Black Bean Turkey Chili

Here's an EASY chili recipe to add to your list! It's made with black beans and ground turkey, and only takes 15 minutes to throw together. Make it to warm you up on a chilly winter day or for your next Super Bowl party!

Continue reading "Black Bean Turkey Chili" »

from Simply Recipes http://bit.ly/2RoiGbt
via IFTTT

How to Build a Bloody Mary Bar

The Bloody Mary cocktail is made for day drinking. Don’t drink it at night. That’s just weird. (Although we do like weird.) This official drink of brunching champs who find mimosas cloying is also a sunshiny, spicy, outdoorsy kinda drink whose accessories can get pretty wild.

For advice on designing your own killer Bloody Mary bar, Diane Mina is your woman. Mina has mixed, created, and consumed Bloody Marys for over 20 years, since she started tailgating at San Francisco 49ers football games with her husband, James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Mina—whose Mina Group runs over 25 award-winning restaurants nationwide and in Dubai. She’s concocted her own unique blend, Diane’s Bloody Mary mix, now available for purchase.

Diane's Bloody Mary Mix, $18.95 at Williams Sonoma

A garden-fresh Bloody Mary mix with heirloom tomatoes, lovage, and zesty spices to give you a boost.

See It

The last couple seasons, Mina’s been busy mixing about 400 glasses of her signature cocktail from behind Diane’s Bloody Bar at every 49ers home game at Levy’s stadium while her husband handles the food for their club-level-like private enterprise called Michael Mina Tailgate. But she also hosts Bloody Mary brunches for her girlfriends at home just for the joy of the shared experience.

“I love making Bloody Mary bars at home. It’s so easy to do. You can put everything in there or keep it clean and simple,” Mina says. “It’s not rocket science, but it sure is fun.”

Thinking beyond the usual garnishes of celery and olives is the first way to get creative. But people go too far, she says. Sometimes it’s like a crazy meal pierced by toothpicks hovering over a lake of fiery tomato juice, threatening to topple over.

Don’t make it a meal, Mina says. It’s still a drink.

Special to Thrillist/Hope Nwaeze

So…is this too much? It’s a three-meals-in-one-drink at At Chef Point Café outside Dallas called the “Bloody Best” Bloody Mary. This heavy duty glass the size of a 7-Eleven Big Gulp is filled with a double order of a spicy Bloody Mary mix, your choice of 16-ounce beer, the café’s “Better than Sex” fried chicken, a burger slider, waffle fries, shrimp, bacon, and a garden of vegetables for $25.

Yeah, a bit.

“It should be a clean cocktail,” Mina says. “Ultimately, I like the complexity of the tomatoes and all the other layers of flavors you can bring in: earthiness, tartness, brightness, sweetness.”

So let’s breakdown how you’d set up your Bloody Mary bar for a party or brunch. Create three stations at your bar, which could be an actual bar, a table, or a counter. Label each station and designate the containers for your ingredients, using whatever you’ve got on hand. “I’m a big believer that if it’s in your house, use it: tea cups, flower pots, jars, pails, your grandmother’s beautiful whatever. My bar is very eclectic,” Mina says.

TOSSWARE Recyclable BPA-free Shatterproof Glasses, 48 for $54.99 on Amazon

Perfect for parties, these wine glasses also work well for generous Bloody Mary pours, plus (well-edited) garnishes.

See It

Once you’ve established your categories and containers, it’s time to prep your ingredients.

Station 1: Prep It

First, pre-cut everything you use in Stations 2 and 3 the day before the party. On the day of, set the place for Station 1’s ice and cups. Mina likes using stemmed glasses, even if they’re just water goblets, to add instant elegance, “but not too prissy,” she says. Set out your vodka, and if you want to do it like Mina does, several other spirits too, such as whiskey, tequila, and mezcal. Lay out your rim salt and maybe Old Bay Seasoning. Create a cute pitcher of freshly squeezed lemon juice with a sign that says ‘Add Me,’ she says. Lemon juice and salt both nudge a Bloody Mary to life by awakening all the other flavors.

