Squeezed or reduced to zest: the lemon gives freshness and aroma to many dishes, from risotto to pasta, from meat to fish to desserts. Here are five recipes to use it
Lemon is a very versatile ingredient which can be used in the kitchen for a thousand preparations, from first courses to desserts. There are different varieties of lemons, the best known are the Common Femminiello, the White Zagara, the Syracusan, that of Sorrento and the Monachello. Some have a thicker skin than others and a more intense color. Lemon is used to flavor foods such as salads, fish, meat or desserts and is often used instead of salt to season vegetables.
A lemon, many properties
Lemons are very important source of vitamin C, they have antioxidant and anticancer properties and they are one of the foods anti-cholesterol for excellence. An oil is obtained from the lemon seeds, useful both in cooking and in cosmetics. Lemon juice is also used as antioxidant for food: often the cut vegetables are dipped in a mixture of water and lemon because it does not lose its bright color. Lemon is also excellent antiseptic and bactericidal. It is also a valid aid for those with few immune defenses as it is able to "increase" the production of white blood cells.
Here are our recipes with lemon
Risotto With Lemon
A first course with flavors and a very delicate fragrance, which will solve your dinner in a short time. Prepare the sauté with shallot and butter. Add the rice to toast, sprinkle with a dash of white wine and then add the zest of two untreated lemons. Add some vegetable stock and cook the rice. A few minutes after the end of cooking, add the filtered lemon juice, not too big, stir, stir for a few minutes and serve with chopped parsley.
Mint, almond and lemon pesto
An excellent cream to season pasta but also to serve on toasted bread as an appetizer. Blend almonds, fresh mint, the zest of two untreated lemons, half a clove of garlic and grated Parmesan. Add extra virgin olive oil and mix well. If you have to add it to the pasta, add a tablespoon of cooking water before seasoning it.
Spaghetti bottarga and lemon
Spaghetti alla bottarga is a summer must, a type of condiment that pleases or dislikes without half measures. The bottarga should be chosen whole, to be grated directly on the spaghetti (which must be of excellent quality, bronze drawn to better collect the seasoning) excellent to be enjoyed with a glass of soft wine but with a long persistence, like a Planeta Chardonnay, given the seasoning characteristics. Then boil the water, throw the pasta in it and when it is cooked, drain it and season it with the grated bottarga, the rinds of an untreated lemon and extra virgin olive oil. Mix well and serve.
limoncello
To contend for the origin of this typical Neapolitan liqueur are three enchanting places: Sorrento, Amalfi and Capri. However, it is prepared with untreated lemon peels, which must be left to macerate for about 3 months in alcohol and sugar syrup. The recipe includes 8 untreated lemons, 1 liter of water, 1 liter of alcohol at 95 ° and 700 g of sugar. Remove the peel from the lemons and leave to macerate in 700 cl of alcohol for a month. After this period, add the other alcohol and the syrup obtained by heating the water with the sugar. Let it cool. Mix everything and let it rest for 50 days in a cool, dark place. After this time, filter the liquor to remove any impurities and bottle it. The limoncello is preserved in the freezer and served iced at the end of the meal.
Leaf filled with lemon mousse
A delicate and fresh dessert, quick to prepare. First mix 100 g of egg whites, 100 g of icing sugar, 100 g of 00 flour, 100 g of soft butter and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Put this mixture in spoonfuls on a baking sheet covered with oven, spreading them to disc, and bake at 180 ° for a few minutes. When the disks have become golden, remove them from the oven and shape them over an inverted bowl. Separately, mix an egg, 5 egg yolks, 100 g of sugar, 50 g of soft butter and 40 g of filtered lemon juice in a container. Cook in a double boiler over low heat and let the cream thicken. Let cool and then add 300 g of whipped cream, stir and distribute the mousse in the waffles. Serve after sprinkling with lemon zest.
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