Tag: OXO

Homemade Limoncello

In the midst of a frigid cold Seattle day, a slight break in the rain, and at least a few months of grey ahead I needed some hope for spring and summer. A small reminder that the sun will come out again and roof top BBQ’s and 10pm sunsets aren’t just a distant memory but a hopeful upcoming delight. One of the most delicious discoveries last summer was Limoncello. One of my girlfriends brought me a bottle of her batch as a housewarming gift and little did I know…it was DELICIOUS! I love citrus in cocktails and this wonderful libation changed my very life!

This recipe takes about 6 weeks but it’s WELL worth the wait! Feel free to experiment with other citrus; blood oranges, tangerines…the possibilities are endless! For this recipe I  did a batch of lemon and a small batch of grapefruit so I’ll keep you posted on how they turn out!

Update- the grapefruit turned out MARVELOUSLY! I doubled the citrus and halved the sugar so it’s most assuredly a mixer as opposed to the traditional aperitif but it’s still quite delicious!

 

A bit of History (from Wikipedia)

“Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy.It is traditionally served chilled as an after-dinner digestivo. Along the Amalfi Coast, it is usually served in small ceramic glasses themselves often chilled, the Amalfi coast being a center of both ceramics and limoncello production. This tradition has been carried into other parts of Italy.”

Rick Steves article on Limoncello cites that it’s the second-most-popular liqueur in Italy after Campari!

Notes:

  • Whatever volume you have for the first phase, you will need about double the space when you add the simple syrup so start with a LARGE container!
  • I’ve heard with all the lemon and simple syrup in the recipe, that you can use cheap vodka and run it through a Brita a few times. For the first go around I used the good stuff, since I didn’t want to mess it up but the next go around I might think about a little lower shelf alcohol.

Limoncello
Ingredients
2 lbs Meyer lemons
1 qt vodka (I used Sky)
6 c water
2 1/2 c sugar
Cambro restaurant style plastic bins
Norpro Natural Cheesecloth
Jars or Bottles for the final product
OXO Good Grips Citrus Squeezer
Microplane

Directions (Initial Step)

  • Zest lemons with Microplane, making sure that you don’t include any of the white pith, into the Cambro restaurant style plastic bins. Pour the alcohol into the bins and mix with the zest. Place bins in a dark place. Shake up the mixture once a week to assure that all the oils and alcohol are mixing together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Once you’ve mixed up the Lemoncello, cut the citrus in half and juice into a separate bowl. If you don’t have one, purchase a OXO Good Grips Citrus Squeezer. This handy little tool will be your saving grace for the juicing part! Since the juice  makes hands slippery during this part, the grip on the  handles is a really nice feature while the ceramic types can slip around a little. Once you’ve juiced the citrus, dispose of the rinds and pour the fresh juice into ice cube trays to use in cooking and baking.

 

 

 

 

 

Directions (4-6 weeks later)

  1. On the 4th week shake up, check and see if the zest is white. This indicates that the oils have fully been extracted. If not, allow to steep 1-2 more weeks.
  2. Once the lemons are pale, strain the liquid through Norpro Natural Cheesecloth into a large bowl and discard the zest. On this step it’s helpful to have another set of hands or a large rubber band to adhere the cloth before pouring the liquid and the zest.
  3. In a saucepan over low heat, heat the water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is clear. Let cool to room temperature and mix into the strained alcohol.
  4. Pour into bottles that you wish to display the final product in.
  5. Place back in a dark cupboard and let steep for 1-2 more weeks. Then you’re done and ready to enjoy!!
  6. Limoncelllo can be stored in the fridge or freezer for weeks!

 

Roasted Fennel Pasta with Tomato Dressing

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, because if I did then my number one AND two would have been broken for the past few YEARS: cook through my recipes and cook with more diverse foods! Thanks to Presidents Day, a little holiday afforded me the time and the inspiration to try TWO new recipes! Something possessed me to pick up fennel at the market this week and while I can’t remember actually consciously eating fennel up to now something in me decided that we needed to cook it!

Keeping with the homemade and new recipes theme, I found a delicious tomato dressing/compote recipe  Martha Stewart.com (link below) and what was it drizzled over? That’s right…fennel. It was a sign from the cooking gods! Below I’ve worked in both recipes into the overall preparation of the meal but will have links to the specific recipes below.  The recipe below served 3 people healthy portions but there was only leftover pasta. If you want leftovers to enjoy I suggest doubling the fennel and sauce portion of the meal.

This meal is Meat-free, dairy-free (if you omit the Parmesan like I do) AND Vegan; if you use gluten-free bread & pasta it’s also a gluten-free option as well! Look at the endless possibilities!

 

 

Ingredients

Pasta

  • 1/2 package pasta of your choice ( I used Angel Hair)

Garlic Bread

  • Whatever rustic loaf you like
  • Optional- Parmesan or Dairy Free Cheese for the garlic bread.We love the grated blend  Parmesan from DeLaurenti that we pick up fresh from Pike Place

Roasted Fennel

  • 3 fennel bulbs (choose with thick base), stalks cut off, bulbs sliced
  • EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

Tomato Dressing:

  • EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
  • 10 ounces (1-pint container) grape or cherry tomatoes
  • minced garlic (to taste in all recipes, I don’t measure much!)
  • 2/3 cup dry red wine
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
  2. Chop top of fennel stock off, wash bulb and cut as shown below. (Note, the lovely photography is from the Simply Recipes site, I didn’t remember to take a photo of this step). You can wash your tomatoes at this time also if you’d like.
  3. Lay out baking sheet with aluminum foil over it. Toss the fennel in olive oil. This time I used a bowl to coat, which resulted in a bit too much olive oil on the fennel, next time I suggest laying out on a baking sheet and brushing with an OXO Basting Brush.
  4. Crack fresh pepper over fennel and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
  5. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until fennel is caramelized.
  6. Prep the garlic bread on aluminum foil so it’s ready to put in the oven! I use my handy dandy Misto Sprayer and spray some EVOO over the bread, drizzle with minced garlic, fresh cracked pepper, and dried parsley. If you’re doing cheese (Being lactose intolerant I don’t use the cheese but it’s still quite delicious!)  add the cheese on the top.
  7. When fennel has about 25 minutes left start the water to  boil the water for the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti when the water boils and cook to your desired tenderness.
  8. In a medium pan, drizzle olive oil for the tomato dressing over medium heat. Add the tomatoes when the pan is hot. Make sure you keep swirling the pan around so that all the skins have a chance to cook.
  9. Add the garlic, red wine, and balsamic vinegar to the dressing pan, mixing well. Simmer until the liquid reduces and tomatoes start to get soft (about 5 minutes). At this step I cut the tomatoes in half with my spatula to allow the juices to mix.
  10. Stir in sugar, salt, and red-wine vinegar, and cook for 1 minute.
  11. When there is 10 minutes left on the fennel timer, stick the bread in the oven to toast and the cheese has melted.
  12. Serve and enjoy a culinary masterpiece!!

My overall review:  I think this is one of the best meals I’ve ever made!! The savory grilled and caramelized flavor complimented the liquorice taste of the fennel blended, which perfectly with the tomato balsamic sauce and the texture of the pasta. Add some grilled potato garlic bread and it was simple divine!!!

Recipes this meal was inspired from:
Roasted Fennel Recipe
Warm Tomato Dressing