When Life Gives You Lemons, Preserve Them

Eight years ago, Scott and I were installing cabinets at a home.  I couldn't help but notice, a huge jar of beautiful yellow lemons.  I inquired about them and was educated on the process of preserving lemons.  For years the couple taught school in Morocco, where preserved lemons are a staple in Moroccan cooking.  The vision of those lemons, stayed on my mind and I knew someday I would have to try it myself.

That day has come.  And what a treat!  Two very simple ingredients and a little patience and you can make magic too.  Start with organic lemons, because you will, in the end, be eating the entire lemon, so you want them to chemical free (no radioactive lemons please).  I started with four organic lemons to a 1 liter jar.  Start by slicing off the top and bottom of each lemon, just enough to flatten each end.  You don't have to slice deep into the flesh.  Then set your lemon on one of those flat spots and slice down the center to the bottom, but don't slice all the way through, leave it together by a 1/2" inch or more.  Then make another slice just like that one, so the top view is forming an X, or four equal quadrants, again not slicing all the way through.  Next take sea salt and generously pour the salt into the cuts you just made.  Squish and pack lots of the salt into the lemon flesh.  Do this over a bowl, so you can work easier, but still reserve any salt or juice.  After the lemon is well packed with salt, add it to the jar and continue the process with all of the lemons.  Have a few extra lemons on hand to juice into the packed jar, if more liquid is needed to top it off.  The lemons should be submerged in salt and juice. Leave this lovely mixture sit on the counter at room temp, and once a day smash on them a bit and turn the jar upside down a few times.  You will do this for 6 weeks.  If you start to loose juice, just add some more, you want your lemons to remain covered.  As you care for your lemons, you will notice something beautiful taking place.  Your lemons will take on a softness and the juice they are bathing in, will become a lovely syrup.  

After the transformation, to something beautiful, they are ready to use.  I have found some recipes to use these beauties in, but have yet to try them.  I will have to get back to you on those, but what I can report, is wonderful.  We have been grilling chicken lately in the rotisserie basket Scott got for Father's Day.  Marinating chicken legs in a mixture of finely diced preserved lemons, fresh cracked pepper, fresh thyme, and a little olive oil.  No need to use salt, the lemons add enough saltiness on their own.  The salty, citrus flavor pierces the chicken and favors it wonderfully.  If you are the type of person that peels the skin off your chicken, because you don't eat the skin, with this dish you would only pull the skin off to save it for dessert.  And I'm not even joking.  So yummy.  Last night we did a whole organic chicken on the rotisserie.  I diced up a quarter of a preserved lemon, some fresh thyme and fresh cracked pepper.  I slid my hand between the breast meat and skin on the chicken and smeared this delicious mixture between the two.  Fabulous!

These lemons have become a staple in our house and if you give them a chance, I'm guessing you will love them too.....

Not Your Mama's

I have this potato salad I whip up regularly.  It's really yummy.  I talk about it in an earlier post (A Potato Salad Kinda Day).  It's a good ol' stand-by and nothin' like the kind you get at the deli counter.  I decided to mix it up a bit and forge into new territory.  How about Bacon Ranch Potato Salad?  Oh yeah, Bacon Ranch it is.  Boil up a couple pounds of red potatoes, in generously salted water.  While the spuds are cooling make up the creamy dressing.  2/3 cups mayo, 1/4 cup buttermilk, 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar, one finely chopped clove of garlic, 2 chopped scallions, 1 teaspoon of sugar and salt and pepper to taste.  Chop up 1/2 -1 cup celery, add to the boiled potatoes and toss in the dressing.  To top it all off, add 6 slices of crispy fried bacon.  Yummy.  Not the norm, but could easily become the norm.  Definitely not your mama's potato salad, but definitely sure to please.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Orecchiette.  Little ear.  A pasta from Southern Italy, in Italian it means 'Little Ear'.  Isn't that cute.  Pasta shaped like little ears.  Listen up.  We really are not here to talk about how "cute" this pasta is.  We are talkin' about how tasty this pasta is.  We needed a quick meal and I only took the chicken out of the freezer at 4 PM.  My Scottie, after a partial defrost, charcoal grilled up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  He seasoned them with only lemon pepper and garlic salt.  Grilled them so they were still really juicy inside.  I whipped up a quick pan sauce.  I thinly sliced up three green onions (greens and whites), chopped three cloves garlic and added to my pan with some olive oil.  Sauteed a bit, added some Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and a generous sprinkling of red pepper flakes.  I then made a mixture of 1 1/4 cups cream, one egg yolk and the zest of one lemon.  I brought the pan temp down a bit and whisked this mixture into the onion mixture, let it thicken up some and added about 1/4 cup sour cream (just because I wanted to use it up) and 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese.  I cooked up the Orecchiette to al dente and added it to the creamalicious sauce, tossed in the grilled chicken, garnished with fresh chopped Italian parsley and more parmesan cheese and there you have it.  Little ears with Scottie grilled chicken in a creamalicious sauce.  Yummy.  Everyone loved it.  Your family will love it too.  Thanks for listening.

