Summer Recipes: Lemon, Basil, Garlic

Lemons - Maria Olaguera

Lemon, basil and garlic: each of these ingredients has its own distinctive flavour that can enhance any recipe, but used together they are an unbeatable combination. Although they are available year-round at your local grocery store, try visiting farmer's markets this summer for fresh, locally grown varieties of these three ingredients.

Pasta with zucchini flowers

• 1 dozen zucchini flowers, washed and gently patted dry
• 200 grams angel hair pasta
• 4 large cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Chiffonade of 4 large basil leaves
• Salt and pepper

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat the oil and butter in a small pan.
3. Add the sliced garlic and cook until soft.
4. Add the lemon juice and zucchini flowers and saute for 3-4 minutes until just tender.
5. At the last moment add the basil.
6. Season with salt and pepper and serve over the hot pasta.

• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fesh basil
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 2 medium cloves of garlic, finely minced
• Enough extra-virgin olive oil to moistenCombine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. A traditional accompaniment to osso bucco, gremolata also goes well with seafood and grilled meat. Sprinkle on pasta dishes and soups to brighten up flavours.

For a taste of summer during the cooler months, try these recipes.

Preserved Lemons

• 1 quart Mason jar
• 6-8 organic lemons, plus a few more for juice
• 1 cup coarse Kosher or sea salt

1. Sterilize the jar or run it through a complete dishwasher cycle. Make sure the inside is thoroughly dry before starting.
2. Place enough salt in the jar to cover the bottom.
3. Remove the stem from each lemon and slice into quarters, but don't go all the way through the stem end. Leave about 1/4 inch uncut.
4. Holding the lemon over a bowl, pry it open gently and pack the inside with salt. Rub salt over the outside as well. Put each lemon into the jar as soon as it has been salted.
5. Pack the lemons tightly into the jar so that the juice runs out. Add more juice if necessary, covering the lemons completely.
6. Seal the jar and let it stand at room temperature for a couple of days, then transfer to the refrigerator for about 3 weeks, turning it upside down from time to time.
7. When the lemons are ready to use, remove from the jar with a wooden spoon. Wash before using and remove seeds. The entire lemon - rind and pulp - can be used. It will have a salty, sweet, sour flavour. Chop into stuffings for roasts, or add to salads, rice, couscous, vegetable dishes...the list goes on and on!

• 1 large bunch of basil leaves, shredded to pieces with fingers
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 3/4 - 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste

1. Place all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and whizz to desired consistency. Some like a smooth, finely pureed pesto while others prefer a coarser, rougher texture. This mixture will keep for a week in a sealed jar in the fridge.
2. To freeze, spoon the mixture into an ice cube try (use one that is especially dedicated for this purpose). When frozen, pop the pesto cubes into a freezer bag or container and keep for up to six months. It takes only 1 or 2 cubes to flavour a dish of cooked rice, pasta or grilled meat.

Maria Olaguera - I'm the oldest of five. My mom and dad taught English and history, respectively, and they are the ones I need to thank for my love of ...

• Herbs & Spices
• Spices
• Herbs
• Herbal History/Lore