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MEALS THAT HEAL

Tangy treat

Drinking its juice regularly keeps diseases at bay

THE ZING THING Lemon

Lemons can vary in size and acidity as well as the number of seeds and thickness of skin. Its varieties include the Eureka, with a flat stem end and few seeds, and the Lisbon, with a smooth skin and a protruding stem end. Small "baby" lemons are handy when you just want a tablespoon (15 ml) or so of juice.

It is an antiseptic, or is an agent that prevents sepsis [the presence of pathogenic bacteria] or putrefaction [decomposition of tissue]. It is also anti-scorbutic, a term meaning a remedy which will prevent disease and assist in cleansing the system of impurities.

Due to the digestive qualities of lemon juice, symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, bloating and belching are relieved. By drinking lemon juice regularly, the bowels are aided in eliminating waste more efficiently, thus controlling constipation and diarrhoea.

Lemon is a wonderful stimulant to the liver and is a dissolvent of uric acid and other poisons, liquefies bile, and is good in treating malaria. Sufferers of chronic rheumatism and gout will benefit by taking lemon juice, also those who have a tendency to bleed, uterine haemorrhages, rickets and tuberculosis. In pregnancy, it helps build bone in the child. Owing to its potassium content, it nourishes the brain and nerve cells. Its calcium results in healthy teeth. Its magnesium, in conjunction with calcium, has an important part to play in the formation of albumen in the blood. The reason fresh lemon juice is similar to digestive enzymes is due to the low amount of sulphur in lemons. Pure lemon juice can also be used on wasp and bee stings to relieve pain. Lemon juice mixed with olive oil may help dissolve gall bladder stones.

Now for a recipe.

Lemon Linguine with Shrimp and Spinach

Ingredients

Linguine, uncooked: 340gm
Onion, chopped: 1 medium-sized
Spring onion, green parts included, chopped: 4
Shrimp, uncooked, shells and tails removed: 455 gm
Fresh lemon juice: half cup (120ml)
Dry white wine: half cup (120ml)
Lemon zest, grated: 1 tsp (2gm)
Tabasco sauce: half tsp (3ml)
Tomato paste: 2 tbsp (30gm)
Fresh spinach: 455gm

Method: Cook pasta in boiling water until done. Drain. Wash spinach thoroughly and remove stems. Chop into two-inch (5cm) pieces or, if the leaves are fairly small, leave them whole.

Heat oil in a pan. Add onions and garlic and cook for five minutes. Add shrimp and spring onion. Stir-fry for three minutes, until the shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, wine, lemon zest, Tabasco sauce and tomato paste. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Add spinach leaves.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for two-five minutes more, just until the spinach leaves wilt and a sauce develops from the cooking spinach and the shrimp.

Transfer pasta into the pan and toss to combine. Serve hot.

SUPARNA SAHA

Chef-in-charge,The Verandah,
Taj Connemara

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