Jazz up your dishes with a squeeze of lemon

Lemon is more than being a citrus fruit. This yellow oval fruit can jazz up your dish–gourmet style.

Being the Lifestyle Network junkie that I am, I learned the use of lemon in almost every dish through the Network’s food shows. Giada de Laurentiis, host of Everyday Italian, almost always uses lemon in preparing her simple but classic Italian dishes. I tried it and it really works!

You can turn simple meals like a simple Puttanesca or Bolognese into a very satisfying dish by adding a squeeze of half a lemon into the sauce while cooking. This will bring out the flavors of the dish and give it a very appealing aroma. You can also use the lemon as a better substitute in marinating steaks for a more citrus-ey flavor. Lemon works here both as tenderizer and flavoring agent. But before you slice the lemon, make sure that you roll it underneath the heel of your palm and your wrist, over a hard surface. This is necessary to bring out the juices of the fruit.

No need to worry about the price. A piece of lemon is available in supermarkets for only Php18.00 ($0.39). The price is worth it. Once you try it, you will definitely make it as one of your kitchen must-haves.

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