Get the Lemons Together!!!

We are into our 2nd season of harvest from our good O' lemon tree. They've gone into most of our cooking - roasts, BBQs, salads, stews, sauces, yummy lemon cakes, tarts, pancakes.....refreshing lemonades.....and even for our washing! So what happens if we ran out of our lemon supply!? Yikes! So we started on our preservation plan....gather all the jam jars in the house! Sterilize the jars, quarter the lemons lengthways almost to the base......now for the sea salt....

This is the fun part...stuffing the lemons with sea salt! Leave them for about 30 mins to let the salt draw out the juice.....then pack them tightly into jars, as tightly as possible with more sea salt.....interspaced with spices like fennel seeds, cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay leaf, peppercorns....top up the jars with more lemon juice...

And after about 2 months, viola! We have our preserved lemons ready for use in our winter roasts, salads and marinates! Hmm....or maybe even as gifts? ;)

Cure a Cold with Pancakes!

I have been sick for days. Runny nose, persistent cough....haven't had much of an appetite either. But, I woke up on Thursday morning craving for something sweet, warm and comforting! So pancakes it has to be!! A quick mix of eggs, flour, milk, salt and baking soda....whip, whip, whip....a little butter on the pan....a ladle of batter.....flip!....rest....stack....lots of honey (good for the throat)....squeeze of lemon (good for the blocked nose)......a generous dollop of Jalna yoghurt (good for the tummy)....lots of blueberries for those much needed vitamins and anti-oxidants (courtesy of Robert and Wah Chin, thanks guys!!).....fork in the left, knife on the right, slice....bite....ahhhhhh........

Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver,

110g or 4 oz plain flour

1 heaped tablespoon of baking soda

140 ml milk

3 large eggs

Pinch of salt

Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Mix flour, baking soda, milk and egg yolks till you get a smooth batter. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until you form stiff peaks. Fold in the beaten egg white with the batter. Melt a small knob of butter in a non-stick pan using low heat. Ladle in the batter, wait for the pancake to cook till golden and firm, flip, cook for 1 more miniute, serve with honey and fruits or anything you like with yummy fluffy pancakes! :)

Frank also tried adding ornage zest to the batter and made an orange

(Serves about 8 -10 small pancakes)