A thousand and one uses for a zested lemon | Chefs

I regularly use lemon zest, but the result is that I often have two or three bald lemons hanging around going mouldy. What can I do with them?
Bel, by email
“We use a lot of zest and peel in our cooking at the restaurant,” sympathises Chris Shaw of Toklas in London, “so we also end up with a load of peeled lemons.” Not that that’s a hardship, mind, because no matter what you’re making, you’re almost always going to need acid in some shape or form. As Jad Youssef, author of Lebnani, says: “If something’s flat, lemon juice is usually the fix. In Lebanon, we always have cut lemons on the table, ready to squeeze over pretty much every meal.”

To be a bit more specific, though, Bel’s first port of call might be dressings, particularly at prime salad time. “Whisk the juice with olive oil, a pinch of salt, maybe a bit of garlic, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses,” Youssef says. That would then mingle nicely with all manner of things: tomatoes, radishes, cucumber, or grilled courgette or aubergine.

But be sure to squeeze those lemons early, says Helen Graham, author of Centrepiece. “Once bald, they go hard pretty quickly and are then almost impossible to squeeze,” she says. Graham freezes the juice in ice-cube trays: “You then have these little lemon cubes to use throughout the week, ready to turn something drab into something wow.” Shaw agrees: “I’d drop them into pastas, risottos, any soups or stews that need freshening up, or simply use them as ice cubes in drinks.”

If you have a good few bald lemons knocking around, Bel could do a lot worse than cooking them slowly with olive oil and a pinch of salt, Youssef adds: “That’s almost like a quick confit, and they turn soft, mellow and slightly sweet,” and are especially pleasing spooned over meat, vegetables or fish. If you’re baking fish, however, Shaw would be inclined to shove a bald lemon in the tray, too: “When the fish is cooked, use tongs to squeeze the juice over the top – you’ll get a load out of it.” This strategy also works a dream with roast chicken, pork chops, lamb, even beef: “If you whisk the lemon juice with the resting juices and olive oil, you’re essentially making a light emulsion to go with whatever you’re eating.”

For more of a project, Graham recommends slicing the lemons and layering them in a jar with equal parts caster sugar: “That will eventually turn into a lemon syrup, which you can use to soak sponge cakes. It would be really nice poured over some roast feta, too.” Alternatively, layer those lemon slices with salt, cover with olive or rapeseed oil, and leave for a week: “You’ll end up with these delicate lemons for chopping into salads; I also use the oil in salad dressings.”

For times when your heart’s not really in it, meanwhile, Shaw would simply add any spare lemon juice to the dinner water jug. “Or mix it with water, a bit of sugar, maybe a splash of rose water for a quick, refreshing lemonade,” Youssef says. “A lemon without its zest can still do plenty of work.”