a new trick

adding a slice or two of lemon when you are making a tomato sauce is something i picked up from honey & co’s food from the middle east. it is part of their recipe for vegetarian moussaka and it, plus the cinnamon stick that was also used in the sauce recipe, gave the tomato sauce the most amazingly delicious smell when it was cooking.

so, when i was making a tomato sauce last night for eating with pasta, i decided to try it again, this time without the cinnamon. most of the centre of the piece of the lemon disappears into the sauce and i removed the outer circle of pith and peel (you can eat this, if you’re so inclined or even finely chop it and stir it back in).

the lemon gave the sauce a hint of freshness that balanced the rest of the flavours – garlic, chilli and a mix of fresh and tinned tomatoes – really nicely; it’s more subtle than adding herbs. i will definitely be using this trick again – i think it would work really well in a tomato sauce for a light summery lasagne or for serving with herb-and-lemon-zest-flecked meatballs.