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I am wondering if anyone has any vegetarian recipes (not drinks) for using chinotto oranges. My tree is covered in them for the first time - I bought the tree on a whim, not really knowing anything about the fruit except it sounded exotic (plus the drink of the same name, which isn't made from the oranges).

The fruit are very gorgous on the tree, but have a bitter-sour taste and the peel is a little numbing/tingling on the tongue. Websites wax lyrical about them, but they must be written by someone who has not tried them (they do look gorgeous so I see why they are enthusiastic). Only one site I found mentions the real taste and tingling quality. I am at a loss at what to do with them, except as a decorative tree.

I thought someone with a French or Italian background might have some recipes for using this gorgeous fruit. Pickles? Candy? Will lots of sugar overcome the bitter-sour taste? Dried peel for spice mixes?

PS A reminder that I am NOT looking for alcoholic or other drink recipes or non-vegetarian recipes. Thanks very much for this.

Thanks in advance.

One website said this:

Chinotto oranges are best suited for flavoring and are not typically consumed raw due to their sour, bitter nature. The fruit is used in marmalade, jams, and syrups because of their high pectin content and the essential oils are used to flavor cocktails. The fruit is also candied whole and consumed as a dessert, used in marinades, chutneys, mustard, and teas, or substituted for other sour oranges, such as the Seville. Chinotto oranges pair well with focaccia, aged cheeses, shortbread cakes, fish, poultry, paella, and curries. The fruits will keep up to a week at room temperature and up to a month in the refrigerator.

So maybe treat same way as cumquats???

thanks, debkellie. I actually have several cumquats too. They are sour-sweet, so a little different. It is the bitterness I think that will need the most controlling. I am willing to try a few things tho, and see.

I am hoping someone has a recipe or two.

I'd make marmalade - they sound perfect for anything that you would use seville oranges for.

Thanks for the suggestion FJT - I did some additional reading up on seville oranges, and I think it is worth a try.