Roasted Lemon Chutney
A beautiful roasted lemon chutney from Molly Steven's book, All About Roasting.
Whatever I share today needs to somehow circle back to the roasted lemon chutney I've been slathering on everything this week. I made it from a gem of a recipe tucked deep in the back of this book. The book was part of the stack of magazines, novels, and cookbooks I brought to read last weekend when we popped up California’s Highway 1 for a couple nights on the Mendocino coast.
Roasted Lemon Chutney: The Inspiration
In the mornings, I'd sit in our little cottage, coffee in hand, and read with the front door open. Top of my pile was Molly's new book - All About Roasting. Molly is a friend, and this follow-up to her much-loved All About Braising, was eagerly anticipated by yours truly (and many of you, I'm sure). Her Roasted Apple Sauce jumped out at me immediately, and I was all set to make it once I was back home.
Now, I'm still not entirely sure what happened, but I kept glancing at the Roasted Lemon Chutney recipe, which lives a few pages back from the applesauce - and here we are. Back home, no applesauce, chutney instead, no regrets whatsoever.
How To Make Roasted Lemon Chutney
Making this chutney is quite straight-forward. You roast thin, olive oil-brushed lemon slices until they’re tender and browning. You transfer the roasted lemons to a food processor along with some shallots and olive oil. Season and finish with some fresh herbs - you're good to go.
Roasted Lemon Chutney: So Many Ways
There are so many ways to use this mildly puckery magic. I slathered the chutney on thick slabs of toasted bread with a good amount of whipped goat cheese - that's what you see in most of these photos. But really, there are so many other things you can do with it.
A couple more ideas: a dollop stirred into brown rice, chopped sautéed spinach, topped with a fried/poached egg and a touch of soy sauce. Or, incorporated into a bowl of hot pasta. Or, inside a savory crepe. Or, tossed with hot roasted potatoes, or baked potatoes, or mashed potatoes, or homemade gnocchi. You get the idea. It's super versatile, and I hope you like it as much as I did.
Here are a few other pics from our weekend away, below. The drive was pretty wild. We decided to cut over to the coast on a different road than usual. Wow - one of those decisions I'm glad we made, but probably won't repeat. Not quite dirt roads, but close!
More Lemon Recipes
- Shaker Lemon Pie
- Glazed Lemon Cake
- Meyer Lemon Focaccia
- Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- All lemon recipes
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Roasted Lemon Chutney
Molly notes that because you use whole lemons here, you're going to want to wash them first in warm soapy water to remove any waxy reside. Organic lemons usually don't have that, so (for that reason, and others) go that route if possible. The chutney will last for several days, refrigerated, in a jar or tightly covered.
- 1/4 cup / 1 oz / 30g finely chopped shallots
- 3 small lemons (4 to 5 oz each)
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 1 tablespoon honey, plus more to taste
- kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil or mint
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Heat the oven to 400°F / 205°C with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
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Soak the shallots in a small bowl of cold water to reduce their strength a bit.
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Set one of the lemons aside to use later. Slice about 1/4-inch off both ends of the remaining lemons and discard (this part is mostly pith which can make the chutney too bitter). Slice the lemons into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (see photo), and use the tip of a knife to remove any seeds. Arrange the lemons on the baking sheet and brush with a bit of olive oil. Turn and coat the second side with oil.
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Roast the lemons, turning every 10 minutes, until they are very tender with just a few spots of brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Don't let the lemons crisp, and keep an eye on the bottoms, which tend to brown before the tops. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
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Transfer the lemons to a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. If there are any juices (not burned or blackened) on the baking sheet, add these. Molly notes there frequently aren't any, which was my experience as well. Drain the shallots, shaking off any excess water, and add to the processor. Add the honey and pulse several times until the lemons are coarsely chopped. Add the juice from half the remaining lemon and the 1/4 cup / 60 ml of olive oil. Continue pulsing until the chutney is fairly smooth and creamy, with just a few lemon chunks. Season generously with salt and pepper and more lemon juice or honey to taste. Keep tweaking until it really tastes great to you. For example, if it's too tart for you, just keep sweetening a bit at a time.
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Transfer to a small bowl and let sit for at least 2 hours to let the flavors meld. Just before serving stir in the fresh basil or mint, taste, make any final adjustments, and serve at room temperature.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Adapted from Molly Steven's All About Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art, W. W. Norton & Company, November 1, 2011
Related Recipes
Shaker Lemon Pie
The defining detail of this lemon Shaker pie is the use of whole lemons for the filling. Thin slices of lemon including the peel, pith, and flesh are macerated in sugar and then turned into a vibrant, flavor-packed, custardy filling. Pair this with a flaky all-butter pie crust and you've got something special on your hands.