Station 2: Flavor It

Then, there’s the most famous ingredient, tomato juice. Mina makes her own from homegrown tomatoes, and you can also make your own cold-pressed tomato juice (which retains nutrition and yields a beautiful color and taste) with a mix of the juiciest tomatoes, like Roma, beefsteak, vine, and hothouse tomatoes. A day or two before the party, blend them, strain them, and let it sit in a large 1/2-gallon or gallon glass container in the refrigerator overnight. Foam and separation is 100 percent normal. Then strain it again for a beautiful, cold-pressed juice that’s ready to go. Or you can always buy Campbell’s tomato juice, which is actually pretty good and low in sodium, or R.W. Knudsen organic tomato juice. Some people love Clamato juice, which is reconstituted tomato juice concentrate, clam broth, and spices. It usually has a long list of unpronounceable ingredients in it and a lot of sodium, so for people who want that extra sea-umami flavor, Mina will provide bonito flakes, those dried, fermented flakes of skipjack tuna.

This is where you also sprinkle in spices such as freshly grated horseradish, sometimes celery seeds, jalapeño purée, and sauces that provide depth: hot sauces like Tabasco or Sriracha; Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce; citrus juices; the brine from garnishes like pickled carrots, cucumbers, peppadews; or the Italian marinades found in jarred artichokes or other preserved vegetables.

Whew! Basically, it’s just:

• tomato juice
• horseradish
• hot sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• citrus
• brine

Station 3: Top It Off

Now for the crowning glory: garnishes. Slice pickled carrots or cucumbers into sticks long enough to protrude way above the top of the glass. You could use asparagus too. Measure it. And sure, use celery here if you want to stay traditional.  Next, with special cocktail toothpicks, spear other, smaller, tantalizing and eye-catching garnish combinations before your guests arrive. Ideas? Try peppadew, radish, cauliflower, okra, shrimp, cubed pepperjack cheese, cubed Gouda cheese, bacon-wrapped figs, sliced jalapeno, and yes, olives—but just two of these, three tops. Mina also loves sticking in a twig of jerky or candied bacon on occasion. (But no burgers or fried chicken!) Provide some citrus wheels and a couple final seasonings like flavored salts and black pepper. Don’t forget to include biodegradable, candy-cane-striped straws.

And there’s your Bloody Mary bar. When guests arrive, make the first Bloody Mary for each of them. Once they’ve watched you do it, sipped their cocktails, and relaxed into the party, then let your guests come behind the bar and make their own Bloody Marys. They’ll be able to tweak it to their individual tastes, and they’ll feel more engaged in the festivities.

Shop For It

Using top quality, artisanal condiments, garnishes, and spices takes your Bloody Mary bar to top-shelf level. Try some of these ideas:

McClure’s Garlic Pickles, $13.42 on Amazon

Amazon

These are well-known as the ultimate pickles for true pickle lovers. Still handmade according to Great Grandma McClure’s original spicy pickle recipe, they’re layered with whole garlic cloves and dill for tangy, all-natural, old-fashioned flavor. And do they ever crunch!

Buy Now

Migos Pajarero Figs, $6.99 on Amazon

Dean & DeLuca

Introduced into Spanish cuisine by Arabs way back when, Pajarero figs are integral to the country’s food these days. Pajarero figs are smaller and sweeter than their Turkish cousins. The thin, delicate skin allows the flavor of the fig to really shine. These dried figs pair well with cheese (and bacon!).

Buy Now

Sriracha Bacon Jerky, $20.95 on Amazon

Amazon

Bacon! Always a good idea. This uncured bacon jerky is made with Sriracha for a spicy, smoky kick, the perfect complement to a Bloody Mary, but try it on a BLT too.

Buy Now

Texas Pepper Works Candy-Krisp Jalapeños, $8.99 on Amazon

Texas Pepper Works/Amazon

These jalapeños add a sweet-spicy kick to your cocktail.

