Homemade Limoncello and Smoked Salmon with Caramelized Onions

I've been a huge fan of Limoncello since "Memo The Beautiful" served icy glasses to me and my friends on a sun-warmed terrace in a tiny mountain village in Italy last spring.

I never thought of making it myself until I stumbled across Mary's One Perfect Bite post a couple of weeks ago. It looked so fresh and inviting in that lovely glass that I immediately sent it to some of my CEC friends to see if they'd like to make it with me. Much to my delight, they said yes!! :-)

So we got together and hunched over cutting boards with knives, oh so carefully separating lemon peel and lime peel (we decided to try Key lime-cello while we were at it!) from the bitter pith.

We slipped the pieces of peel into big glass jars, covered them with vodka and let them steep.

Four days later we got together again to complete the process. The vodka was no longer, but vivid yellow and pale green.

While Darren prepped the simple syrup and washed the bottles, Cameron fired up the smoker and I made Smoked Salmon with Caramelized Onions and Roasted Potatoes with Dill for dinner.

After eating our fill, we knuckled down and got to work. Mike and I strained out the citrus peel, Darren mixed in the vodka with the simple syrup, and we took turns pouring the mixture into bottles. We were SO proud to see the bottles glistening and full. :-)

We finished it so quickly that we also had time to bottle the mead we made several weeks ago. It should be ready in time for our medieval feast this summer. :-)

 
Mary's Limoncello

Salmon with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:
 
1/2 wild salmon
2-3 large onions, sliced
1/4 -1/2 cup butter
1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar
Few drops liquid smoke

Directions:

1. Melt butter over medium-high heat and add onions. Cook, stirring regularly until onions are brown and caramelized. 
2. Add brown sugar and stir until melted and onions are coated.
3. Add liquid smoke and stir. 
4. Place salmon skin side down on a tray made of aluminum foil. Cover with onions. 
5. Smoke or grill to desired doneness.

Roasted Potatoes with Dill

Ingredients:

3-4 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp dried dill

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and spread on cookie sheet. 
2. Roast or smoke until potatoes are crispy and browned.