Monday, November 27, 2017

Roasted Broccoli and Mushrooms with Lemon and Dill

I was gifted with a home-grown lemon a few months ago.  The first thing I noticed was how dry and soft the peel was.  That may have been partly due to the particular type of lemon, but I suspect it had more to do with it being unwaxed.  It did not have that shiny, plastic look that the lemons we buy in the grocery store have.

My first thought, therefore, was that I must use all of the zest.  That night I had planned to roast my usual broccoli, red onion and mushrooms so I decided to slice the zest and add it to that dish.  I also made a quick whole-grain Dijon mustard vinaigrette to use with the vegetables instead of just olive oil and herbs.  I thought it would pair nicely with the lemon zest and used the juice from the lemon instead of my usual white wine vinegar.  Then I finished it off with some fresh dill I happened to have from a dish I had made earlier that week.

I was not sure how strong the zest would be so I sliced it super thin.  You can hardly see it in the finished dish but in this photo I took before adding the vinaigrette and the red onion you can see how beautiful it looks.

But how did it taste is the question, right?  The end result was so much more flavor than I was expecting.  It may have been psychological since I knew this was no ordinary lemon but the flavor was intensely lemony without being overly acidic.  My only regret is that I sliced the zest so thinly.  I wanted more of that intense flavor in every bite!  But that did not detract from my enjoyment of the dish, and I know if I am lucky enough to ever get another one I will be more generous with my slicing.

I loved the flavor of this dish so much that I have made it since with plain old store-bought lemons.  It is quite delicious that way as well, which is a good thing since I don't know when another home-grown lemon will cross my path.  So I hope you will make this dish and I am sure you will enjoy it.

I recently posted my easy roasting method here.  Instead of pouring olive over the vegetables before baking, sprinkle some sliced lemon zest and this vinaigrette and you will have a super special side dish on your plate.

And I just realized that this would make a killer side for that Thanksgiving table.  I am late to the table again, I guess.

Home Cookin v9.70 Chapter: My Recipes
MUSTARD SEED VINAIGRETTE
Makes approximately one-third of a cup

1 Tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
1 Tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the mustards and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk until they are well incorporated. Add the olive oil gradually, whisking continuously, until you have an emulsion. Add the crushed garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

Can be made ahead of time and stored for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.

1/31/15

Exported from Home Cookin v9.70 (www.mountain-software.com)

1 comment:

Exp Works said...

Great post thanks.

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