Buy Now

Chipotle Sea Salt, $7.99 on Amazon

Amazon

This smoky chipotle salt is a nuanced seasoning that adds heat to your drink while highlighting the distinct flavors of your ingredients. You can cook with it or use as a finishing salt in your Bloody Mary to intensify its flavors. It’s great with beef and game meats for medium heat.

Buy Now

Make It

Now that you’ve got the instructions for setting up your bar, the best ingredients and garnishes, try these 11 ways to use your newfound tools.

Basic Bloody Mary Mix

Chowhound

Here’s a recipe for a crowd of eight, but we’d recommend doubling it, because really, you can’t count on your guests stopping after one! Definitely make this mix the night before. Feel free to riff on this classic once you’ve got it down. Think of it as a foundation and build from there. Get our Basic Bloody Mary Mix recipe.

Smoky Bloody Mary

Chowhound

A few tweaks and your Bloody Mary gets smokin’ with barbecue sauce and chipotles in adobo sauce. Most supermarkets have little cans of chipotles in adobo sauce (dried peppers in a spicy red sauce) in the Latin section, but if you can’t find it, try a different smoked pepper or look for smoky barbecue sauce. Get our Smoky Bloody Mary recipe.

Ginger Bloody Mary

Chowhound

Now here’s a head-clearing daytime cocktail with a double dose of ginger. You’ll make ginger-infused vodka, add the usual Bloody Mary ingredients, and then—get this—another bout of fresh ginger. Shake, pour over ice, and await the blast. Get our Ginger Bloody Mary recipe.

Bloody Marys for a Crowd

Big Girl Small Kitchen

This recipe makes 12 large glasses, so it’s aptly named. To serve these glamorously, use a large pitcher. If you’re serving more than a dozen people, make this recipe in two batches rather than doubling it, to spare you a little mess. Get the Bloody Marys for a Crowd recipe.

Extra-Spicy Bloody Maria

Chowhound

You can totally have a Bloody Mary using a spirit other than vodka. Think of this one as Mary’s cousin from down south. We’ve switched it up with tequila blanco, whole pickled jalapeños, and an awakening amount of cayenne pepper. There’s also celery seed, horseradish, and the other usual suspects. Get our Extra-Spicy Bloody Maria recipe.

Bloody Caesar

Chowhound

Created back in 1969 by Walter Chell of the Owl’s Nest Bar in Calgary, Alberta, this Canadian version of a classic hangover cure uses Clamato juice. You can use pretty much any garnish you want, the same as you would for a Bloody Mary. This recipe opts for a pickled green bean garnish. Get our Bloody Caesar recipe.

Spicy Beet Bloody Mary

Country Living

It’s red(dish) and full of natural sugars like tomatoes, so why not swap beets for the usual fruit? Beets contribute a distinctive earthy quality to the classic brunch drink. This is a recipe for four servings, so if you’re hosting a brunch, you’ll want to double or triple it. Get the Spicy Beet Bloody Mary recipe.

Blood Orange Bloody Mary

A Beautiful Mess

People often squeeze some citrus into this cocktail, so using the citrus that’s already halfway there in name is an almost too obvious idea. It adds quite a layer of sweetness you don’t normally get, but not too much. Get the Blood Orange Bloody Mary recipe.

Bourbon Bloody Mary with Bacon and Peppers

Wine Geographic

First, you make a large 6-cup batch of Bloody Mary mix and then you get going on the rest. Say next time to your vodka, and introduce Bourbon to Bloody Mary. This version has meat, spice, Japanese togarashi pepper, and Korean gochujang red pepper paste. Get the Bourbon Bloody Mary with Bacon and Peppers recipe.

Green Tomato Bloody Mary

Baked In

Your brunch cocktail can be like a vodka-spiked vegetable juice that you get at a healthy juice bar. Really. This version is much more than green tomatoes: green bell pepper, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeño, parsley also have their say. It makes about 5 cups, give or take, of completed Bloody Marys, including the vodka, minus the garnishes. Get the Green Tomato Bloody Mary recipe.

