What to do with a glut of lemons?

[Alan-LaCala]

And please, spare me the obvious answer.

We have inherited a superb and prolific lemon tree here in Spain. Neither my wife nor I drink G&T, so that is no good, and we now have sufficient marmalade/jam to last us and friends for some considerable while.

Any ideas for further uses, including how to make lemonade?

Thanks.

Alan

[silver]

Lemonade is made by boiling some sugar in water (barley can be added)..add juice.
You can store flat, moving occasionaly, freeze the juice, make
Lemon marangue pie..or just sell your lemons at the market.

[keddyboy]

Dont forget lemons are used as a vinegar substitute out here so you might want to donate some to your local venta!!

[safeashouses]

You could try making Microwaved Lemon Curd

100g (4oz) butter
225g (8oz) sugar
175ml (6 fl oz) of lemon juice
grated rind of 3 large lemons
3 eggs

1. Place the butter, sugar, juice and rind in a large bowl. Cook on maximum heat setting, uncovered, for 3 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.
2. Beat the eggs into the mixture. Cook for 5 minutes or until the curd thickens, checking and stirring every minute.
3. Allow to cool before spooning into clean, dry jars.
4. Refrigerate and use within about 10 days.

[Shukran]

Don't forget that a lemon at room temperature will yield more juice than if kept in a fridge. If the lemon is very cold, you can microwave it for a few seconds before squeezing which usually results in twice the amount of juice.

Before juicing, press down firmly and roll the lemon on the kitchen surface to break up the pulp.

I usually freeze the juice in ice cube trays and when frozen I put the cubes in a polythene bag and store in the freezer. I then use them in drinks and some recipes. I also grate or peel thin strips of the peel and again put these in polybags & keep in the freezer. Very handy if you're short of time.

[geegee]

Preserved lemons are delicious in moroccan cuisine and used over here sometimes - get that tagine out! However, don't have a recipe, so if anyone can oblige...

[safeashouses]

Preserved Lemons

Ingredients
25 fresh ripe lemons (preferably unwaxed)
2 handfuls sea salt

Method
1. If using waxed lemons wash the lemons in hot water to remove the waxy coating.
2. Cut them in half, squeeze the juice out then cut into quarters.
3. In a bowl, rub the lemons all over with plenty of sea salt and pack them tightly into sterilised jars and fill to the brim with the lemon juice. Water can be used to top up the liquids if the juice doesn t quite cover the lemons.
4. Preserve for at least 5 weeks.
5. To use the lemons, remove the flesh and pith, and discard. Finely slice or dice the skin.

Tip:
For the last minute, -cheats version of preserved lemons, simply boil some whole lemons in very salty water for about 30 minutes.

[safeashouses]

Chicken Tagine

Ingredients
For chermoula paste:
2 Spanish onions
5 cloves garlic
1 lemon, juiced
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 bunch coriander
sea salt, to season
cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder, to taste
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

olive oil, for cooking
1 whole chicken, chopped into sauté style pieces
1 Spanish onion, chopped into six
2 carrots, chopped into large pieces
1 small yam, chopped into large pieces
2 tbsp honey
small handful black olives
1 preserved lemon, finely chopped (see recipe above)
water or stock
8 fresh dates, stones removed

Method
1. To make the chermoula, simply place all ingredients in a food processor and blend.
2. Marinate the chicken well in the paste.
3. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan . Add the chicken pieces and sauté for a couple of minutes, colouring well on all sides.
4. Add the honey, vegetables, olives and preserved lemon and mix well.
5. Add enough stock or water to cover the chicken and vegetables liberally, and braise until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are soft.
6. Add the dates and serve with steamed couscous.

[geegee]

Cheers for the recipes safeashouses - might try my hand at lemon preserving (strangely enough did not see any for sale last time I was in Morocco....).

[Alan-LaCala]

If using waxed lemons

Forgive my ignorance, but what are waxed and unwaxed lemons?

Alan

[safeashouses]

Waxing is a preservative. It fills the pores in the peel of the fruit thereby helping to retain moisture.

I should imagine that only unwaxed lemons will be sold in Spain as it is 'a country of origin'.

[silver]

Most of the oranges and lemons for sale here have been waxed...they are bright and shiny..but the unwaxed ones that look dirty are much better.... the waxed ones go bumping about in a fruit washing machine, then are waxed in much the same way...they look nice..but the taste/quality is affected by the bashing...
the dirty ones last much longer especially if you move them daily..and taste better as they are not bruised inside..

[Alan-LaCala]

So the ones from my tree will be unwaxed, as I certainly havn't polished them?

Alan

[lis48]

If you bought the tree with the lemons on it from a garden centre, it probably would have been prewaxed for appearances. It's sad that unwaxed lemons are harder to buy as the consumer doesn't think they look as nice.