april spice rack challenge: more lemons... lemon and dill sauce:

So, I've still got this pile of lemons left; and  wondering what to do with them.  I've also got a bucket of oranges, one of peaches, one of apples, half a bucket of beans and shallots to deal with.  Oh and a bag of pears, but they are still quite green so I'm in no hurry there.  Anybody would think its bottling season or something. 

Back to the lemons, supplied by my Ma, since after 5 years I've finally got a lemon tree established but

its a long way from being able to keep me in fruit.  

there is a lemon tree, honest



Maybe this year I'll let it keep a fruit, since up until

now I've dutifully pulled them all off to encourage

vegetative growth.  In amongst all that comfrey is a

lemon tree under a hideous but very effective snow

shelter.  Its at the back door, and thinking about it,

I could move the shelter for the summer, but on the

list of things to do its way down the list.  So there it

stays.  The wonders of living in a semi-alpine

environment



This spring I planted a heap of dill, in the hope that I could sell some at the local farmers market.  I'd have to say it was a flop; bolted to seed well before I'd expected.  Last week I carefully removed as much leaf as I could find and the end result was a meagre handful, that sat on the bench drying until I could figure out a use for it.  I'd been playing around with the idea of a lemon and dill sauce, suitable for fish or chicken.  But do you think I could find a recipe?  Not even google could help.  By the seat of the pants it was going to have to be.



This is what I came up with:

Lemon and Dill sauce

6 lemons

2 onions

2 c brown sugar

1 c cider vinegar


1 1/2 c apple juice

3 Tblspn dill tips

I took the rind off the lemons, juiced them and put that in saucepan, with the flesh and pith in a muslin like I would have in making marmalade.
Apple juice was to thicken the brew from the pection; so boiled apples and drained using jellybag, and added the resulting juice.

apples draining in jelly bag

Added the rest of the ingredients with the exception of the dill, and boiled until I go the consistency I was after.  Will have to say that the sugar/vinegar ratio was approximate.  I gave up following sauce recipes exactly awhile back after some truly dismall concotions, so these days its all done by taste.  I figured with the acidity from the lemons and the addition of the vinegar, there wasn't going to me much of a problem, pH wise.  Put it though a mulee to get a nice smooth sauce.  No idea if mulee is something that exists outside of NZ.  Probably does, but not a clue on what its called, will wait for enlightenment on that one.  Old fashioned piece of  kitchenware inherited from my Grandma.  Wonderful thing, grinds fruit etc into much smoother paste than food processor.



My mulee




Added the dill tips, last, just before bottling, to avoid them turning to mush.  Put into hot sterilised jars, and there you have it, lemon and dill sauce.  Probably worth mentioning that in the US you would then pressure can it for the appropriate amount of time.



lemon sauce