It’s true what they say that the smell of lemons de-stresses a person. That goes for limes, oranges, and grapefruit too.
I even knew a woman of middle eastern descent that always had the fragrance of oranges about her. I’m sure she must wear orange essence but oh is it ever a fresh and attractive scent. Yes, I’m fond of citrus of any kind. I think I actually love and appreciate the fragrance of citrus zest even more than the flavour — and, believe me, I adore eating anything graced with citrus.
Do you remember when Emeril Lagasse had his cooking show? He said, “I love fresh citrus and always keep lemons, limes, and oranges on hand; they come in handy for spritzing up quickly grilled meats, seafoods, and vegetables, especially when followed up by a quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.” Obviously I agree because I also find citrus has that magic.
During the pandemic a friend of mine who is a really fine cook, sent an email out to a few of us asking if we’d like to share a few of our simple go-to weeknight dinners. I bit. The process of paying attention to what and how we eat on a day-to-day basis, now that we can’t entertain, has been a little eye opening for me. I had thought my day-to-day meals were mostly ‘ordinary’ uncomplicated meals for the most part. Turns out I seldom make simple.
Truth is, I cook a lot of ethnic dishes that range from Chinese, Thai, Korean traveling on to Indian then jumping over to Greek, Italian, maybe some Russian or Ukrainian and who knows where else. And yes, that’s during the week. “Ordinary” meals. During the pandemic and outside of it too. No kidding. I love prominent flavours.
Getting back to the citrus notes. I do cook with a great deal of lemons, limes, sometimes oranges, and frequently also with fresh ginger. I zest my lemons and limes bald and sometimes have to squeeze their juices into my water just to use them up. That’s how much zest I use in my cooking. And ginger too. I’m never without ginger or lemons and limes in the house.
What about you? Do you have go-to simple meals? Do you love or use certain ingredients more than others?
i absolutely love these images and i, like you, seldom cook what others call simple. although, the meals are simple to me. others just think they were difficult.
i watch cooking shows just before sleep at night on YouTube. not so much for recipes as for technique and what flavors mix well.
when it comes to citrus, i always keep limes on hand. my preference for limes is they are seedless and milder. they add a brightness to salsa, black bean soups, anything Mexican and they also add a brightness to any and all of my pasta dishes with a white, cheese sauce.
yes, not being able to have guests is sad right now, but i’m so glad i cook in lieu of being dependent on restaurant takeout.
I’m with you on the citrus! When I was pregnant I craved orange flavoured anything, salmon, and spinach. My appreciation for these items has remained strong ever since. Orange zest, juice, and candied peel seem to make their way into much of my cooking.
Hi Diane!
You and your blogs are two of the things in life I am truly grateful for. Kathy and I look forward to the time we can truly reconnect. Your blogs make a great beginning to my week; so much warmth, wisdom and, dare I say it, love in your writing and photos.
Lionel
It’s amazing how much zest you use when I pale in comparison. I bought a zest “shredder” about 15 years ago and I can count on one hand how often I have used it. Simple meals I make are more for breakfast rather than dinner. I discovered a way of making omelets ahead of time by boiling two eggs (whipped) and any ingredients I choose in freezer Ziploc bags on the stovetop. We usually can fit up to six in a boiling pot of water. Then on a weekday morning, I have a quick warm meal, rather than just cereal. It requires a quick warm-up and I am served a “Sunday morning meal” on Tuesday morning. As far as dinner, I have any easy, quick meatloaf that I love getting my hands into when mixing all of the extra ingredients. And it goes a long way for us. Meatloaf is perfect this time of year.