Recipes Using Limoncello↑
Limoncello Icecream
½ Cup lemon juice
1 Cup Castor sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
500 mls fresh cream
30 mls Limoncello
Zest lemons and squeeze juice.
Add the sugar and stir well. Leave to stand, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.
Whip cream till soft peaks form.
Stir in the lemon mixture and the Limoncello
Pour into a container, cover and freeze.
Serve with a lemon dessert such as Lemon Tart, or Lemon Meringue Pie and a shot of Limoncello on the side.
Limoncello Chicken
2 chicken breasts, pounded into thin fillets
Olive oil and butter
Flour
¾ Cup chicken stock
3 slices lemon
Salt and Pepper
Fresh basil
Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
Heat oil and butter in pan and brown the chicken on both sides.
Add stock, limoncello and lemon slices. Press the lemon slices to release the juices.
Cook until the juices of the chicken run clear and the sauce has thickened.
Serve on couscous and top with basil.
Limoncello Sauce (for chicken or fish)
¾ cup of stock – chicken or fish
6 tablespoons limoncello
1 – 2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons capers
Lemon slices
Fresh parsley
Grill or pan fry chicken or fish and pour this sauce over.
Garnish with slices of lemon and parsley.
Sweet and Sour Lemon Sauce
To serve with fish, chicken, pork or veal.
Also good over vegetables or as a dip for Fish Cakes.
125mls rice wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar
3cm fresh ginger, grated
1 chilli, finely sliced
1 lemon, zest only
2 spring onion, finely sliced
2 tbsps Ali’s Limoncello
Boil the first 5 ingredients for 5 minutes.
Then stir in the spring onions and Ali’s Limoncello.
Limoncello Sorbet
250mls water
½ cup sugar
2 lemons, zested
125 mls lemon juice
125 mls Al’s Limoncello
Boil the water, sugar and zest,
Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Cool.
Stir in the lemon juice.
Freeze until firm.
Stir in Ali’s Limoncello – the alcohol will prevent the sorbet becoming too hard.
Serve in lemon shells. (Slice about ¼ off one end off the lemon, cut the base so that it will sit flat, scoop out the flesh. Freeze until firm and then fill with sorbet.)
Freeze until required.
Limoncello and White Chocolate Tiramisu (Serves 6)
I cup Ali’s Lemon Syrup
1 cup Ali’s Limoncello
3 eggs, separated
2 tbsp sugar
¼ cup sugar
500gms mascarpone cheese
300ml cream, whipped
250gms good quality white chocolate
1 packet Lady Finger biscuits
1. Mix the syrup and Limoncello in a shallow dish.
2. Beat the eggs whites until they form soft peaks. Then gradually add the first measure of sugar (2 tbsps) and beat until stiff peaks form.
3. In a separate large bowl beat the egg yolks with the second measure of sugar (¼ cup) until pale.
4. Add the mascarpone and beat to mix.
5. Fold in the whipped cream and the egg whites.
6. Add half the grated white chocolate and mix.
7. To compose the dish, layer the biscuits and the mascarpone mixture into serving dishes.
i.e. Dip the biscuits, one at a time, into the Limoncello mixture and submerge for a few seconds.
Place a layer of biscuits in the base of each serving dish.
Then spoon some of the mascarpone mix over the biscuits.
Place another layer of dipped biscuits on top.
Make 2 – 3 layers ending with mascarpone.
Smooth the top and sprinkle with more grated white chocolate.
8. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight.
Limoncello Fruit Cake
125 gms slivered almonds
125 gms glace pineapple
125 gms dried peaches
125 gms dried apricots
75gms glace ginger
75 gms green glace cherries
1 cup sultanas
250gms butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp BP
¼ cup Ali’s Limoncello + 4 tbsps
¼ Cup Ali’s Lemon Marmalade
Line a 23 cm tin with brown paper and baking paper.
Preheat oven to 150C
1. Toast the almonds until golden – about 5 minutes.
2. Chop fruit and combine with sultanas and almonds.
3. Beat butter and caster sugar until light and creamy.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
5. Sift in flour and BP.
6. Stir in fruit, Limoncello and marmalade.
7. Spoon into the cake tine and smooth the top.
8. Bake 1¾ hours or until the skewer comes out clean.
9. Drizzle over 4 tbsps Limoncello while still hot. Cover with foil and leave to cool in the tin.
Recipes Using Lemon Syrup↑
Lemon Syrup Loaf
2 eggs
100g butter
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 cup castor sugar
1 ¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ cup milk
¼ cup lemon syrup.
Grease and line a 21 X 9cm loaf tin.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Cream eggs and butter.
Add lemon rind and sugar and beat until creamy.
Mix in flour, baking powder, salt and milk.
Pour ingredients into loaf tin and bake for 45 – 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Take the loaf from the oven and pour over the syrup immediately.
Leave to cool in the tin.