Bloody Bull

For those cowpoke types who thirst for something meaty all the time, this is a way to beef up the classic without adding a meat garnish. This is pretty much a regular Bloody Mary, but with beef bouillon. What, you say? Read on. Get our Bloody Bull recipe.

Bloody Mary Cocktail Kit, $75.50 at Mouth.com

This gourmet cocktail kit comes with two artisanal Bloody Mary mixes, pickled string beans, small-batch aromatic bitters, and Bloody Mary salt.

See It

If you’re setting up a Bloody Mary bar for the Big Game (despite it being on a week day this year…) check out our Super Bowl LIII sweepstakes; we’re teaming up with CBS Sports, CNET, and TV Guide to give away a sweet prize package including an LG OLED 65-inch TV (courtesy of Daily Steals), a Chefman Air Fryer, and $125 in gift cards towards CBS All Access. Enter for your chance to win before 3:30 p.m PT on February 3, 2019!

Related Video: Do This for the Best Bloody Mary Ever

 

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. For more great hand-picked products, check out the Chowhound Shop.

from Food News – Chowhound http://bit.ly/2sQKV8H
via IFTTT

How to Throw a Beautiful Valentine’s Day Party

Erin Gleeson is fanciful yet downright realistic when it comes to hosting a dinner or cocktail party for friends. For instance, Valentine’s Day: If you’re inviting friends over for eats and drinks, keep it basic, she says. This lovey-dovey holiday is on a Thursday this year, after all. You’ll probably be rushing home from work that day and off to work the next morning.

“For weeknight dinners, don’t feel like you have to make everything from scratch; get prepared or catered foods from somewhere like Whole Foods—roasted vegetables, a salad, grains—and then make one thing, and have that be special,” says Gleeson, a food photographer, New York Times-best-selling cookbook author, and a home cook who loves to entertain with her husband.

“Maybe just a cocktail party is easier,” Gleeson says. “Have finger foods, and people can come for an hour and go.” Gleeson is sensitive to the practical needs we all have as guests and as hosts, especially in the middle of a work week.

The Forest Feast Gatherings, $13.74 on Amazon

Full of easy yet impressive vegetarian recipes and gorgeous photos, this book is an entertaining inspiration.

See It

Published in September 2016, “The Forest Feast Gatherings” is Gleeson’s third cookbook. It’s an entertaining-focused book with menus for different occasions, accented by quick decorating ideas for flower arrangements, signage, and table settings.

But first, the food.

There are so many appetizing ruby-hued foods, it would be a shame to avoid the color just because it’s a Valentine’s Day cliché. If you’re doing a dinner, you could buy a Trader Joe’s blended soup in a box, like tomato or butternut squash, “and make it special with toppings like Greek yogurt and red pepper, or popcorn on top of the soup is kinda fun. Or scallions if you want some green,” Gleeson says. “Have all those toppings made ahead, the day before, and put into little bowls.” A reddish main course could be spaghetti squash you bake the day before, with store-bought marinara sauce on top and meatballs or vegetarian meatballs.

Another appetizer? “I’m a big fan of hummus deviled eggs with halved cherry tomatoes on top,” she says.

A full Valentine’s Day dinner menu (on a weeknight) could look like this, using recipes from the book:

• Cocktail: Rosé spritzer, page 152
• Appetizer: Block of cheese and some fruit, page 207
• Side Dish: Kale salad with pomegranate seeds, page 138
• Entrée: (Make-ahead) lasagna, page 142
• Dessert: Strawberry balsamic sundaes, page 34

For a cocktail party, she suggests:

Finger Foods:

• Radish butter crostini, page 26
• Apple and cheddar with honey and pepper, page 47
• Hummus tomato deviled eggs, page 72
• Strawberry kebabs, page 75
• Endive bar, page 156

Cocktails:

• Pomegranate punch, page 135
• Rosé spritzer, page 152

Desserts:

• Strawberry balsamic sundaes, page 34
• Spicy chocolate almonds, page 162

No plan to buy the book? No worries. You can still glean some cooking and entertaining tips from Gleeson.

