The Lemon Book - Natural Recipes and Preparations (4 page)

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CREAM OF TOFU WITH LEMON

1 block of fresh, creamy tofu

extra-virgin olive oil

lemon juice

ground Espelette or Cayenne pepper

salt

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and mix until a smooth mixture is obtained.

If necessary, adjust the texture by adding oil or lemon juice to the mixture.

This cream can be spread on croutons as nibbles or served on a bed of crispy lettuce as a starter.

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SPAGHETTI WITH LEMON

Here is an original, light, summer recipe which can even be prepared at short notice.

Keep an eye on the spaghetti, it should absolutely stay al dente.

I recommend preparing the sauce while waiting for the water to boil, rather than while the pasta is cooking, which will only take 3-5 minutes.

very fine spaghetti

the juice of one lemon

1 small, fresh, white onion

a large bunch of parsley

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Prepare the sauce: mix together the oil, finely-chopped onion, salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta and drain it when it is
al dente
, season with a little oil and pour into a salad bowl to cool slightly.

Add the onion dressing, lemon juice and chopped parsley. Mix well and serve immediately.

Alex's tip: to enhance the flavour of this very healthy meal, sprinkle with Cayenne pepper.

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FUSILLI WITH LEMON ZEST AND WALNUTS

fusilli or penne pasta

2 lemons

a bunch of parsley

a few walnuts

a cup of grated parmesan

extra-virgin olive oil

salt

ground Espelette or Cayenne pepper

Peel the lemons using a sharp knife, taking care to remove just the yellow zest and not the white pith, which is bitter.

Chop the zest finely with the parsley.

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted water.

Drain the al dente pasta and pour it into a salad bowl containing a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of pepper.

Mix well, add the lemon zest and parsley along with the roughly flaked walnuts. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and serve.

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GREEK ASPARAGUS

1kg asparagus

2 lemons

4 onions

2 eggs

a bunch of parsley

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Trim the asparagus, cut the tips into 3-4cm lengths

In a frying pan, brown the chopped onions in a little oil, add the asparagus, salt and pepper.

Add a few soup-spoonfuls of hot water and leave to cook for a few minutes over a low heat.

Energetically beat together one whole egg with one yolk and the juice of 2 lemons, add the chopped parsley.

Pour this cream over the asparagus tips and leave for 2-3 minutes. When it has set it is ready to serve.

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ARTICHOKES WITH LEMON

8 large artichokes

2 lemons

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Trim the artichokes, remove the hard leaves and cut the stalks 4cm from the flowers.

Immerse the artichokes in a large salad bowl of lemon juice in water during the preparation.

Open up the leaves of each artichoke by rubbing them upside-down on the chopping board.

In a saucepan with a thick, flat bottom, heat enough oil to be able to immerse the artichokes in it head-down.

Cover and cook on a low heat, stirring from time to time.

Test to see if they are cooked with a fork, and when the artichokes are tender, drain them and place on a serving plate.

Sprinkle with lemon juice and grated zest, and serve.

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CUCUMBER SALAD WITH LEMON

2 cucumbers

extra-virgin olive oil

white pepper

100g walnuts

2 gloves of garlic

the juice of 2 lemons

breadcrumbs

salt

Start by preparing the sauce: grind the walnuts in a stone pestle, if possible. Add the crushed garlic, salt and pepper, and continue to work the mixture in the pestle.

Moisten 1 soup-spoonful of breadcrumbs in water and squeeze out the excess, add it to the pestle and continue to work the mixture until you have a smooth paste.

Add the lemon juice and mix with a wooden spoon, adding enough water to make the mixture creamy.

Peal and slice the cucumbers thinly, place the slices on a serving dish and pour the sauce over them.

Add a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

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CHICORY WITH LEMON

4-5 chicories

2 lemons

2 fresh white onions

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Wash the chicories and place them in the bottom of a pan.

Add half a glass of water, half a glass of oil, the whole onions, salt and pepper.

Cook over a low heat for 15 minutes, remove the onions, add the juice from the two lemons and leave to simmer for another 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave to rest with the pan covered before serving the chicories with the juice.

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RYE SALAD WITH LEMON

To make this recipe quicker to prepare, the rye should ideally be cooked in advance, for example, the day before, and kept in the fridge ready to make several dishes.

300g rye

2 small apples

1 cucumber

1 bunch of radishes

1 onion

the juice of 2 lemons

150g plain full-fat yoghurt

2 soup-spoonfuls of yeast flakes

extra-virgin olive oil

salt

Wash the rye and soak overnight.

Cook it in three times its volume of salted water (e.g. 3 cups of rye in 9 cups of water) for about 45 minutes, or until soft.

Leave it to cool completely.

Wash and dice the apples and cucumber, and cut the radishes into thin slices.

Prepare a dressing with the oil, lemon juice, yoghurt, chopped onion and yeast flakes.

Mix all the ingredients together in a salad bowl and leave to rest for an hour before serving.

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ZUCCHINI WITH LEMON

1kg zucchini

the juice of 2 lemons

a few basil leaves

extra-virgin olive oil

salt

Wash the zucchini, trim the ends and cut them lengthways into thin slices.

In a dish, prepare a marinade with 7-8 soup-spoonfuls of oil and the lemon juice, add the zucchini and place in the fridge for 4-5 hours.