html
Darlene made an orange syrup and has plenty of ideas how to use it. One way was to create this cilantro-orange vinaigrette to dress pan-seared chicken breast, greens, and a sweet potato cake.


Ning, from Heart and Hearth (Manila, Philippines)
Beef Stir-Fry with Orange
http://heartandhearth.blogspot.com/2009/01/stir-fry-beef-with-orange.html
Ning's husband pronounces this the best beef stir-fry dish! Because Ning is contributing her recipe to the BloggerAid cookbook, she's unable to post the recipe. We assume she marinaded the beef in orange juice, among other things. ;) The result is a savory dish with just the right amount of sweetness and a spicy kick.


Sweatha, of TastyCurryLeaf (New Jersey, USA)
Orange Thins
http://tastycurryleaf.blogspot.com/2009/01/orange-thins.html
Sweatha made tuile-like wheat flour cookies flavored with, what else, oranges. Amazingly, these cookies only have six ingredients! (Or five, if you count the orange zest and juice as one since they both come from the same thing.)


Wandering Chopsticks
Bo Tai Chanh (Vietnamese Beef Carpaccio with Lemon)
http://wanderingchopsticks.blogspot.com/2009/01/bo-tai-chanh-vietnamese-beef-carpaccio.html
We were so afraid that the creator of the event would miss this edition of Weekend Wokking! =) But, here it is. A delicious beef carpaccio made with filet mignon and "cooked" in a citrus-y nuoc mam dressing (including orange juice, of course). The beef slices are then topped with fried shallots and various refreshing herbs. I am drooling already.


Pepsi, of Pepsi's Life Journal 1-2-3 (Norway)
Chicken Drumsticks and Onion in Orange Gravy
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/limpepsi/23398389
Pepsi (what a cute nickname!) had lost interest in cooking lately, but good thing she has the love back! She made this Chinese-flavored dish by pan-frying and braising chicken drumsticks, and making an orange gravy from the braising liquid.


Yasmeen, of Health Nut (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
Saffron Orange Basundi (Sweetened Milk)
http://yasmeen-healthnut.blogspot.com/2009/02/saffron-orange-basundisweetened-milk.html
Yasmeen makes a not-too-sweet version of basundi, a dessert from Gujarati in western India. She flavored her sweetened milk with saffron and added orange segments.


And finally, our own entry.
TS and JS, of [eatingclub] vancouver
Pato a la Naranja
Duck "Crêpes Suzette"
Orange Duck Crêpe-Noodle Stir-fry
http://www.eatingclubvancouver.com/2009/01/roast-duck-and-orange-crepes-with.html


We started with Spanish Roast Duck with Orange Sauce, but took a detour to France and made Orange Crêpes. We filled the crêpes with shredded duck meat and finished the dish with orange-white wine sauce. Somehow, the whole thing turned Asian when we transformed the crêpes into noodles and stir-fried the whole thing!

Thank you to all who entered a dish!

Now, for the exciting part, revealing next month's ingredient! Actually, we weren't sure if we were limited to fruits and vegetables. What if we choose something like chicken? Anyway, we came up with something that we hope is quite versatile.

Weekend Wokking ingredient: ALMOND

We can't wait to see what next month's entries are.

Weekend Wokking is a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks celebrating the multiple ways we can cook one ingredient.

If you would like to participate or to see the secret ingredient, check who's hosting next month.

Check out all Weekend Wokking Roundups!