The No. 1 rule: “I always have music, candles, and a bottle of wine on the table and I try to have those set out before guests arrive—even before I blow-dry my hair,” Gleeson says.

Mercury Glass Votive Candles, 3 for $16.99 at Sur la Table (originally $34)

Cluster these little lights around the table for extra shimmer and ambience.

See It

For music, she streams from Amazon Prime, choosing something mid-tempo with no lyrics, such as flamenco guitar or old jazz. She always creates a signature cocktail, and it could be as simple as Prosecco with pomegranate seeds for a pop of magenta, or a mimosa using blood oranges. Always also have wine, beer, and something nonalcoholic on hand, such as seltzer or juice.

The Forest Feast

For décor, start with a centerpiece on the dining table using a platter filled with citrus dotted with flowers and a couple short candles.

Natural Long Tray with Bark Edge, $42.50 on Amazon

Made from sustainable wood, this makes a fetching base for a centerpiece arrangement, or an interesting way to serve bread.

See It

On a buffet table, try citrus sliced with a centimeter sliced off, open side up. Pierce the cut stems of red or pink carnations into the wet flesh of the fruit. You might want to slice a sliver off the bottom too so it doesn’t wobble or roll. Carnations aren’t the prettiest flowers, but they’ll last for hours outside of water. You can string a garland over the bar area, just three or four feet, using pastry twine. Thread cranberries and short-stemmed flowers with a needle.

The Forest Feast

Also on the buffet or hors d’oeuvres table: Use a few stacks of cookbooks on the table to give dishes different heights. “Something to give your table some dimensions; it makes the whole table look not so flat, and it elevates some special dishes,” Gleeson says.

You can make clementines into display pieces for place cards or buffet signs. Fold over a notecard, write on one side, tape it onto a short kebab stick and push it into the clementine or inverted lemon, lime, or orange half.

As for what to serve, try these three recipes, which Gleeson let us borrow from her book:

Crispy Kale with Paprika and Truffle Salt

Chowhound

This is a great side dish for entertaining because it doesn’t contain a lot of ingredients and it isn’t complicated, yet it will still stun with the crispy, slightly charred texture and flavors of bitter greens, smoky paprika, and umami truffle. You can add some heat to it too, if you want, with cayenne or dried red pepper flakes. Get the Crispy Kale with Paprika and Truffle Salt recipe.

Polenta Pizzas

Chowhound

You don’t have to do everything from scratch, Gleeson says, and here’s an example. Buy those pre-made polenta tubes and a jar of marinated, dried red peppers. It’s OK. Combined with walnuts and caramelized red onions, these appetizers (or main dish) will be so delicious, no one will know or care. Get the Polenta Pizzas recipe.

Blistered Shishitos

Chowhound

Sometimes you don’t want to do a lot to a food besides toss on a little pepper to draw out the inherent flavor. Shishitos are one of those times. It’s a great nibble when you have a gathering with tapas or finger food. Get the Blistered Shishitos recipe.

For more tips, tricks, and recipes, check out our Valentine’s Day headquarters. 

Related Video: How to Make Baked Mozzarella Bites

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. For more great hand-picked products, check out the Chowhound Shop.

This post was originally published on February 3, 2017 and was updated on January 28, 2019.

from Food News – Chowhound http://bit.ly/2kCWVIc
via IFTTT

What Is the Difference Between Meyer Lemons and Regular Lemons?

Some produce is obviously special—take always-stunning dragon fruit, for example, or perfect, in-season peaches and berries, which are here for a short while and then gone until next year. Other fruit seems more ho-hum, and easy to take for granted. Lemons, for instance; we see them every time we go to the store, and they’re useful for lots of different dishes, but not terribly exciting. The exception to that rule? Meyer lemons! When they show up between late fall and early winter, people swoon. But what makes them so special, and how are they different from regular lemons anyway? Read on to find out.

What Do Meyer Lemons Taste Like?

