Currently viewing the tag: "lemon"

This is a satisfying main course salad with plenty of crunch and lots of umami flavor, thanks to the roasted mushrooms and the roasted chicken. This recipe is based around the roasted chickens you find at the store or any leftover chicken you have on hand. Using a Ben-Riner or other fixed blade slicer makes the prep for this salad fly. You could even slice the vegetables the day before and bag or box them until needed. Tearing the mushrooms with your hands is quick and leaves lots of edges to crisp up and add texture to the dish.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Although this dish originally was made to stuff chicken, it is quite good on it’s own as a side dish. The goat cheese is a nice option, but the dish is fine without it. Pine nuts work well in lieu of pistachios. This stuffing works great in whole chickens, chicken breasts, pork chops, fish, or even big pasta shells.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This dish is great as a combination of two recipes, but the chicken is quite good without the stuffing, and the stuffing makes a nice side dish on its own, as well. Lemon infused olive oil is available at gourmet shops, better grocery stores, and you can find some locally made at various farmer’s markets. Agrumato is an excellent commercial brand and Colline di Santa Cruz is produced in the Santa Cruz area by Valencia Creek Farms. You can even make something that approaches it on your own by infusing oil with just the peel, but it is worth the money to have a bottle of this on hand.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This is a dish inspired by the flavors of Morocco. The nice thing about it is that most of the components are things that last a long time, and you might have them in the back of the refrigerator or the pantry. If you have fresh tomatoes use them, but there is no shame in using good quality canned for this. Using fresh tomatoes will make the dish brighter tasting, and they might take longer to cook down to a sauce consistency.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This is easiest to make using various colored zucchini shaped summer squash, although with a little thought patty-pan and crookneck squash will also work. If your rosemary stalks are not the firmest, run them in with a metal skewer or a bamboo one that has been soaked in water first so it does not ignite.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Use this as a salad dressing for slaw, or on shellfish. It is also great on shaved fennel salads.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Another version of a classic pairing, using blood oranges this time. If blood oranges are not in season, just use another orange or tangerine. The oranges are cut into “suprêmes”, or filets, rather than just rounds as they are more uniform and easier to eat. A mandolin is helpful for shaving the fennel.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Paper thin slices are key to success with this salad, so use your sharpest knife for the lemons and a Ben-Riner or mandolin for the radishes. If you do not have Meyer lemons, Eurekas will work if they are ripe, so look for deep yellow and fragrant ones.

Continue reading »

This dressing was designed for the Radish Meyer Lemon Salad, but would go well with many other things. Perfect with shrimp or grilled swordfish, or grilled chicken or asparagus. Nice on fava beans too. If you want to keep this dressing for more than a couple days, strain it through a fine mesh strainer to remove the mint shreds which will discolor and start to taste swampy after a couple days.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This is a fairly quick and easy pasta to put together. A whole grain noodle is nice because of the extra chew. Barilla makes one called “Plus” that is easy to find, tastes good, and cooks up nicely. The lemon gives it a nice bright flavor.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This basic dressing uses lemon juice bolstered with a little rice vinegar for acid. The vinegar adds balance to the lemon juice, which can sometimes be harsh, especially when combined with a sharp Tuscan style extra-virgin olive oil. If your lemons are really tart, you could use all lemon juice. You can also use water to lower the acidity if you do not want to use a vinegar.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Here is a variation of the beet and kale salad. Using a mandolin for this is ideal, but a grater could be used, although the beets will bleed and the apples will break down more rapidly.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Chickpeas are also called garbanzo beans, ceci, and are a close relative to the Indian chana dal. This dish is a Moroccan tagine, but can fill in for an Indian dish in a pinch.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This is my version of a popular marinade and sauce found all over northern Africa, particularly Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Used as a marinade for fish, meat, and vegetables, it is also used as a dip.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This is a part of classic cuisine that adds lots of wonderful flavor without fuss. It is also a great “go to” item for when you are pressed for time but still want something flavorful on the plate. It can be used as a base for a quick pan sauce or beurre blanc as well. Make this and store it in the freezer–it is like money in the bank. This butter takes advantage of the fresh mineral and herbaceous quality of parsley. As this is a simple recipe, it relies on the best ingredients for success. This compound butter is a classic for topping fish and steaks, but is good for a quick pasta, shrimp, or with vegetables.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This dish is based on something from, I think, a Pierre Franey book a roomie had 30 or more years ago. I am not a huge fan of mayo on sandwiches, but I do love to use it as part of other things like dressing or this lovely golden glaze for fish. Really, there is only a little mayo per person, so it is not such a bad thing, and it glazes beautifully under the broiler. This dish can be prepped and cooked in the amount of time it takes to cook a pot of rice, and is a great way to show off the unique flavor of dill.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

These appear in many Moroccan and Middle Eastern dishes, as well as elsewhere. They add a lemony tartness and imbue dishes with lemon fragrance as well, but they are subtler. Typically, only the skin is used with the pulp being discarded. Some preparations call for pureeing the skin, which adds a silkiness to the dish.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Not sure what to call this. Not quite a sauce, not quite a salad. I guess I’d call it a condiment or topping, which is how this came to life. I had a bunch of Meyer lemons to use up, and was looking for something to top some grilled fish with, and stumbled onto this idea. This won’t really work with other lemons as they are too sour and the rind is usually too thick. Look for Meyers with the thinnest skin, or cut back a little on the amount of lemon you use. Try this on grilled fish or chicken, pan seared scallops, or toss with boiled shrimp. Goes well with broccoli and pasta, too. You will want to use a very sharp knife for this recipe!

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 
INGREDIENTS:
for salad:
1 lb beets (preferably chioggia), trimmed and peeled
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted pistachio nutmeats

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Baby artichokes aren’t “baby” really; it just refers to size, which is a result of where they grow on the plant. These come from lower down the stem inside the vegetation. For this recipe, the “chokes should be smaller, but this recipe will work just as well with medium sized artichokes.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces linguine
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cups thinly sliced leeks (including some dark green parts)
1/2 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

My take on a classic. I think the lemon brightens the dish considerably.  Yeah, I know, the dish has cream, but if you consider that you are only eating a couple tablespoons at a time, and it is on vegetables, it really isn’t so much. Reducing cream for the sauce is quicker than making a roux for béchamel, and doesn’t use any butter, so you come out ahead I’d say. This cream sauce would go brilliantly with peas.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

Gremolata is the traditional topping for osso bucco made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley all chopped finely and mixed. I like to riff on that, varying the herbs and adding breadcrumbs or nuts. I also think that summer squash is always enhanced by dry cooking methods such as roasting.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, divided

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

I like my tabbouleh good and green. I use a lot of mint if I have it, or I just use flat leaf parsley if I don’t. If tomatoes are in season, I use them as well. If not, well-I just don’t use them, but only use good tomatoes as there is nowhere for a lousy tomato to hide here. I find tabbouleh a great way to use up the lemons on my Meyer lemon tree when it goes into overdrive, and tabbouleh keeps for a couple days so it helps when I need something fast. Look for bulghur in bulk bins instead of boxes. It is usually fresher and tends to be a slightly larger grain which I prefer.

Continue reading »

Tagged with:
 

This is a brightly flavored “salad” that tastes fresh and is colorful as well. A little more substantial than a green salad, it works as a side dish on the plate. You could even sauté the carrots lightly in the dressing, tossing the herbs in right at service.

Continue reading »

Tagged with: