Limoncello Recipe Update

A month or so ago I started making limoncello as a bit of fun. I have just tasted the fruits of my labour, sitting in the garden, in the sunshine and it is to die for!

I shared the recipe I was using on my blog when I started making the limoncello and you can see that post here:

http://mumskitchengarden.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/home-made-limoncello.html

It's turned out beautiful and I can't wait to share it with family and friends.

Growing sweet peas in containers

I love sweet peas, their pretty colors and best of all their gorgeous fragrance!
I have great childhood memories of my dad growing them on enormous trellises and then picking bunches for mum and I.
I have tried to grow them since, without a lot of luck. Big trellises don't work in my garden and the dwarf sweet pea plants just flopped over all their neighbors in the garden, to the detriment of those plants.
When visiting a friend I saw a great idea. She had planted sweet peas around the edge of a large, round tub. Then she had made a teepee shape with fine twigs tied at the top. She then trained the sweet peas up the twigs.
I copied this idea last year and when they flowered they were beautiful. I had put the pot by the front door so the fragrance wafted into the house.
This year I was lucky enough to find a large frame at a garage sale and have used that.
The first rings were a bit high for my little plants to attach to, so I used some meat skewers and twine to give them a "leg up" so to speak!


Planting in a pot seems to help keep the bugs away that are very fond of soft little leaves. I am hoping for a lovely display again this year.



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Cajun calamari

I love salt and pepper squid( calamari) but I have done a variation that I really like. I still do the usual prep, flour then egg, but the final coat is fine polenta with a spoonful of Cajun spices and a little salt mixed through it. How much cajun you put in depends on your own taste levels. Start with a teaspoon of cajun and try it.
The picture below is the coated squid rings ready to fry.



I shallow fry it. When cooked, a generous squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice, a side salad, a glass of wine and enjoy.
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Preserved lemons

I love preserved lemons. I make a delicious salad dressing with them and also a tangy breadcrumb crust for fish. Here is my very simple recipe for this very useful addition to the pantry.
The first task is to find organic lemons, the best are those from someone you knows tree. They must be unwaxed. Wash them to get rid of any dust or spray. Cut off the stem and the point at the other end and then quarter the lemons.



Prepare your glass jars for the lemons. Make sure they have a tight fitting lid and that they are scrupulously clean. They must be sterilized and I find the easiest way to do this is to put about a tablespoon of water in the glass jar ( do not put the lid on) and microwave on high for approx one minute. Take care when removing from the microwave as it is very hot. Drain the water out and the jar is ready.
I always wear gloves when I do this for two reasons. One to keep everything clean and secondly the salt is very drying on your skin.
I pack salt around each quarter and put in the jar, I use the handle of a wooden spoon to position the lemon quarters.



I wedge the lemon quarters tightly in layers in the jar and then on top of each layer I put a generous layer of salt.
Keep going till the jar is full.



Juice enough lemons so that you can fill the jar with lemon juice.



I use a skewer to release air bubbles as I pour in the lemon juice, once no more bubbles come out you will know you have got rid of all the air bubbles. Clean around the top of the jar with paper towel. I then put a piece of baking paper over the jar so that the metal lid is not in contact with the lemon juice.
Now put them away in a dark cupboard for six weeks.
And as they say here is one I prepared six weeks earlier.


In the picture below I have scraped the pith and lemon from the skin. This is shown on the right, on the left are the skins which I will use in recipes. Once I have opened the jar I keep it in the fridge.



This is my preserved lemon salad dressing recipe.
Put all the ingredients in a glass jar and shake well. Keeps well in the fridge.
1/2 cup of light salad oil
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup of white vinegar
1 dessert spoon of sugar
2-3 of the lemon skins finely chopped.
1/2 teaspoon of the preserved lemon juice.
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Home made Limoncello

I have long been a fan of this delectable Italian liqueur so, since I had a lot of lemons, I decided to make some.
It was very simple and here is the recipe that I used.
1 bottle of vodka
9 lemons preferably organic and definitely not waxed.
350 gm of sugar
150 ml of water.
The first step was to rinse the lemons to ensure there was no dust or dirt on them. The recipe said to grate the zest off of the lemons but I found that too much of the bitter pith was coming off too.



I reverted to peeling the zest off very thinly with a vegetable peeler. The water and sugar went into a saucepan and I dissolved the sugar over a gentle heat. (Stir and watch this well or it will either boil over or catch).
Once the sugar was dissolved, I removed it from the heat and allowed it to cool. Now I needed to sterilise a large jar with a tight fitting lid and I have always found the easiest way to do this, is to put a small amount of water in the jar and microwave for 1 minute.
Be careful removing the jar from the microwave as it is vey hot. Tip out the water and you are ready to go.



I added the lemon zest to the sterilised jar and poured in the vodka. Once the sugar syrup was cool, added that to the jar too. Gave it a good stir and put the lid on and placed the jar in a cool dark place, where it will need to stay for 30 days.
Twice a week I will need to take it out and place the jar on a flat surface and spin gently several times so that the contents are mixed.
In a months time I am to strain the contents of the jar through muslin or a fine sieve to get rid of the zest. I will then be able to, hopefully, bottle my lovely Limoncello. I did sneak a taste and it was very good already!
And so as to not waste all the lemons that I only used the zest from, I juiced them and made lemon ice locks. When frozen I will transfer them to a Tupperware container and they will be great for drinks or for when lemons are scarce.



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Gorgonzola cream sauce

Gorgonzola cream sauce. Spectacularly simple. In fact when I was told about this recipe, my usual " that's never going to work " thought process kicked in. However I tried it with great success. All you do is bring cream to boiling point and then add chopped Gorgonzola to the hot cream. A small amount of gorgonzola goes a long way !
Stir till the cheese melts and then serve over pasta or vegetables. I made a roast pumpkin pasta dish and poured the cream sauce over it. It was so good!


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Lebanese spiced eggplant

Recently I tasted a great eggplant spread at the markets in Darwin. It was served on zattar bread with labnah on top. A squeeze of fresh lime juice completed this wonderful taste treat.
I wanted to recreate it when I got home,but I did not have a lot of luck finding a recipe. I had thought that pomegranate molasses was part of the recipe and I managed to track down a bottle. Let's just say I think this must be an acquired taste!
After trial and error I have developed my own recipe. The family loves it!
It's very simple and the taste intensifies the longer it is left.



First I peeled the eggplants ( I had two large eggplants) and sliced them thinly. I sprinkled the sliced eggplant with a dessert spoon of ground coriander,a dessert spoon of ground cummin, a dessert spoon of Cajun spices and salt to taste. Finally I added a tablespoon of minced garlic and a good slug of local Fleurieu peninsula olive oil.



Toss the eggplant to coat all the slices well.
The next step was to char the eggplant.
I found the easiest way to do this was to use my George Forman grill and it was a great success. The oil that drained off I just kept adding back to the eggplant on the grill.






Once it was cooked and had a bit of colour I placed it in a covered container, added about a tablespoon of a really good aged balsamic and a little more olive oil. Keep it in the fridge. It would probably last about a week or it might last longer but I wouldn't know, I ate it all in 4 days.
I bought a wonderful loaf of artisan bread from "The Wild Loaf " at the Adelaide Central Market. Their new quinoa and chia seed loaf was the perfect base for my spread. Bread sliced thinly, topped with my eggplant and labneh, a generous squeeze of lime juice and it was wonderful. Even if I say so myself!


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