The most apparent and important difference when it comes to using each type of lemon is the taste. Conventional lemons (which are generally either Eureka lemons or Lisbon lemons, essentially interchangeable) are tart enough to make your mouth pucker up. Meyer lemons, which are native to China, taste recognizably lemony, and they do have acidity too, but significantly less than Eurekas or Lisbons. They’re sweet enough that they can even be added raw to various dishes; although you probably still wouldn’t want to eat one whole like you would an orange, you can mix chunks or slices of Meyer lemon into salads and salsa.

Meyer Lemon Infused Simple Syrup, $11 at Sur la Table

If you have trouble getting your hands on fresh Meyer lemons, try a simple syrup infused with their juice and peels.

See It

The zest of both regular lemons and Meyer lemons is fragrant and bright, but Meyer lemon zest has a more floral and even subtly spicy depth to it. The peel on a Meyer lemon is thinner too, and there’s much less bitter white pith beneath it, which means you can eat the entire fruit (sans seeds) in certain preparations—however, if you want to do that, be sure your fruit is organic and untreated with wax or other coatings, or else you’ve scrubbed it well under hot water to dissolve any residue.

Do Meyer Lemons Look Different?

Before lemons became a culinary crop, they were grown as ornamental plants, which makes sense when you behold a beautiful tree hung with bright citrus fruit. When you gaze at the fruit itself, you can see that Meyer lemons are smaller, often rounder, and smoother-skinned than their more common oblong and frequently-bumpy cousins. Meyer lemons are a deeper, more orange-toned color than sunny yellow Eureka and Lisbon lemons (both inside and out).

Meyer lemons, AndreyCherkasov/Shutterstock

When Are Meyer Lemons in Season?

The other thing that makes Meyer lemons so attractive is that they’re comparatively elusive. Meyer lemon season usually begins in late November or early December and ends by March. Their limited window of availability, coupled with their more fragile nature (which makes shipping them more difficult), naturally makes them more expensive than hardier, year-round regular lemons too.

Lucero Crushed Meyer Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, $21 at Sur La Table

Use a Meyer lemon infused oil all year long on salads, or to finish roasted vegetables and proteins, where the flavor can really shine.

See It

Lucero Meyer Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar, $16 at Sur la Table

White balsamic vinegar infused with Meyer lemons imparts a lovely floral burst of sweet acidity throughout the seasons too.

See It

What Can You Substitute for Meyer Lemons?

So, what can you do if you want to make a Meyer lemon recipe and you don’t have any of the titular ingredient on hand (and are fresh out of Meyer lemon infused products in your pantry too)? Substitute a mix of equal parts regular fresh lemon juice and orange or tangerine juice; the latter is a bit more complex and floral. Ditto mandarin juice, which might be your best option, since Meyer lemons are said to be a hybrid of lemons and mandarin oranges. Similarly, you can use equal parts regular lemon zest and orange, tangerine, or mandarin zest to stand in for grated Meyer lemon peel if need be. Basically, you’ve got options.

You can also simply make a Meyer lemon recipe with conventional lemon juice or zest instead, but the results will be much tangier and far less sweet, so you may need to adjust other ingredients, like sugar (or whatever other sweetener is called for). Conversely, when Meyer lemons are in season and you want to add them to everything, choose your applications wisely.

Conventional lemons, Yuliia Fesyk/Shutterstock

If the goal is to brighten a dish with a shot of acid, Meyer lemons won’t have as big of an impact and may be wasted—but they’ll still lend their own unique character to things like simple vinaigrettes and cocktails (speaking of, when you’ve got ’em, make our Meyer Lemon Disgestif recipe to extend the pleasure even when the season’s over). You can try making Meyer lemonade too, though it’ll be a pricey pitcher. Ultimately, as is the case with anything you make, you can—and should—always taste and adjust the flavor until it’s just right (read: precisely to your own liking).

Meyer Lemon Recipes (and Regular Lemon Recipes Too)

Try some of these sunny recipes to spark your imagination—and your taste buds.

