Ginger Kick

About a year ago I was coming off of a monthlong obsession with ginger. It all started with the Indian cooking classes and continued with ginger ale, fermented ginger beer, ginger candy, and ginger in just about everything I cooked. Well, I feel it coming on again, and I owe it to this adaptation of a recipe from Indian Home Cooking. (I reduced the sugar in the original recipe from 2 cups to 1/2 c. Start there and work your way up if you like it sweeter.)

Ginger Lemonade

1 c freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice, or key lime juice
2 inch piece of ginger
4 c cold water
1/2 c sugar, or more to taste

It takes three lemons and two limes to get about a cup of juice. A bottle of key lime juice works well, too. Peel the ginger with a spoon and chop it in a blender or food processor with a splash of water to make a fine puree. (You can also grate it by hand, saving all of the juice.) Squeeze the ginger mash through a sieve into a two quart pitcher. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well and taste for sugar. A little more ginger never hurt anybody, either.

Look for more ginger features in coming weeks.