Ingredient Title Chef Category

Lemons are not just another pretty fruit

Did you know that there are lemons in this world that are so sweet they can simply be eaten on their own sprinkled with sugar or salt or enjoyed simply with olive oil and vinegar? Squeezing lemon juice onto leafy salads or onto steak, pork or chicken to bring out the flavor of the meat, has long been a practice of lemon lovers. Lemon, like salt enhances the flavor of other foods.

Uses for lemon juice

--When lemons are inexpensive, buy a bunch and extract the juice. Freeze it either in an ice cube tray, so that you can squeeze a cube out as needed, or in small jars such as empty mustard or spice jars. This is so much better than commercial lemon juice.

--Squeeze a wedge into a bowl of chicken soup (with vegetables, rice or noodles). Then plop the whole wedge in so that the aromatic oils of the skin perfume the soup.

--When frying artichokes, add thin slices of lemons, lightly tossed in a little flour, to the hot oil, to brighten up the entire dish. The crunchy lemons and artichokes are a delicious duo.

--When serving boiled or steamed artichokes stir lemon juice into butter or mayonnaise and dip each leaf in before scraping the meat off with your teeth.

--When preparing lentils, add lots of sliced garlic, chopped onion, carrot, parsley and any leafy green such as kale or spinach to the cooking lentils. Flavor the mixture with salt, pepper and cumin and let each person flavor their portion with a big squirt of lemon. If you have just turned this into lentil soup, float a slice of lemon on top of each portion when you serve.

--You can make a low-calorie dessert topping by mixing low-fat yogurt with lemon zest and sugar or a sweetener.

--Mix ricotta or small curd cottage cheese with grated lemon zest, vanilla and sugar, honey or another sweetener. Stir in golden raisins and chill before serving.

--When you have a cold, treat yourself with hot tea adding honey and lemon.

Preserved lemons

These salty wedges will keep for months in the refrigerator and are a delicious addition to any dish that likes lemon, that means almost any salad or pasta dish. You eat both skin and flesh.

Lemons, cut in quarters

Salt, 1 tablespoon Kosher per lemon

Remove seeds from lemon quarters. Place in plastic bag and freeze overnight. The next day put quarters into a glass or ceramic bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt per lemon. Do not use iodized salt. Cover the bowl and refrigerate. Stir once a day for seven days. At the end of that time you will have perfectly preserved lemons that will keep for months tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Preserved Lemon-Tuna Salad

The preserved lemon gives a salty-tangy punch to the salad. A simple salad is suddenly unique.

1 can tuna
1/2 preserved lemon, flesh and peel
2 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 scallions, finely chopped
Parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, or more
Lemon juice, to taste
Salt and pepper
Mixed greens

Drain tuna and fork it into chunks. Add preserved lemon, mayonnaise, olive oil, scallions, parsley and mustard. Mix and serve on mixed greens. Makes 2 servings.

Versatile Lemon Pasta

An easy dish that you can enhance with grated cheese and/or ricotta cheese. Or, toss a handful of frozen shrimp into the pot when the pasta is almost done, then toss with the lemon and olive oil dressing. A quick and tasty lunch.

14 ounces of pasta shells, penne or any shape
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, grated zest and juice
3 scallions, both green and white parts
Chopped parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Remove 1/2 cup of cooking water, then drain past well. Toss hot pasta with olive oil, lemon zest and juice, thin slices of the scallions and parsley. Gradually toss in a few spoonfuls of the hot cooking water; season and enjoy. Makes 4 servings.

Chicken with Lemon

Lemon juice is used instead of wine for the pan juices.
8 chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 slices prosciutto, thin sliced bacon, or bits of ham
Sage, fresh if possible or 1/4 teaspoon dried
4 garlic cloves, not peeled
1 lemon's juice (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 chicken broth or water

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a dry, heavy frying pan place the thighs skin-side down and brown over medium heat, letting the fatty skin and bits of fat melt and brown the chicken on the first side. Turn pieces over and brown second side a bit. Chicken will not be cooked through. Remove chicken and add olive oil to the pan, then lightly cook the prosciutto and remove it from the pan. Return chicken to pan, top with sage leaves or sprinkle lightly with dried sage, then add the prosciutto and garlic. Cover tightly and cook over low heat until chicken is done on one side, then turn and repeat. You want chicken cooked through but moist and juicy. This should take about 20 to 25 minutes. Squeeze lemon over top of chicken and then add about 1/2 cup of broth or water and cook over medium high heat until it forms a thin flavorful glaze (just a few minutes). Makes 4 servings.

And who does not love lemon desserts?

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