According to David Brent (from the UK television series The Office), “Pound for pound, there’s more sugar in a lemon than a strawberry”. Which may surprise you, given how much more enjoyable it is to bite into a fresh strawberry than a lemon. And in fact, it should surprise you, because it’s not remotely true.

Tart, tangy and lip-puckering, many of us tend to use lemons with relative restraint in the kitchen. A little juice here, some finely grated rind there. But any Middle Eastern cook will tell you this is a wasted opportunity. Preserved lemons, dried lemons, roasted lemons. They add such strong and powerful notes to a dish that, once you start to cook with them, omitting them can leave your cooking feeling flat and underwhelming. And although they may not be quite as sweet as a strawberry, thin slices of lemon, drizzled with olive oil and roasted in the oven will start to mellow and develop a wonderful tart sweetness that adds a fantastic smack of flavour to so many dishes.

Here, they pep up the humble pasta salad, in combination with a glug of Agrumato (a kind of olive oil where the olives are pressed along with whole lemons, producing the most delicious oil I’ve tasted). If you can’t find Agrumato, don’t worry. Olive oil will be totally fine (maybe chuck in a little grated lemon zest). But if you do happen to stumble upon it you must absolutely buy it! It’s amazing on salads, drizzled over pasta, over garlic bread, over crispy fried fillets of fish. So lemony, so good.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4

1 large lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups of dry farfalle (bow tie pasta)
2 Tbsp Agrumato (or olive oil)
1 1/2 Tbsp fennel seeds
360g marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
60g parsley (stems included) finely chopped
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp caster sugar
2 finely diced cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Cracked black pepper
1/4 cup shaved pecorino cheese (or a sharp parmesan)

METHOD
1. First, roast your lemon. Cut the lemon into slices 1cm thick and toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Lay the slices in a single layer on a baking tray and place under a hot grill for 10-15 minutes until the lemon slices have gone very soft and started to caramelise on the edges.

2. Flip each slice over and grill for another 5-10 minutes, so that the lemons are caramelised on both sides. If you have a very hot grill, bear in mind that this step may not take as long – watch your lemon slices closely to make sure they don’t begin to dry out and burn. Once done, remove from the heat, cut into quarters and set aside.

3. Cook your pasta according to instructions on the packet, in water with 1 Tbsp salt. Drain and toss with the Agrumato.

4. Heat a heavy bottomed frying pan and briefly toast the fennel seeds until fragrant (3-4 minutes).

5. Put the caramelised lemon, cooked pasta and fennel seeds in a large bowl along with the artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and parsley. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, caster sugar, diced garlic, salt, lemon juice and black pepper. Tip this over the pasta and toss well to combine. Serve while warm, topped with the shaved pecorino cheese.Seasoned is a cookbook for people who love vibrant, fresh vegetables and want to cook with locally grown produce picked in its prime. It contains over 100 healthy and delicious vegetarian and vegan recipes to enjoy through summer, autumn, winter, and spring. Seasoned is $50 and is available to order online here.