A squeeze of lemon

I think lemons are as indispensable in the kitchen as onions, and I don’t believe I could cook without them. What I love about living in Malta is that virtually every house with a garden or back yard has a lemon tree, so Maltese lemons are available here pretty much all year round. I only have to ask a friend if I can have a couple from her tree and I invariably get a large bagful.

Lemons are believed to have come originally from northern India. It was the Romans who brought them to the Mediterranean, but it was the Arabs who spread them around southern Europe, establishing flourishing orchards in Sicily, Spain and North Africa.

Columbus took them across the Atlantic at the end of the 15th century, the Portuguese introduced them to Brazil, and the Spanish to Florida and California. Eventually the early colonists took them to Australia.

Sailors on those early long Atlantic voyages suffered dreadfully from scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C in their restricted diet, but the irony of it was that the fruit from the cargo of lemon trees they were carrying would have cured them, as lemons contain lots of vitamin C.

It wasn’t until late in the 18th century, after a British naval surgeon discovered that lemons were an effective cure for scurvy, that a daily ration of lemon juice was issued to sailors.

Later on, they were given lime juice instead, as limes from the British West Indies were much cheaper than lemons – which incidentally is why British sailors were nick-named ‘limeys’ by their American counterparts. And after that piece of useless information, we will move swiftly on to today’s recipes!

Fish fillets floured or dipped in egg and breadcrumbs are standard fare, but for something a bit different, mix the egg with lemon juice, then dust the fish with a mixture of polenta, grated lemon rind and parsley and then fry them in oil and butter until the coating is crispy.

Moroccan lemon chicken should really be made with lemons preserved in salt. The lemons are quartered but not all the way through. They are opened out, the pulp is sprinkled with lots of sea salt and then they are packed tightly into jars. More salt and lemon juice are added until the jar is completely full and they are left for about six weeks.

They are easy to do, and Maltese lemons would be particularly good to use as they are not waxed. I’m sure the salt police would have plenty to say about them, but they can’t complain about my recipe as I used fresh lemons.

A lemon tart is one of those deceptive desserts that looks simple but tastes sumptuous, and it is my faithful standby when I need to make an easy pudding. I’ve found too, that strawberry purée, which I made with some of the excess strawberries I over-bought at the Mgarr show, goes with it beautifully as a sauce.

If I ask my family what cake they fancy, more often than not it’s a lemon sponge. This one is quick to make using the easy all-in-one method, but with its lemony squidgy cream cheese frosting, it’s really quite special. It’s best kept in the fridge, but I can guarantee that it won’t stay there long!