Eat Seasonal: Strawberry and Preserved Lemon Lassi
by Aimee
These early March days have been bitterly cold, but brilliantly sunny. Spring still feels like a long way off, even though we are already making plans for Easter in a few short weeks.
The sunshine is a promise of good things to come: the sweetest season of all, where we boil our own maple syrup. The sap won’t run until the weather warms up though, so in the meantime we are hunkering down and eating the stores from the preserves pantry and the freezer.
Barbara Kingsolver called March “the hungry month” in her inspiring memoir, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
March is when I most frequently pop the lid off of a can of peaches or reach for a jar of pesto from the freezer. My palate needs an awakening and I am so grateful to my former self for making time to preserve the harvest.
Today’s simple recipe is a result of such planning; small Quebec strawberries, frozen in their prime, along with tangy preserved lemons marry in a sweet and salty lassi. It’s just the ticket to awaken my tired taste buds.
A lassi seem almost too simple to require a recipe, but this one is honey-sweetened and requires a fine balance of sweet and salty. Traditionally a lassi has a bit of salt added in, but in this recipe the tangy, salty preserved lemon rounds out the flavours.
This traditional Indian beverage is thinner than a smoothie and I find it leaves leaves you feeling refreshed, not bloated (like a smoothie sometimes can). It’s usually a cool-down drink, but it’s just as satisfying during a snowstorm. It’s also usually yogourt-based, but I make mine with kefir.
Kefir has all sorts of health benefits, although I keep it around for smoothies and drinks such as this one just because it is delicious.
Creamy and refreshing, this pretty pink Strawberry and Preserved Lemon Lassi would be perfect for upcoming Easter celebrations. It would be a great way to tease the appetite or refresh the palate when accompanying a brunch menu. Don’t wait for an occasion to make the lassi, however!
| Strawberry and Preserved Lemon Lassi | Print |
- 2 cups kefir
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 2 teaspoons chopped preserved lemon
- 2 Tablespoons liquid honey
- pinch of ground cardamom
- Combine all ingredients in a blender. Cover and blend on low until the strawberries are in little bits.
- Increase the blender speed to high and blend until frothy.
- Taste the lassi and add more honey if desired.
- Pour into glasses and serve at once.
Eat Seasonal: March
Asparagus & Feta Cheese Crustless Quiche from Cookin’ Canuck
Roasted Vegetable Asiago Fettuccine Alfredo from Completely Delicious
Baked Thai Beef Stuffed Artichokes from Climbing Grier Mountain
Watermelon Radish and Arugula Salad from Food for My Family
Pappadew Pepper Cauliflower Hummus from Kitchen Confidante
Lentil, Avocado, and Radish Salad from Letty’s Kitchen
Tuna Salad with Pickled Habeneros from Project Domestication
Kiwi Lime Sherbet from The Vintage Mixer
Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage from FoodieCrush
Roasted Asparagus and Brussels Sprout Panzanella Salad from Floating Kitchen
Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Fries with Lemon Greek Yogurt Dip from Flavor the Moments
And lastly, if you like the strawberry/lemon pairing, you’ll love this Strawberry Meyer Lemon Marmalade.
Eat Seasonal: Strawberry and Preserved Lemon Lassiis a post from Simple Bites
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