Lemons Lemons are one of my favorite flavor enhancers but you need to be careful of the white pith. If you cook the pith, it turns very bitter. Cooking the rind or pulp is fine but never use the pith or seeds. I remember discovering this disturbing fact cooking chicken piccata for the first time. I thought I could enhance the flavor by cooking lemon slices in the sauce but instead I got a bitter taste I couldn't correct with sugar.
There's nothing quite like fresh ginger tea for a sore throat. My Mom taught me how to make it and I have been drinking it quite frequently the last week or so. I'm finally feeling good enough to blog so here's my simple recipe for ginger tea. It's not gonna cure your sore throat but it's certainly better for you than those chemicals they put in throat lozenges and other cold/flu medicines.
Start by boiling four cups of water. While you are waiting for the water to boil, peel and slice approximately two inches of fresh ginger. While you don't need to peel the ginger for any medical or taste reasons, I feel it allows the ginger juice to escape more easily.
Once the water comes to a boil, drop in the ginger. A lot of recipes tell you to grate the ginger in an effort to maximize the ginger content. All this does is create a lot of mess and requires you to strain the tea before drinking. If you really have a sore throat, you'll be drinking this tea all day long, giving the ginger plenty of time to seep into the water.
Cover and let stand for twenty minutes. I like my ginger tea strong so you can try less steeping time or cut it with water. In fact, I let the extra concoction sit there all day long so it keeps getting stronger. You can also add a little honey to balance the spiciness of the ginger and further reduce your symptoms. Some people like to add lemon but I never liked it in my ginger tea.
