Anyone who has ever worked with me in the kitchen knows I can’t bear to waste food. One of my pet peeves has always been citrus fruit that get tossed after having been squeezed for juice when the rest of that fruit is perfectly good and can be used in so many ways! Here’s a short summer post with one great way to use squeezed lemons. It’s so easy, just cut up the lemons and throw them into the food processor with some salt. Voila and your welcome.
A spoonful of this brightens up something in almost every summer meal I make. I use it as a condiment for braised beef, lamb or pork, grilled chicken, fresh cheese, smoked fish and in all kinds of rice and pasta dishes. It gets tossed into salads and mixed with cured olives. I add it to quick-breads, muffins, cakes, pizza dough and fruit tarts. In a pinch you can use it as a substitute for lemon juice or lemon rind and it also can be used in cocktails. This same technique makes an orange, lime or grapefruit confit. Remember to always begin with organic or untreated fruit.
For some other ideas on using whole citrus check out my earlier post with recipes for sweet citrus paste, citrus oil and citrus powder…
- organic lemons
- sea salt
- sterilized jars and lids for preserving
- Wash and scrub your lemons clean and remove the tips
- Cut the lemons in half and squeeze juice
- Reserve juice for another use (I freeze mine)
- Cut up the remains of the lemon into smaller pieces, (pith, peel and pulp) and blend with 1 TBSP of salt per lemon
- Pack the confit tightly into the sterilized jars and seal
- Use immediately or transfer to the refrigerator where the confit can be kept for 2 weeks.
- you can substitute lime, orange or grapefruit for the lemons
- I don't worry about the seeds, I like the hint of bitter flavor they add. They get blended right into the confit but you can also remove them.
Thank you Susan! That looks even easier to use than preserved lemon segments. Yet another great tip…