Hoochie Mama

Yowzers.  Might not the prettiest thing, but very good.  Very, very good.  The kinda good that keeps ya coming back for more.  Taco burgers tonight.  On Saturday I made fresh guacamole.  It was screaming to be slathered on something other than chips.  How about a burger?  I took 2 1/2 pounds of ground beef and added a packet of taco seasoning.  Made some patties that Scott charcoal grilled to perfection and I'm just getting started.  I made homemade cracked wheat burger buns, added the grilled burger with melted pepper jack cheese, topped it off with homemade guacamole, sour cream and a few Doritos, and you got yourself one yummy meal.  You could add some taco sauce, black olives or salsa too.  Depends on how high you want to stack it.  Sure to please.  Everyone loved it.  If you are licking the screen right now, I know you would love it too.

Shell Or No Shell, That Is The Question

Actually the answer to the question, lies within.  So I made this really simple and delicious meal last night.  Four different components to this meal.  I like meals that are just simple, basic ingredients, good for you, balanced and yet it feels like you are in a fancy restaurant.  Grilled shell-on shrimp, grilled fresh pineapple slices, grilled fresh green beans and garlic buttered bow tie pasta with fresh basil, parsley and shaved Parmesan cheese.  When I say "grilled", I really mean "wood fire grilled to perfection".  I tossed the shrimp in olive oil, lemon pepper, Old Bay seasoning and Kosher salt.  Sliced up one whole pineapple and grilled them in the buff.  Whole green beans with Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute and a drizzle of olive oil.  Boiled up the pasta and tossed it in a pan with butter and fresh garlic and just before serving I tossed in the chopped fresh basil and Italian parsley and topped it all off with shaved Parmesan.  So, back to the question...I have never made shrimp with the shell-on.  I always buy it raw, but never with the shell-on.  The fish dude behind the counter was talking to us about "the shell is where the flavor is".  I must agree with the fish dude.  He knows what he is talking about.  There was a distinct difference between shell-on and shell-off shrimp.  Super easy to peel the shells off and it keeps the shrimp from drying out.  Yummy, all the food groups, and smiles on the faces.  What could be better then that?  So, the answer to the question is shell-on.  You must always leave the shells-on.

Pretty In Pink

I've been slacking.  Busy and away, no time to play-boo hoo.  Sorry about that.  I can't promise regular posts in the summer.  I just can't.  When I have something exceptional, I will share it though.  Never fear, I'm not holding out on you.

