Showing posts with label lemon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lemon. Show all posts

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Lemon & Ginger Marmalade

You may remember that last year I was busy making all types of chutneys and jams around Christmas. They went over as fantastic gifts and so I'm re-channeling my Martha and out comes the canning equipment!

We have a Meyer Lemon tree now, and this year have 40 lemons to use up. They are large and slighly sweeter than shop lemons and make perfect marlmalade.



This recipe was from Fine Cooking Magazine.. and very delicious it is too

This golden-hued marmalade is right at home on toast, but it's also divine stirred into plain yogurt or dolloped on coconut ice cream. Find pectin where canning supplies are sold--try supermarkets or hardware stores--or online at canningpantry.com.


Servings: 5-1/2 to 6 cups

1-1/2 to 2 pounds lemons (6 to 8 medium)

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh ginger

One 1-3/4 - ounce package powdered pectin

6-1/2 cups granulated sugar

Directions

1. Peel the zest from the lemons with a vegetable peeler, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible. Slice the zest strips crosswise very thinly at an angle to make strips about 1/16 inch wide by 1 inch long--you'll need 1 cup of zest strips. Put the zest in a 4-quart (or larger) saucepan.
2. Trim the ends from the zested lemons to expose the flesh. With one cut side down on the cutting board, trim the pith off the lemon all the way around and discard the pith. Quarter the lemons lengthwise and remove any visible membranes and seeds. Slice the wedges crosswise 1/4 inch thick-you'll need about 1-1/2 cups.
3. Add the sliced lemons, ginger, and 2 cups water to the lemon zest. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, adjust the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the zest is soft and the membranes start to break down, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Whisk the pectin into the mixture. Increase the heat to high, add the sugar, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly to smooth lumps. Boil vigorously for 1 minute, whisking constantly (move the pan off the burner momentarily if it threatens to boil over). Remove the pan from the heat and let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. 5. Skim any foam and seeds off the surface of the marmalade. Stir gently to redistribute the solids. Transfer the marmalade to heatproof storage containers, let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for up to 1 month.
6. For longer storage at room temperature, can the marmalade. See the canning directions below.

To can the marmalade:

Transfer the hot marmalade to clean, hot canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace in each jar, and wipe the edges clean with a paper towel. Screw the lids on tightly. Put the jars in a large pot of water fitted with a rack insert. The water should completely cover the jars by at least 2 inches. Return the jars to the pot of water and make sure the water covers them by at least 2 inches. Boil, covered, for 10 minutes. Use tongs to remove the jars; let them cool undisturbed on the counter. You should hear a popping sound as the jars cool, indicating that the vacuum seals have worked.



Check out the recipe section

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Chicken, Spinach & Blue Cheese Pasta Sauce

My friend Anne is staying with me and this is one of the first dishes I ever made her...it's quick, super tasty and you can pretend it's good for you because of the spinach!!

Serves 4
Prep Time 10 mins
Cooking Time 20 mins

Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 large white onion, finely chopped
  • 3 large chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 1 bag baby spinach leaves (170g)
  • 1 tsp dried Herbs de Provence
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 8oz (227g) low fat sour cream
  • 1/2 cup heavy (double) cream
  • 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
  • 1/3 cup of chopped fresh herbs (I grow Thyme, Basil and Oregano at home so I mixed these)
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  1. In a large non stick saucepan heat the olive oil on a medium heat and then add the garlic & onion and saute for 5 mins, stirring to prevent burning.
  2. Add the chicken, salt & pepper, lemon zest and herbs de provence, cook for an additional 5 mins
  3. Add the sour cream, heavy cream and blue cheese. Cook down for an additional 5 mins. The cream should reduce by half
  4. Add the spinach and herbs and cover for the last 5 minutes, stirring half way through. The spinach will wilt down, don't worry if it looks alot!
Serve with some penne or spaghetti and some Garlic Garlic Garlic Bread

Enjoy


Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Garlic, Garlic, Garlic Bread

When you are married to a 6’5 construction worker you need to keep him well fed and I serve this gorgeous garlic bread with my pasta dishes….however this is so good it rarely even makes it to the table…you won’t ever buy shop garlic bread again!!! It's the lemon that gives it that extra kick.






Serves 4 people
Preparation Time 5 mins
Cooking Time 5 mins


Ingredients

  • French baguette sliced into ½ inch pieces at an angle.
  • Zest & Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon Italian dried herb mix
  • 4 large garlic cloves minced or grated
  • 50 grams of butter
  • 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Ground Black Pepper
  • 150g mixed Italian cheeses (you can buy mixed bags at supermarket, but regular cheddar will get the job done too if you can't access any Italian cheeses!!)
1. Combine the butter, oil, herbs, zest and juice of lemon, pepper and garlic in either a microwaveable bowl or a saucepan.
2. Heat gently until butter melted
3. Lay the bread slices on a baking sheet – use foil to save scraping burnt cheese off later.
4. Pour a little butter mixture on to each slice (use a brush if easier)
5. Cover each slice with cheese
6. Place until a medium grill (broil) until cheese melted and bread is crispy

Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Lemony Chicken

This goes great with the Mediterranean couscous, but is great with salad to..






Serves 4 people
Preparation Time 5 mins
Cooking Time 10 mins


Ingredients
  • 4 Chicken breasts
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
  • Juice and Zest of 1 lemon
  • Salt and Ground Black Pepper

1. Slice the chicken breasts in large goujons
2. Combine all the other ingredients and leave for 20-30 mins to marinade
3. Heat a non-stick grill pan, broil (grill) or barbeque in the summer
4. Cook chicken on both sides and serve hot.

Enjoy

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