Glazed Lemon Cake
This lemon cake is moist, fragrant and topped with a salted lemon glaze. It is made with lots of lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice. You don’t need a mixer, the olive oil based batter comes together quickly, and you’re not much longer than an hour from having a beautiful cake to share.
Meyer Lemon Focaccia
You can make this. I promise! It's a golden crusted focaccia draped with whisper thin rounds of Meyer lemon, studded with black olives, and a showered with sliced almonds. It's the one focaccia recipe you need.
Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread
Certain adventures call for the perfect banana bread, and this was one of them. A moist, ridiculously good banana bread recipe. A banana bread that is chocolate studded, lemon kissed, and made with whole wheat flour (and olive oil) - from Melissa Clark's new book.
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Comments
Very doable amount of lemons, even for those of us in Maine who have to grow them indoors — thanks for the recipe, as well as the cookbook recommendation!
Peggy, This recipe is not safe to can because of the oil. It also might have too many onions to keep the acidity high enough to can. I have had Molly's book for several weeks now and every recipe I have tried has been wonderful. Thanks for moving this one up the list of recipes to try.
I just made this and had some trouble with the outcome. I followed everything exactly, but my chutney did not come finish as beautifully as hoped. The red onion dyed the creamy chutney a bubblegum pink color, rendering my hostess' gift a bit gruesome. I added some turmeric to dye it a pretty macaroni-and-cheese color, but there's an added, though not unpleasant, flavor. My advice to those with particularly purple onions - go with the shallots!
What an excellent idea if you don't have the patience to make preserved lemons. I know it's not the same concept but the flavors would definitely be in the same realm. Yum!
Lovely photos, looking forward to seeing more! The chutney looks wonderful, and I think on thick slices of toasted bread with whipped goat cheese would be my preferred way of eating it, too (although on pasta sounds delicious, as well). Chutney always sounded complicated and difficult to make, but this recipe is simple! Thank you!
Heidi, I think I picked my love of lemons from cooking many of your recipes. This one sounds particularly divine!
Your pictures look so calming. Beautiful. And lemon chutney? Yes please!
YUM! I am very lucky to have a lemon tree in my backyard... can't wait to try this recipe out!
Such a delicious retreat. Love the lemon accent in the whole recipe!
Roasted lemons?!! Oooh this sounds so different!!! Love this idea, definitely going to give it a try. Beautiful photos of your trip also, thanks for sharing!
HI Heidi I was surprised as much as Emm that USA is not very into savory muffins. Here in australia or at least in melbourne we eat them a lot of the time make a great breakfast, very filling. Nice for lunch as well. I will certainly try your recipe sounds so good. There are so many variations of savory muffins. As we are are off for a long weekend break these will make a great breakfast along the way considering the early start we will be making. Thanks Jessie
I prepared this earlier today, and added coriander seeds, gently toasted, to the mix. I can assure you that it's a delicious variation of the roasted lemon chutney.
HS: Love this idea.
What a gorgeous trip, makes me miss Northern California (born and raised Sunset kid living abroad). I've always heard great things about Molly Steven's books, it sounds like I finally really need to get ahold of one!
Jan - preserved lemons seem to last forever. You can google them, but basically you cut the peel but not into the flesh both longwise and around the lemon, stuff it with salt and cram them in jars with salt and extra lemon juice. Makes a salty tangy addition to salads, Moroccan food, spreads, etc. Or you can freeze the lemon juice in "bricks" I put it in ziplock bags and then lay the bags in a square container in the fridge till it freezes, and remove the tupperware, then the ziplock bricks of lemon juice stack nicely.
Oh, I just can't wait for the citrus this year!! My orange tree is just barely starting to change. We have a lemon tree that produces all year, but the new ones in December are the best. I'm a total lemon freak. Give me lemon over chocolate, any day. I have to make this soon! Glad you had a great trip :)
I would like to make this but don't have a food processor--would you recommend lots of chopping by hand, or using an immersion blender?
I have four trees loaded with "organic" lemons, but there's hardly any point in "preserving" them if the chutney only lasts 3 days! Is it possible to make it more long lasting???
HS: I'm thinking I'd go the freezer route, but I haven't actually tried it yet.
This looks delightful! I'm thinking on top of some good old fashioned gnocchi perhaps with some of that goat cheese you mention.
Sounds like a whirlwind of an adventure!! What a ride. Love this tart lemon chutney!
Your photos are simply majestic. I think you captured the coast beautifully. I've also never thought of roasting lemons! I'm so intrigued.