Whoop! Whoop! to vinaigrette!!!

Has the winter got you down?? Cheer up and visit the Mediterranean sea for a moment as you chow down on a Greek salad dressed with the the most amazing vinaigrette made with the one and the only SHABBY PRESERVED LEMONS!!!!

1/4 cup chopped mint
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves minced
1 chopped preserved lemon (pulp removed)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 cup olive oil
juice of one lemon
Go ahead and WHISK away!!! It makes about 2 cups of dressing! Don't worry it's so delicious it won't last very long in your refrigerator.

For the salad you'll need lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, Greek olives, and feta cheese. Enjoy!!!!!

Get your LENTIL on!

Lentil Soup! Great source of protein. Great way to warm up on a rainy San Francisco day.

1 1/2 cup lentils
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/2 yellow onion chopped
2 gloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups chard chopped
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (add more if you want to kick it up!)
salt and pepper

Bring water and chicken broth to a boil add lentils. Bring water to a boil again, reduce heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until lentils are soft. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until soft and frequent. Add crushed tomatoes and stir at medium-high heat for about 3 minutes reducing some of the liquid from the tomatoes. Add mixture to lentils and slowly stir in chopped chard. Add cayenne, salt, and pepper till desired flavor achieved. Now you're ready to get your LENTIL on. To really dress this soup up add a dollop of sour cream and cheddar cheese. Enjoy.

Spicy Crab Spaghettini with Preserved Lemons

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spicy-Crab-Spaghettini-with-Preserved-Lemon-242285

This might be one of my favorite things to do with crab and preserved lemons. If you don't have preserved lemons available for a tarter version you can use fresh meyer lemons. I also add grape tomatoes at the end so the heat from the past and sauce just slightly softens and cooks the tomato. Super easy to make yet quite impressive!! It's crabtastic.

Shabby Preserved Lemons!!

The Preserved Lemon! What a beautiful thing.

From Wikipedia: The preserved lemon is a citrus preparation that is technically a pickle, rather than a preserve. Common in North African cuisine, especially Moroccan cuisine,[1] it is also known as "country lemon" or leems. Diced, halved, or perfectly whole lemons are packed in a simple brine made up of a combination of water, lemon juice, and salt; occasionally spices are included as well.[1] The flesh of the preserved lemon can be used in stews and sauces, but it is the rind that is most valued.

It's a key ingredient in most Moroccan cooking. They provide and intense lemon flavor. Since they also provide salt to the dish, no extra salt is usually needed when cooking with preserved lemons. If you want to tone down the flavor you can also blanch them for about 30-60 seconds in boiling water.

My preserved lemons are currently sitting on the counter. Just a few more days of shaking till they can become part of my delicious creations. I bet Alexis is quite excited too. We shared the shabby lemon preserving experience together. Chris was our assistant.

For more information and a few recipe ideas check out
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/04/the-secret-ingredient-preserved-lemons-moroccan-recipes.html