Veronica's Kitchen Day 2: Lemons

 

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade...

and a whole lot more....

 

While lemons have never been so widely and historically used in the common American household, they are a staple of the Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Latin kitchen.  In addition to providing a nice citrusy base in zesty dishes or an enhancement to fish and salads, lemons also have other roles. They are used for digestive cleansing, and their high vitamin C content helps keep the immune system strong.    In my grandma's kitchen, we always kept a bowl of fresh lemons handy. Cold seasons depended on a strong dose of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Whenever one of us was sick, grandma would break out the fruit juicer and make us a super sweet, potent lemonade.  She would always stress, "you must drink it right away, it will help clean you".  A heaping tablespoon of sugar mixed in with pure lemon juice in a tall glass,  followed by water.  The key was to drink it quickly in order to reap its full benefits.

 

Lemon is also a favorite in desserts.

Here is one grandma and I shared.

Super Moist Ricotta-Lemon pound cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature

 (Coconut oil used in same ratio is a slightly healthier alternative, but butter is authentic to this recipe)

1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

(Agave syrup or a similar sugar substitute can be used for white sugar)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon, plus juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons lemon-flavored liqueur or tequila, if desired

Sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with canola oil or butter. (You can also use a dozen muffin pan instead of loaf pan).   In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Using an electric mixer, in a separate bowl, cream together the butter, ricotta cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and lemon zest(and liqueur if used), lemon juice, and mix.

Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, to the wet ingredients until just combined(can mix this part by hand). Pour the mixture into the loaf pan or muffin pan. Finally, place a few sliced almonds along the top of the cake or muffins. (Omit almonds if desired).

Bake about 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to plates.

You can also serve the cake or mini-pound cake muffins with any seasonal fresh fruit, on the side.