Let citrus make your New Year's shine

Citrus brings sunshine to the New Year's kitchen.

Those sharp, sweet flavors and brilliant colors are a welcome break from rich holiday fare. Right now, our co-ops are piled high with organic Cara Cara oranges, a variety of navel oranges with a distinctly deep reddish-orange flesh. A Cara Cara is sweeter and tangier than the average navel orange, and it's also seedless. Cara Cara oranges are perfect paired with pink and red grapefruit, varieties that are juicer and less sharp than the white. Look for blood oranges, kumquats and tangelos, arriving soon in our stores. When it comes to citrus, more is more.

Choose citrus fruit that feels heavy and firm; store in the crisper section of your refrigerator, but not in plastic bags that trap moisture and encourage mold. The easiest way to peel this fruit is to cut off both ends at the poles to create a flat surface. Then, stand each one up straight and using a paring knife, slice off the peel in strips keeping the knife close enough to the flesh to remove the bitter white pith. No worries if you leave some of that behind. Slice the peeled fruit into wheels or sections to arrange on a platter in ways that highlight the different colors and shapes.

You could stop there, of course. But why not make a more bountiful platter. Add a handful of pitted green olives for meaty, briny heft, a few thin slices of fennel bulb for crunch, and scatter the whole arrangement with the chopped fennel fronds for pops of color and notes of anise. Amp up the whole shebang with a brisk, spicy lemon vinaigrette. The result is a light, bright salad for the year ahead.

Serves 4 to 6.

Note: Use any mix of citrus fruit you like — Cara Cara oranges, pink and red grapefruit, clementines, etc. Prepare the citrus a day or two ahead, then arrange the rest of the salad at the last minute. This salad suits any meal — breakfast, lunch, dinner or brunch. From Beth Dooley.

• 3 Cara Cara oranges

• 2 clementines

• 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

• 1/4 c. pitted green olives

• Coarse salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp. honey, or to taste

• Freshly chopped fennel fronds, for garnish

Directions

Peel the citrus, removing as much of the white pith as possible. Slice into wheels or sections and then arrange on a serving plate with the thinly sliced fennel and olives. Very lightly sprinkle with coarse salt and black pepper.