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This homemade limoncello recipe hails from an Italian friend’s mother, Antonietta. It’s a two-phase process, so you’ll need to plan 3 to 4 days in advance, but the work is mostly hands-off, and the recipe is incredibly simple. Homemade limoncello makes a great gift — it’s such a festive drink to have on hand during the holiday season. Top it with heavy cream and serve it after dinner. Cheers!

How to Make Homemade Limoncello

Phase one:

1. Peel two pounds organic lemons. This is my favorite peeler for this task.
2. Place in a Mason jar.
3. Pour vodka or grain alcohol overtop.
4. Let sit three to four days, shaking every so often.

Phase two:

1. Strain out the zest.
2. Make a simple syrup, and pour it over the zest-infused alcohol.
3. Bottle it all up, store in the freezer.

How easy is that?

Here’s the play-by-play: First, place the lemon peel in a Mason jar and cover with vodka or grain alcohol.

After three or four days, the zest will petrify in the alcohol. At this point, strain it out and discard.

Make a simple syrup and add to the zest-infused alcohol. When you use grain alcohol, the mixture will glow.

Funnel the limoncello into glass bottles.

If you live in the area, Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany sells these glass jars in a variety of sizes for a little over a dollar a piece:

This is Antonietta, the lovely Italian mother of friends of ours, who taught us how to make this limoncello. (Incidentally, she also taught us how to make prosciutto.)

This is the cold room of Antonietta’s basement. Prosciutto and capicola hang from the ceiling.

Homemade wine aging in carboys line the perimeter:

Description

Note: Vodka or grain alcohol? I have used both. Vodka is less potent, less body warming, and more subtle in flavor than grain alcohol. Both work well, but my preference is vodka. Unfortunately, vodka doesn’t cause the finished limoncello to glow the way grain alcohol does.

• 2 -lbs organic lemons
• 1 750-ml bottle vodka or grain alcohol
• 6 cups water
• 2 ½ cups sugar

1. Peel lemons with peeler, trying to avoid white pith if possible.
2. Place the zest in one or two large glass mason jars and pour vodka over top.
3. Let the zest sit in the vodka for 3 or 4 days shaking every so often. Strain the vodka, which will feel petrified, into a large bowl and discard the zest.
4. Next, heat the water and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool completely. Add sugar-water mixture to strained vodka. Pour into bottles and store in freezer.
5. Serve as is or topped with heavy cream.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Drink
• Method: Steep and Stir
• Cuisine: Italian

Description

Note: Vodka or grain alcohol? I have used both. Vodka is less potent, less body warming, and more subtle in flavor than grain alcohol. Both work well, but my preference is vodka. Unfortunately, vodka doesn’t cause the finished limoncello to glow the way grain alcohol does.

• 2 -lbs organic lemons
• 1 750-ml bottle vodka or grain alcohol
• 6 cups water
• 2 ½ cups sugar

1. Peel lemons with peeler, trying to avoid white pith if possible.
2. Place the zest in one or two large glass mason jars and pour vodka over top.
3. Let the zest sit in the vodka for 3 or 4 days shaking every so often. Strain the vodka, which will feel petrified, into a large bowl and discard the zest.
4. Next, heat the water and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool completely. Add sugar-water mixture to strained vodka. Pour into bottles and store in freezer.
5. Serve as is or topped with heavy cream.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Drink
• Method: Steep and Stir
• Cuisine: Italian

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2014/12/19/limoncello-homemade-gift-ideas/

This watermelon radish salad with Cara Cara oranges, goat cheese, and toasted walnuts is as stunning as delicious! A simple dressing of shallots macerated in vinegar, olive oil, and chives adds brightness to this refreshing winter salad.

Here’s a festive dinner: Balthazar’s Moules à la Marinière , an on old favorite that takes no time to throw together, peasant bread , and this salad, a mix of paper-thin watermelon radishes, Cara Cara oranges — so sweet and pretty — toasted walnuts and goat cheese, dressed with shallots macerated in vinegar, olive oil, and chives.

A few weeks ago, we received an enormous bag of watermelon radishes, which couldn’t be more beautiful, in our first winter CSA delivery, and we’ve been enjoying variations of this salad ever since. If you don’t have radishes on hand, turnips work, too, as do raw thinly sliced golden or red beets.

Our first winter CSA: 30lbs of root vegetables. I can’t say enough good things about our Roxbury Farm CSA , which delivers to Columbia County, the Capital Region, Westchester County and Manhattan. Everything from the arugula to the butternut squash has been exceptional.

Description

A simple salad inspired by a bounty of watermelon radishes in our CSA, the beautiful citrus at the market, and the classic combination of goat cheese, walnuts and citrus.

A few notes:

• A mandoline is helpful here. This is my favorite .

• To toast nuts: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place walnuts on a baking sheet and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly browner and smelling fragrant. Dump the walnuts into a tea towel. Rub off the skins. Remove walnuts from towel, leaving skins behind. If you wish to get more of the skin off, place walnuts in a strainer and shake it aggressively.

• 1 shallot or half of a small red onion

• 2 to 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

• kosher salt

• 2 to 3 watermelon radishes

• 2 to 3 oranges, clementines, grapefruit, etc. (I love Cara Cara oranges, which are sweet, pretty and delicious)

• a handful of walnuts, toasted and chopped (see notes)

• goat cheese to taste

• chives, minced, optional, but they add some nice color

• olive oil to taste

1. Mince shallot. Place in small bowl. Cover with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the vinegar depending on how big of a salad you are making. Add a pinch of salt. Set aside.
2. Cut off one end of the radish. Leave the other intact so you have a handle when you run the radish down your mandoline. Peel the radishes if you wish, though it is by no means necessary. Thinly slice on a mandoline. Arrange radish slices on a platter. I try to fold some of them so they’re not all squished down in one flat layer, but arrange however you wish. Season all over with salt.
3. Cut off each end of each orange. Squeeze each end over the radishes, then discard. Use a sharp knife to remove the skin from the orange. Cut in between membranes to remove each slice. Squeeze remaining membrane all over the radishes to extract any juice. Scatter oranges over the radishes.
4. Scatter walnuts and goat cheese to taste over the radishes and oranges. Pour macerated shallots and vinegar over top. Drizzle olive oil to taste (one to two tablespoons) over top. Scatter chives over top if using.
5. Let sit a few minutes (or longer — it benefits from a brief rest) before serving.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Dress
• Cuisine: American