When life gives you lemons...

[queenbarwench]

I frequently make this little smoked salmon pasta thingy for lunch (recipe below, for those that are interested). It requires the zest of a lemon (or a lime works too), but not the juice. So I have all these naked lemons and limes sitting in my fridge and no idea how to use them up. The one dish I use lime juice for also requires the zest and there's a limit to the number of times I can justify having pancakes with lemon and sugar for lunch.

Any suggestions, anyone?

Smoked salmon pasta:
Ingredients per person:

• The zest of half a lemon (or a whole lime)
• One spring onion, finely sliced
• Half a tsp Very Lazy garlic or a small crushed clove
• One tbsp finely grated parmesan
• 50g smoked salmon, sliced and diced
• 2 tbsp single cream. Roughly ground black pepper to taste.

(Note: I cook by the "some" and "a bit" method, so don't worry too much about the quantities here)

Put your pasta on to cook and prepare all your ingredients. If your pasta takes 10 mins to cook you will still have time to empty the dishwasher. When the pasta is about 2 mins from being ready, heat a little olive oil in a small frying pan then add the zest, spring onions and garlic. Fry for a minute on a medium heat then add the cream and salmon. Stir well and leave on the heat while you drain your pasta and return it to the pan. Take the sauce off the heat, add the black pepper and parmesan. Stir well then add to the pasta. Mix it up and serve with a salad if you're feeling healthy.

I use corn pasta and soya cream for this. I'm told it works well with real pasta but I've never tried the sauce with real cream.

While I often think of posts I could make, I very rarely make them. Now I find I have a hundred reasons to post and the inclination to do so. Where's that coming from, I wonder?

Comments

[blnchflr]

Mmm, sounds yummy.

Squeese the lemons and use them as a tonic for your hair/scalp - mix them with a bit of water if pure lemon juice is too harsh for your scalp. I just pour it over my head at the end of a shower; I don't rinse it out. My hair goes a bit stiff, like it has product in it, but that just amuses me :o)

[queenbarwench]

Interesting... What does it do for your hair? I don't want to strip out the dye that's hiding my grey hairs any quicker than it already goes :D

[blnchflr]

It makes my scalp less itchy - it has an annoying tendency to eczema - and makes my hair shiny <3

Right, it probably wouldn't play well with hair dye! Go for cleaning and lemonade instead :o)

[tommyboybbi]

Use the lemon in your cleaning. Lemon juice and water to cook in the microwave for easy scrubbing after it heats up. Lemon juice with vinegar and baking soda down the drains. give a lemon smell in the house.

slow cooker, small whole chicken with a cut onion in the chicken, slathered with a table spoon of butter, wih a 1/4 cup lemon and parsley. Cook till the chicken is ready to fall apart, about 4 to 6 hours

[queenbarwench]

The chicken sounds very tasty but I an lacking a slow cooker. Apparently I need to invest in some additional cooking equipment. And maybe a bigger kitchen...

[celandineb]

There's always lemonade! It takes a surprising amount of lemon juice to make good real lemonade, actually. Approximately equal amounts of lemon juice and sugar, then about 3-4 times as much water as juice. (All to be varied to your taste, and depending on how sour the lemons are.) So for instance:

1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. lemon juice
1-3/4 c. water

Mix well to dissolve sugar (I'd mix sugar and juice to dissolve, then add the water). Pour over ice into a glass.

[queenbarwench]

I will definitely be trying that! Does in need caster sugar or will ordinary granulated do the trick?

[celandineb]

Doesn't matter. Granulated might just take a bit more stirring to dissolve completely, that's all.

[pionie]

I use lime juice to make guacamole, and also a green salsa with green pepper, spring onions, green chilli and coriander. Ooh and also I grill halloumi and squeeze lime juice over it afterwards. Mmm and with dill and yoghurt or fromage frais and horseradish, also over halloumi, but it goes nicely with white fishies for those that eat them. The sauce also goes really well with pasta, plus some soft but not brown onions and wilted spinach. Now I'm seriously hungry.