Meyer Lemon Thyme Icebox Cake

She Wears Many Hats

This beautiful icebox cake is simple to make, although if you’re feeling extra ambitious, try swapping in our Meyer Lemon Black Pepper Cookies for the store-bought lemon or vanilla wafers. They’ll add another layer of savory-sweet intrigue to the fabulously fragrant cake. Get the Meyer Lemon Thyme Icebox Cake recipe.

Meyer Lemon Tart

The Food Charlatan

A lightly salted shortbread crust and a dash of honey in the filling are unexpectedly brilliant complements to this sweet and floral Meyer lemon tart. Get the Meyer Lemon Tart recipe.

Microplane Premium Stainless Steel Zester Grater, $12.91 on Amazon

The ideal tool for finely zesting any citrus fruit.

See It

Meyer Lemon and Rosemary Focaccia Bread

The View From Great Island

While Meyer lemons are wonderful in desserts, they shine just as brightly in savory dishes, like this tender focaccia with aromatic rosemary, perfect for nibbling with cocktails, or pairing with a main course. Get the Meyer Lemon and Rosemary Focaccia Bread recipe.

Roast Chicken with Meyer Lemons and Potatoes

Martha Stewart

A simply roasted chicken is a gorgeous thing, and all the better if it’s surrounded with juice-soaked potatoes and caramelized Meyer lemons (which you can cut up and eat along with the other morsels of meat and potatoes). This dish comes from Martha Stewart, who is often credited with popularizing Meyer lemons in America, for which we thank her. Get the Roast Chicken with Meyer Lemons and Potatoes recipe.

Preserved Lemons

Daring Gourmet

Preserved lemons, a staple of Moroccan and Middle Eastern kitchens, are a great addition to your pantry too, and ultra easy to make. Meyer lemons are preferred, but you can use regular lemons in the same way too; here, they’re simply scored, packed in salt, and left to sit for a while. When you’re ready to use them, gently rinse off the salt and chop the peel. They add lovely lemon brightness to countless dishes, including salads, rice, pasta, and desserts, not to mention traditional tagines and the like. Get the Preserved Lemons recipe.

Casablanca Market Moroccan Preserved Lemons, $5.49 at World Market

If you're after a quicker fix, you can also buy ready-made preserved lemons online or in the Middle Eastern sections of many supermarkets.

See It

Smoked Salmon Hash with Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette

Chowhound

The acidic zing of conventional lemons is a perfect counterpoint to rich smoked salmon and Yukon Gold potatoes, with black pepper and fresh parsley adding even more punch. Get our Smoked Salmon Hash with Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette recipe.

Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

Baking the Goods

This classic Greek soup relies on eggs for creaminess and fresh lemon juice to make it as bright as the Aegean coast. Tender chicken and orzo make it a full meal. Get the Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup) recipe.

Zulay Metal Citrus Press, $13.99 on Amazon

A heavy-duty citrus squeezer makes getting every last bit of juice from your favorite fruit a breeze.

See It

Seared Scallops with Lemon and Vodka

Chowhound

Lemon is an old friend to fish and seafood of all sorts; here, the juice and zest cuts through the richness of golden-seared scallops and pasta and perks up the vodka-based sauce, while a dab of heavy cream smooths it all out. Get our Seared Scallops with Lemon and Vodka recipe.

Lemon Curd

Chowhound

Tangy, creamy lemon curd is like a little pot of sunshine. Spread it liberally on pancakes, toast, or scones, or use it to fill tarts and cakes, and pair it with plenty of berries. Get our Lemon Curd recipe.

Shortbread Lemon Bars

Chowhound

Old-fashioned lemon bars never go out of style. You can certainly make them with Meyer lemons in season (and those are particularly great for making whole lemon bars, in which you include the peel), but there’s real harmony between the electric lemon topping and sweet shortbread base of the standard version. You can always dust them with powdered sugar to soften that sweet sting a bit more if need be. Get our Shortbread Lemon Bars recipe.

Related Video: How to Make Microwave Strawberry Meyer Lemon Jam

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. For more great hand-picked products, check out the Chowhound Shop.

from Food News – Chowhound http://bit.ly/2CT2BFD
via IFTTT