Ode to a Meyer Lemon

Even though I am beyond thankful to have a freezer full of our own fruits and vegetables to select from this time of year, I still find myself craving fresh fruits and vegetables in the winter months.  That's why I was so thrilled to receive a box of fresh, home-grown Meyer lemons in the mail last week.  This generous gift came from my Aunt Janet, who lives in Arizona where Meyer lemons are in-season right now.  This particular variety of lemon is actually a hybrid of a lemon and a mandarin orange.  They have thinner skin and a sweeter, more floral taste.  My foolish attempt at growing Meyer lemons in VT resulted in lots of incredibly fragrant blossoms, but failed to yield a single fruit, so I'm excited to finally have some.  My imagination has been running wild with ways to use my cache of lemons and a recent article in the LA Times outlining 100 things to do with a Meyer lemon provided some inspiration.
The #1 suggestion on the list was to make Meyer Lemonade.  Coming in at #2 was a recipe for Cornish game hens with Meyer lemons, olives, and fennel, which I then used to inspire a similar dish of my own creation:  Chicken Linguine with Meyer lemons, fennel, capers, and olives.  Keep in mind that even if you don't have Meyer lemons, you can make both of these recipes with any type of lemon.  Here is how to make them:

Meyer Lemonade

6 Meyer Lemons
6 cups boiling water
1-2 cups of sugar or honey
3 cups cold water
2 half-gallon Ball jars

Begin by cutting each of the lemons in half and use a hand-held juicer to squeeze the juice and pulp from each into the two jars.  No juicing tool?  No problem.  Just squeeze as much of the juice as you can from each lemon into the two jars.  After squeezing in the juice and most of the pulp, throw the remaining lemons into the jars.  There should be 6 lemon halves in each jar.  Heat 6 cups of water in a pot on the stove until boiling.  Remove from heat and mix in 1-2 cups of honey or sugar, depending on how sweet you like it, and stir until dissolved.  Pour 3 cups of the hot liquid over the lemons in each jar and let sit for 5 minutes.  Top off each jar with cold water and stir.  Refrigerate until fully chilled and enjoy a tall, refreshing glass full with a fresh wedge of lemon.

Chicken Linguine with Meyer Lemons, Olives, Capers, and Fennel

2-4 pieces of bone-in chicken

(I used 4 chicken thighs)

Linguine pasta

2 Meyer lemons

1 medium fennel bulb

3/4 cups of green olives with Provencal herbs

1 Tbsp capers

4 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

Splash white wine

1/4 cup whole milk or cream

Salt & Pepper to taste

Fresh grated Parmesan or Romano

Heat the oven to 375 F.  Slice the fennel bulb into thin rings and lay it into the bottom of a 9 X 9 baking dish.  Next, slice the olives and garlic into thin slices and sprinkle all but 3 Tbsp of them onto the fennel in the baking dish.  I used green olives that came marinated in Provencal herbs.  If you aren't able to find these, just use any green olives and add some dried Herbes de Provence to the dish.  Herbes de Provence is a blend of French culinary herbs including some combination of basil, savory, fennel, thyme, and lavender.  Next, slice the lemons thin and and layer all but a few of them over the top of the fennel, olives, and garlic in the baking dish.  Sprinkle the capers into the dish, then drizzle the dish with olive oil and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper.  Toss gently.  Sprinkle each piece of chicken with salt and pepper, then use 2 Tbs of the reserved garlic and olives and push a bit of them under the skin of each piece of chicken.  Lay a lemon slice over each piece of chicken and then lay the chicken on top of the vegetables in your casserole dish.  Drizzle the whole dish with olive oil and bake for 45 min- 1hour, depending on the cut of chicken you use, until a thermometer inserted into the chicken reaches 165 F.  About 10-15 minutes before your chicken is done, pour a generous splash of white wine into the casserole dish.   

When the chicken is done, remove the dish from the oven and set aside.  Boil the linguine according to package directions, strain, and set aside.  In the warm pot that you boiled your pasta in, add the 1 Tbsp of butter and melt it.  Then add the final remaining Tbsp of reserved garlic and olives to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.  Pour in a splash of the white wine and cook an additional minute or two.  Next, use a baster or large spoon to draw about 1/4 cup of the broth from the bottom of your chicken dish and add it to the pot along with the 1/4 cup of milk or cream.  Simmer for 1-2 minutes and add the cooked pasta.  Toss to coat.  Now remove the fennel, olives, capers and garlic from the casserole dish and toss in the pot with the pasta.  You can either serve the chicken pieces whole with the pasta on the side, or remove it from the bone, shred it, and and toss it into the pasta.  If it's too dry, add a bit more milk and broth from the casserole dish.  Top with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a fine grating of Parmesan or Romano cheese and prepare to be wowed.  This recipe is a keeper!