There’s a scene in the movie “Hud” where Patricia Neal’s character offers an orange to Paul Newman. As she’s about to hand it to him she says, “Look it says ‘Florida’ on it. We grow ’em right here in Texas and they send them in from Florida. That makes sense, doesn’t it?” Paul Newman shakes his head and says, “Yeah.”
“Hud”, which is based on Larry McMurtry’s book “Horseman, Pass By,” is a tale about two generations of West Texas ranchers and their conflicting values—the new versus the old. That orange scene isn’t in the book, and yet it’s one of my favorite fictional conversations about Texas food. Indeed—why in the heck would you buy a Florida orange when they grow them in Texas?
Well, the film takes place in summer and that’s not exactly prime time for Texas citrus. Even though we’re accustomed to eating oranges year round, Rio Grande Valley oranges are only available November through March. So I’ve always thought that the summertime setting of the film might explain why the characters are eating Florida oranges when they’re in Texas. (That is unless there’s some deeper significance to the scene that my inner English major just hasn’t figured out yet.)
But yes, I realize it’s June so why am I talking about oranges? Well, the reason why I mention any of this is when I was flipping through this month's issue of “Everyday Food,” I spotted a chicken recipe that had baked thighs slathered in an orange glaze. It looked appealing, and when I went to the store not only were juice oranges on sale but also were drumsticks. With a few modifications from the original recipe, my dinner plans were confirmed.
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