Lemon Yoghurt Cake with Lemon Syrup
1 ¾ cups sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
2 – 3 teaspoons lemon juice
grated rind of 2 lemons
¾ cup oil
1 cup vanilla yoghurt
2 cups self raising flour
Grease a ring tin.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Mix rind, oil, eggs and sugar with a fork.
Add remaining ingredients and combine well.
Pour into tin and bake 30 minutes.
Use a skewer to make holes all over the top of the cake.
Pour syrup over. Eat warm with more yoghurt or with whipped cream flavoured with Limoncello or more Lemon Syrup.
Recipes for Lemon Curd↑
Lemon Gelato
Mix 250mls whipped cream with an equal quantity of Greek style natural yoghurt and stir through 3 -4 tbsps of lemon curd. Freeze.
Lemon Shortbread
Sandwich two pieces of shortbread together with lemon curd.
Lemon Curd Pavlova
Marinate fresh berries in Ali’s Limoncello for an hour or two. Swirl lemon curd through whipped cream and then slather on top of the pavlova. Decorate with lemon zest and the Limoncello infused fresh berries.
Recipes for Lemon Caramelised Onion↑
Chicken with Olives and Lemon Caramelised Onion
1 large cup Lemon Caramelised Onions
1 kg chicken thighs
Olive oil
½ cup plain flour
salt and pepper
1 cup white wine
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
2 lemons sliced thinly
Water
Spread the caramelised onion on the base of an oven proof dish.
Season the chicken and dredge with flour.
Heat olive oil in a pan and brown chicken on both sides.
Place browned chicken pieces on top of the onions.
Pour the wine over
Top with olives and slices of lemon. Add hot water so that the liquid reached half way up the chicken.
Bake 180 degrees C for one hour.
Red Lentil Soup with Lemon Caramelised Onions.
¾ cup red lentils
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water
pinch cayenne
¼ teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ½ tablespoon chopped parsley
Combine lentils with water, stock, cayenne, turmeric, salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are soft and beginning to break down.
Turn off heat and stir in chopped parsley and lemon juice.
Ladle into bowls and serve with caramelised onions.
Recipes for Lemon Mushrooms↑
Chicken with Lemon Mushrooms (Serves 4)
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Flour for dusting
Black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
Sprinkle the chicken with flour and a good grind of black pepper.
Heat the olive oil and butter over a medium heat.
Sauté the chicken for 3 – 4 minutes each side.
Add Ali’s Lemon Mushrooms and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a casserole and bake at 180 Degrees C for 30 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear. If desired, mix a teaspoon of cornflour with a little cold water and stir through the juices to thicken the sauce.
Serve on a bed of basmati rice or couscous and garnish with fresh parsley.
NB - Try Wiener Schnitzel instead of chicken – it’s a good source of iron.
Linguine with Lemon Mushrooms
Cook pasta in the usual way until al dente, drain and add some good olive oil.
Slice Ali’s Lemon Mushrooms and heat gently in a saucepan before stirring through the pasta.
Garnish with Italian parsley.
To add protein to this recipe, toss through cooked chicken or any cold meat, or top with a poached egg.
Lemon Mushroom Risotto with 2 cups of baby spinach
Make risotto the usual way using the liquid from a bottle of Ali’s Lemon Mushrooms in place of some of the stock.
Add sliced mushrooms when the rice is almost cooked.
Toss 2 cups of baby spinach through just before serving to retain the bright colour.
Cover and leave for 2 minutes to wilt.
Crostini with Lemon Mushrooms, bacon and feta cheese
Pile 1 tablespoon of sliced Lemon Mushrooms onto each slice of bread. Crumble some feta over and top with shards of crispy bacon.
Or stir crumbled blue cheese through the sliced mushrooms, spoon mounds onto the crostini and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.
Fish al Cartoccio
Slice Ali’s Lemon Mushrooms.
Cut baking paper or foil into squares.
Place a couple of tablespoons of the sliced mushrooms in the centre of the paper.
Top with a fillet of white fish.
Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Seal the packet so it is airtight.
Place in a baking dish and cook at 375 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes.
Lemon Cocktails↑
Limonata (Lemonade for adults)
60 mls vodka
15 mls Ali’s Limoncello
60 mls Ali’s Lemon Syrup
Mix all the ingredients.
Pour over large ice blocks
Garnish with a slice of lemon.
Italian Sunset
60 mls orange liqueur
60 mls Scotch
45 mls Ali’s Limoncello
1 cherry
1 lemon wedge
30 mls Soda water
Muddle the cherry and lemon in a mixing glass.
Add ice, orange liqueur, Scotch and Limoncello, shake vigorously.
Pour into a tumbler and add soda.
Lemon Kiss
120mls sparkling wine
30 mls Ali’s Limoncello
2 – 3 strawberries or raspberries
Add crushed ice to a champagne flute and top with berries.
Pour over Ali’s Limoncello and sparkling wine.
Lemon Spritzer
60 mls Ali’s Limoncello
120 mls Soda water
Spring mint
Add ice cubes to a tall glass.
Pour in soda water and mix in Ali’s Limoncello.
Garnish with a sprig of mint.