Product Review: IO Italian Organics Organic Sicilian Blood Orange Juice

Italian Organics Organic Sicilian Blood Orange Juice. More than just for breakfast.

I am on Twitter, and a couple of weeks before Christmas, a new company, Italian Organics, approached me to try their organic blood orange juice.  They were looking for honest opinions of their product from foodies around the country.  Liking blood orange juice, and free stuff, I said, “Sure!”  When we returned from our Christmas holiday, two 16 oz. bottles awaited on our front porch.

First, a bit about the company:  Italian Organics is currently selling their Organic Sicilian Blood Orange Juice in and around the five borroughs of NYC.  They blend their juice from three types of blood oranges, all grown in the volcanic soil of Sicily.  The fruits are all squeezed only once, which theoretically should mean less bitterness, since they aren’t grinding up the pith.  Blood orange juice has been shown to contain 40% more Vitamin C than regular orange juice, along with powerful antioxidants.  The juice also has anti-inflammatory properties.

I’ve cooked with blood orange juice quite a bit, so I was excited to use Italian Organics in some savory dishes.  I “tweeted” them about my plans, but they said it was served best cold.  Friends, I beg to differ.  It shines as an ingredient.  Read on.

We served the juice straight up for breakfast one morning–the Beloved, his friend from CA and I each had a glass.  I found the color to be a little muddy–not at all the brilliant ruby juice I am used to working with.  The flavor was a bit sharp, a little bitter, and had a bit of a cooked orange flavor, most likely due to the pasteurization process.  I must say, I was a little sad.  I was also concerned that some of the health benefits touted on the website and on the label would be lessened because of pasteurization.  I’m not sure how they pasteurize their product, but it is not sold in the refrigerated section of the store, so I must assume it’s a pretty high-heat method.  I’m not a scientist and certainly couldn’t say for sure, but I think that some of those healthy compounds probably break down under high heat.

I was, however, undeterred from my original plan of using it in cooking.  I resolved to use it in as many ways as I could think of for our New Year’s Eve dinner.  I’m glad I soldiered on, because this juice works brilliantly in cooking!  I roasted a chicken and made a blood orange pan sauce to go with it.  I also used the juice in a very simple vinaigrette to dress a pear/goat cheese/toasted walnut salad and in brown orange rice with mixed raisins.  I even used just a splash in with some vegetable broth to steam some cauliflower before sauteeing and finishing with a bit of cream and nutmeg.

The pan sauce was ridiculously good.  The tartness of the juice was a nice balance to the fatty pan drippings and the bit of sweet vegetable broth I used.  Finished with a swirl of unsalted butter, the sauce was truly lip-smacking good and went very nicely with Mr. Chicken.  I used equal parts of chicken broth and blood orange juice in the brown rice, along with salt, pepper and some olive oil.  I threw a handful of TJ’s mixed raisins in towards the end of the cooking time.  Again, the tartness of the juice paired nicely with the sweet raisins, and it was well tempered by the chicken broth.  The cauliflower was creamy and fantastic, although the juice was definitely a background note.

Here’s how I made the vinaigrette:

• 3 T. blood Italian Organics Sicilian Blood Orange Juice
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 2 t. Tangerine-Ginger Agasweet (or honey)
• 1 T. spicy mustard
• 1 1/2 t. finely minced shallot
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 3/4 c. Extra virgin olive oil

I mixed the juices, Agasweet, mustard, shallot, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Whisking madly, I drizzled in the oil until I had a nice emulsion.  The end.

The New Year’s Eve meal was a smashing success, and I will certainly be using this tart juice in place of or in addition to “regular” orange juice.  At least until the bottle is gone.  Sadly, since I don’t live in the NYC area, I can’t get it.  I wish Italian Organics every success with this new product.  While I wasn’t blown away by it as a beverage (as they intended), I am thrilled with its performance in cooking.

My advice:  if you’re looking for blood orange juice to drink, buy fresh blood oranges and squeeze them yourself.  The bottled version is a little sharp, but it might be lovely mixed in a Mimosa.  If you’re looking for blood orange juice to cook or bake with, try to get your hands on a bottle or two of I. O. Italian Organics Organic Sicilian Blood Orange Juice.

A couple more photos for your edification and enjoyment.  Because I don’t plan ahead, I don’t have pictures of my lovely plated meal, but I wanted you to see, anyway.

Note the regular OJ trying to get into the shot.

Blood Orange Vinaigrette. Tangy and good, perfect with pears, goat cheese and nuts.

That big old raisin is a red flame raisin. I do love Trader Joe's.