Tag: lemon

Creamy Cucumber Salad with Lemon

Cucumber salad is super easy to throw together and makes a refreshing side dish on a hot summer day. A lot of recipes use a mayo-vinegar dressing, but I think subbing in lemon for the vinegar adds a nice flavor. For a prettier salad, partially peel your cucumbers lengthwise (creating stripes), so that each slice alternates dark green skin and light green flesh around the edge.

Ingredients

1 lb cucumbers, partially peeled and sliced thin
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
zest and juice (about 2 tbsp) of one lemon
1 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp sugar
pinch cayenne
pepper

In a medium bowl, toss cucumbers in salt. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, in a serving bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, dill, sugar and cayenne. Stir in the cucumbers. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Pictured: Federal Batter Bowl

Honey Lemon Dressing with Preserved Kumquats

We have a huge crop of kumquats this year from our patio tree, so I’ve been trying out some new ways to use them. And since I’ve been into fermentation lately, I preserved a jarful of kumquats in brine with a few spices. The result: a little spiced jewel with the pleasant funkiness of a preserved lemon and a fruity taste somewhere between a sour orange and a sweet tangerine.

Now, what to do with these preserved kumquats? They have cocktail potential, or would be great on a cheese board, but to me salad dressing seemed like the easiest place to start. Here I’ve added them to a basic honey lemon dressing, and the result is so good I think I’ll be making it again and again.

Fermenting kumquats is easy and fun — I used this recipe from the Kraut Source website. But you can also make this dressing with fresh kumquats, leave the kumquats out altogether or use a teaspoon of grated zest from another citrus fruit.

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp honey
2/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp coarse Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 preserved kumquats, thinly sliced (seeds removed)

Whisk together all ingredients except the kumquats, until well combined. Stir in the kumquats, then cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, let sit at room temperature for a few minutes and then whisk before using.

Pictured: Pyrex Spring Blossom 441 Cinderella Mixing Bowl, Fire King Gravy Boat, Hazel Atlas Egg Beater Cup

Roasted Broccoli Stems with Lemon and Parmesan

Broccoli stems often get overlooked — even I’ve been guilty of throwing them away when prepping florets for roasting or steaming. But they are delicious! The outer edges can be very woody, so be sure to peel thoroughly.

Recipe adapted from NY Times Cooking‘s Roasted Broccolini and Lemon with Parmesan.

Serves 4

Ingredients

stems from two bunches of broccoli, peeled and sliced thin lengthwise (about 1/8 inch thick), plus a few sliced florets
half of 1 lemon, sliced thin (seeds removed)
4 garlic cloves, sliced
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss broccoli, lemon and garlic in olive oil until well coated. Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Roast until broccoli is tender and browned on the edges, about 25 minutes.

Pictured: Corning Ware Green Macrame P-332 Roaster