Food & Drink : Cathy ’ s Kitchen
Images provided by Cathy Katavich
Herb-roasted fish with Meyer lemon vinaigrette served lemon . It ’ s easy to do , and very worthwhile . Nothing delivers the essence of lemon quite like preserved lemons . The salt mellows the sour flavor and brings out the brightness . They ’ re a staple in Middle Eastern and Moroccan cuisine but can be used in any savory recipe that calls for lemons . Preserved lemons are delicious in creamy pastas , grain salads , braises and grilled fish . Just make sure to rinse them before using .
Ingredients : 4 ripe lemons 1 / 4 cup coarse sea salt Juice of 1 lemon
Scrub the lemons and dry well . Remove the top and tail , cut each into 8 wedges , and remove any seeds . Reserve as much juice as possible . Layer the lemons in a pint sized , wide-mouthed jar , sprinkling each layer with the salt . Pack the jar tightly and top with lemon juice , leaving about ¼ ” headspace . Refrigerate for 4 days , turn the jar over and refrigerate another 4 days . The peel should be nice and soft . Top off with olive oil , if desired , and refrigerate up to 6 months .
Limoncello : Another way to use any extra lemons is to make limoncello , an Italian lemon cordial drink . It ’ s also an indispensable ingredient in my Lemon Drop cocktails ! Most limoncello recipes call for regular lemons , but it ’ s also delicious made with Meyer lemons . If you use regular lemons in this recipe , reduce the number of lemons to 8 large lemons . There are many different regional recipes for limoncello online , and most differ in the amount of sugar . This is the formula I like , but feel free to make it sweeter or tarter .
Ingredients : 12 Meyer lemons 4 cups vodka , 95 proof ( medium quality ) 2 ½ cups sugar 2 cups water
Peel the outer layer of the lemons , avoiding any of the white pith . Put the peels in a jar with a lid that ’ s large enough to hold the vodka . Add the vodka to the peels and close the jar . Put the jar in a dark place and allow the peels to infuse for 30 days .
Strain the peels from the vodka and put the vodka into a jar that holds at least 6 cups . Meanwhile , add the sugar to the water and simmer over low heat until the sugar is dissolved . Cool the sugar syrup then add to the infused vodka . Refrigerate for at least a week before serving . Serve limoncello chilled . Some people keep their limoncello in the freezer . Limoncello is great to drink with a dessert , or as an after-dinner digestive .
Bon Appetit !
69