Grilled Cauliflower with Capers and Preserved Lemon

If you read my last post, you've already heard me waxing poetic about the virtues of preserved lemons. I'm a huge fan, and I love the way their salty sour flavor perks up all kinds of dishes.

But, one of my favorite ways to use preserved lemons during the summer months is in a simple dressing made with olive oil and capers. It's salty and tangy and bright. And it's perfect for any time of the year.

It's he perfect addition to a number of dishes -- but it's really perfect stirred into a big bowl of buttery grilled cauliflower.

If you've never grilled cauliflower, you're in for a treat. Like roasting, grilling brings out all the delicious sweetness of the vegetables. But, if you grill over charcoal or hardwood, the process also also adds a smoky element that really makes an impressive flavor statement.

Add the zing from preserved lemons and capers, and you've got something really special.

This dish makes the perfect accompaniment for hearty grilled meats like lamb, pork or steak. The dressing is also delicious served atop a filet of grilled fish or chicken, or stirred into a batch of potato salad.

Grilled Cauliflower with Capers and Preserved Lemon

There are more great recipes where this one came from! We created this dish as part of our work with the Go Bold with Butter blog, where you'll find an amazing collection of delicious recipes using real butter.

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Preserved Lemons and Six Great Ways to Use Them

Do you love preserved lemons like we do?

I can't quite pinpoint when our love affair with these deliciously sour and briney lemons came to be. But, I can tell you that it probably began with my love for the Meyer Lemon -- that sweet, tart, floral fruit that seems to come along right around the perfect time in winter when I need a pick-me-up.

Every year, I look forward to seeing the first batch of lemons in the store. And I always buy a bunch of them, knowing that they'll perk me up.

This past February, I ordered 10 pounds of fresh Meyer lemons from the awesome women over at The Lemon Ladies Orchard in Emerald Hills, California.  And it was the best decision I've ever made.

I made Meyer lemon jam, limoncello, lemon sugar, these amazing lemon glazed doughnuts... and a big fat batch of preserved lemons.

Preserved lemons aren't the sort of thing you can just pick up anywhere. Fortunately, they are easy to make. And, although they require a bit of patience (ideally, they take at least a month to cure), they last almost forever in the refrigerator, so they're well worth the effort.

I'm just getting down to the last of my batch from February -- which I've been using on any number of things -- and I think I'm going to have to double the amount I make next year because I keep thinking of new dishes that could use a bit of their charm.

The most traditional way to use preserved lemons is in a tagine. And if you need great recipes, Paula Wolfert is the person to look to.

But, they're also great on a slew of other things. Here are some of my favorite ways to use them.

1. Simple weeknight pasta -- all you need is some good olive oil, garlic, and slices of preserved lemons to make a gorgeous pasta dish. 
2. Add them to salsa -- Whether it's summer peach salsa, mango salsa or regular old tomato salsa, it's sure to benefit from a bit of finely diced preserved lemon.
3. Use them in salad dressing -- seriously. They are an awesome addition to a simple vinaigrette (even a bit of the juice will give any dressing a lift). But, they also make an amazing addition to Caesar dressing. Add a few capers to really brine things up.
4. Preserved lemon aioli -- Whir them into a bit of mayo for an amazing dipping sauce or sandwich spread.
5. Roasted chicken -- Mix some of the juice left from preserved lemons with garlic and your choice of herbs. Rub the mixture on the inside and outside of your chicken before roasting.  For an added boost of flavor, add a few lemons to the chicken cavity.
6. Compound butter -- Add lemon to softened butter, roll into a log, and refrigerate or freeze. Use for corn on the cob, green beans, or just about any summer vegetable.

And I'll share another of my favorite recipes with you in the next few days.  In the meantime, maybe you want to get a batch of your own preserved lemons going.

Preserved Lemons

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Weekend Love: Lemon Glazed Doughnuts

We all have memories of doughnuts – whether fresh from the bakery on a Sunday morning, or served right out of a box from the local Dunkin’ Donuts. 

But, the luckiest among us have tasted homemade doughnuts – those bundles of love with a crispier exterior, a fluffier interior and a warmth that assures you that everything is right with the world.

We know you've been making excuses for not making doughnuts yourself (we were right there with you until a few weeks ago, when we decided to take the plunge).

But, we're here to tell you that you shouldn't wait another moment.

Classic yeasted raised doughnuts aren't difficult at all to make. In fact, the most difficult aspect is probably waiting for them to rise.

And whether you have a deep fat fryer -- or just a deep pan with a good candy thermometer -- even the frying process easy as pie (or maybe easier).

These simple yeast doughnuts are enriched with the goodness of real butter – both in the dough and in the delightfully tart lemon glaze.

We were lucky enough to have a few Meyer lemons on hand for this recipe, so the glaze was sweet, tart and pleasantly floral.

Lemon Glazed Doughnuts

But, don't stop with doughnuts!  There are more great recipes where this one came from! We created this dish as part of our work with the Go Bold with Butter blog, where you'll find an amazing collection of delicious recipes using real butter.

©BURP!

Spring Ramp Risotto

 There's nothing like a warming bowl of risotto to warm your cockles in the depths of winter.

There's also nothing like that same bowl of risotto to comfort you during the damp days of spring. Fortunately, there's also little better than a big bowl of creamy rice teeming with the allium-scented perfume of fresh spring ramps.

If you've made risotto before, you'll find that this recipe isn't fancy or fussy. But, the flavor is plenty complex, and it harbors a deceptive richness that's brightened by the pop of a bit of lemon zest.

Perfect served alongside a slice of grilled fish, this risotto captures spring in a dish.

The bulbs of the ramps are sauteed to soften their slight bite and assist in infusing the rice with flavor. The ramp leaves are saved and added just before the end of cooking for an additional burst of flavor. The brightness of lemon zest pulls everything together.

You'll need a nice big handful of ramps, a bit of lemon (Meyer lemons are really nice for this recipe), some good quality Parmesan cheese, a cup or two of arborio rice, and a quart of vegetable stock.

That's it -- 30 minutes, and dinner is pretty much on the table.

The sum of this recipe is definitely far greater than its parts. In fact, the biggest investment you'll make is that of your time standing over the stove to stir it.

Bright. Savory. Earthy. Green.
It's the perfect side dish for roasted chicken, salmon -- or even on its own.

Spring Ramp Risotto


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