Sophia turned six on Sunday.  I asked her what kind of cake she wanted, like I always do.  I let the kids choose the cake flavor and I surprise them with a theme.  Sophia stretches me.  In more ways than one.  She helps me think outside the box.  Love that kid.  Two years ago she requested carrot cake.  Huh?  A four year old asking for carrot cake?  She got carrot cake, and I might add, it was one of the better cakes I have ever made.  Thinking her tastes might have matured, being six and all, I was expecting spice cake with maple nut ice cream this year.  You never know with her.  This year we were back to child-like requests.  Strawberry cake.  Having never made such a cake, I had to do a little investigation.  I found a great recipe.  Not as "from scratch" as I would like, but delicious all the same.  Strawberry Cake with fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting.  It even sounds pretty.  While away to the North Shore a few weeks ago, I found a treasure of an antique shop.  Not a "junk" shop with everything piled on top of everything piled on top, but a sweet spot.  It's an old house, just decorated with antique and vintage items, beautifully displayed, almost as if someone lived there.  Very nice.  Anyway, I spotted this two tiered plate stand and immediately my wheels were set into motion.  I left it to ponder (like I always do), and knew I could not shake it, so it had to be mine.  I went back a few days later as we were leaving town, I figured if it was still there, it was meant to be.  SCORE!  When I got home I found the perfect color melamine plates to fit in the holder, at Tuesday Morning, in the clearance section.  Another SCORE!  It was coming together quite nicely.  I have a little glass vial flower vase that I filled with water and garden roses and stuck the vase down into the middle of the cake.  Perfectly pink, pretty and very girly for my six year old.  The recipe for the cake goes like this...Combine one package of white cake mix and one three ounce box of strawberry jello.  Beat in 1/2 cup vegetable oil, four lightly beaten room temperature eggs, 1/4 cup water and 3/4 cup mashed, fresh strawberries.  Pour into two greased and floured 9" round pans (I also take the extra precaution to add a parchment layer to the bottom of the pan).  Cake that breaks apart, while taking it out of the pan, makes me crabby-so you live and learn.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool and frost with the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting.  The frosting is delicious and easy.  Beat 1/4 cup unsalted room temperature butter with 8 ounces room temperature cream cheese until combined and creamy.  Beat in 1/4 cup pureed fresh strawberries and half a bag of powdered sugar.  You can adjust the amount of sugar depending on the consistency you are looking for.  The cake was light and moist and delicious, and such a nice surprise to occasionally run into a piece of real strawberry.
There you have it.  I was happy, my guests were happy and Sophia was happy.  And on that day, she's the only one that mattered anyway :)

Caramel With A Kick

Hopped up ice cream.  Oh yeah.  We celebrated Mother's Day with my family for brunch and Scott's mom for supper.  For supper we made a chicken on our rotisserie.  I seasoned it up and slid some lemon slices under the skin.  I didn't think it would do much, but it was worth a try.  Really good.  The lemon flavor really came through.  Each slice of chicken had a little bit of the lemon with the peel, cooked soft and it melted in your mouth.  Served with baby potatoes that I picked up at Trader Joes.  When I say baby, I mean more like preemie.  These potatoes were no bigger than a quarter in size.  I roasted and seasoned them with kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, butter and fresh chives.  Made a nice garden salad with homemade dressing, made of sunflower oil, pear infused vinegar, fresh cracked pepper, fig preserves and whole grain mustard.  Really yummy.  I wanted to make a special dessert to go with this special meal, but I didn't want to spend the whole day in the kitchen.  After all, I am a mother too.  I decided to make a really special topping for really boring vanilla ice cream.  The kind of topping that makes you want to suck it up with a straw and forget the ice cream all together.  (I know it's crossed your mind too).  So there you have it.  Vanilla Ice Cream with Espresso-Caramel Sauce.  Take 1/2 cup water and add it to a saucepan.  Add 1 cup of sugar to the water and swirl.  Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.  Increase the heat to high and cook covered until the mixture turns light brown, about 3-7 minutes.  Remove the lid and continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture turns a dark amber color, about 2-4 minutes.  Immediately remove the pan from the heat and slowly and carefully stir in 3/4 cup heavy cream, it will bubble up.  Stir until the sauce is smooth.  Pour the caramel into a small, heatproof bowl and add 3 tablespoons espresso and 1 tablespoon Kahlua-the Kahlua is optional.  Drizzle over vanilla ice cream and you've got yourself a pretty great dessert.  I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.  This dessert screams, "THANKS MOM FOR ALL YOU DO".  Happy Mother's Day.