It’s very hard to find really bloody oranges. At the market here in Erlangen two different kinds of blood oranges are being sold: one half-blood orange called “Tarocco” and a full-blood orange named “Moro”. In the last years and during this winter as well, they were both pretty pale inside, containing only a few red pigments – if any at all. I usually try to determine the bloodiness of an orange by the color of the skin, but unfortunately a red pigmented skin doesn’t guarantee a deep red interior. Since I don’t know any better method, finding really red blood oranges remains a kind of lottery. The statistics for this current winter season are pretty disillusioning: only 1 of 20 blood oranges was truly deep red inside. I planned to use red blood oranges for this vegan dish too, but unfortunately the oranges I bought had yet again only very few red spots. Irrespectively of their color, they fulfilled their means of use by adding sourness and freshness to the dish.

I cooked the cauliflower slices in salted water with kaffir lime leaves, chilled them to room temperature, drained them shortly and roasted them afterwards. It’s very important not to overcook the cauliflower, otherwise it will be hard to roast the slices and the result will be mushy. When I plated the cauliflower I grated some tonka bean and nutmeg crosswise on it and garnished it with orange fillets, lime zest, roasted pine nuts and mint oil. The cauliflower immediately absorbed the mint oil, so that’s why it seems invisible, but it’s flavor was definitely there and added another kind of freshness to the dish. The various spices and components worked great together and presented the flavor of the cauliflower differently with each bite.

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