Strawberry and Hibiscus Tea Lemonade

From soup to lemonade in two days... I just needed it.
Heat has struck all of a sudden yesterday. And it seems like summer's already here. And I keep forgetting that being 25 weeks pregnant I can't do everything I'd like to and that every now and then I need to pull the hand brake, sit down and relax.
After baking 5 pans of mini pizzettas (about 40 pieces) and two large focaccias for a party at my daughters kindergarten yesterday, I think I just deserve a day of rest today.
I saw this recipe a few days ago (it's Martha Stewart's recipe) and immediately loved the idea of strawberry scented lemonade. So beautifully looking and refreshing, perfect for the strawberry season. What I liked particularly when I made it was that instead of simply adding water to make lemonade, you add some hibiscus tea, which is so refreshing even on it's own both in the winter (warm) and in the summer (cold) with a slice of lemon. And since it's also completely teine free you can feel free to drink it any time.
I've just slightly changed the quantities compared to Martha's recipe to suit my taste and needs. And I also thought I could use the melissa plant I have on my balcony before it gets completely burnt in the sun to add some additional scent.
My older daughter also liked it, but said she would prefer to feel more strawberry and less lemon taste in it (ok, I added a lot of lemon juice because lemonade is a lemonade after all, with or without strawberries). The youngest lady in the family opted rather for strawberry ice cream I made with the lefover strawberries.

Strawberry and Hibiscus Tea Lemonade
(slightly adapted from here)

* 1/2 kg strawberries
* 75 g sugar
* 2 tea bags of hibiscus tea
* 550 ml water
* 1 or 2 lemons (50-100 ml juice)
* 10 melissa leaves (or mint)

Prepare the simple syrup heating up 50 g of sugar with 50 ml of water, stirring until the sugar's melted completely. Set aside to cool.
Bring 500 ml of water to a boil, add the tea bags, cover and let the tea steep for 30 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let it cool completely.
Cut the washed and hulled strawberries in quarters, mix them with the melissa leaves and 25 g of sugar. Place them in a double boiler or in a bowl over a pot of boiling water and heat them up stirring every now and then for about 15 minutes so that they release their juices.
Strain the strawberries through a mash sieve being careful not to mash the strawberries - you only want to separate the clear juice, otherwise your lemonade will be mushy.
Pour the tea, the simple syrup, the strawberry juice and the freshly squeezed lemon juice into a pitcher (I suggest you start with the juice of 1 lemon and then add more or leave it as it is according to your taste).
Chill in the fridge and serve with ice cubes, slices of lemon and strawberries, garnished with melissa or mint leaves.

* A couple ideas for the half cooked strawberries you'll be left with after preparing this lemonade: Mash them or purée in a blender and use to prepare some strawberry ice cream, or add a bit more sugar (about 100-150 g), juice from 1/2 lemon and the peeled skin (remove the yellow part, you only need the white part of the lemon skin rich in pectin) and cook for about 15-20 minutes - you'll have a jar of delicious strawberry jam in no time. Or whatever else may come to your mind - add them to cakes, muffins etc.

Limonata con le fragole e l'infuso di karkadé


* 1/2 kg di fragole
* 75 g zucchero
* 2 bustine di infuso di karkadé (ibisco)
* 550 ml acqua
* 1 o 2 limoni (50-100 ml di succo)
* 10 foglioline di melisa (o menta)


Preparate lo sciroppo di zucchero riscaldando 50 g di zucchero con 50 ml di acqua, mescolando a fuoco medio finché lo zucchero si sarà sciolto completamente.
Preparate l'infuso di karkadé mettendo le bustine in 500 ml di aqua portata a bollore e lasciandolo in infusione per 30 minuti. Togliete le bustine e lasciate raffreddare.
Tagliate le fragole (lavate e asciugate) a pezzetti. Mescolatele con 25 g di zucchero e le foglioline di melissa.
Mettete il tutto in una ciotola resistente a calore e posatela sopra una pentola con l'acqua in ebollizione. Riscaldate così le fragole per circa 15 minuti - devono semplicemente rilasciare il succo.
Separate il succo dalle fragole versandole in un collino facendo attenzione a non schiacciare le fragole.
Mescolate in una caraffa l'infuso di karkadé, lo sciroppo di zucchero, il succo di fragole e il succo di limone (aggiungete prima il succo di un limone e poi secondo i vostri gusti aggiungetene altro o lasciate così come è). Lasciate raffreddare nel frigo e servite con i cubetti di ghiaccio, fettine di limone e fragole, decorando con qualche fogliolina di melissa o menta.


* Qualche idea per le fragole che vi rimangono: frullatele e usatele per preparare gelato. Oppure, aggiungete un po' di zucchero (100-150 g), succo e buccia (solo la parte bianca) di 1/2 limone, cuocete per circa 15-20 minuti e avrete in un'attimo un baratolo di marmellata di fragole per la collazione. Oppure aggiungetele semplicemente a un dolce o muffin.

Limunada s jagodama i čajem od hibiskusa


* 1/2 kg jagoda
* 75 g šećera
* 2 vrećice čaja od hibiskusa
* 550 ml vode
* 1-2 limuna (50-100 ml soka)
* 10-ak listića melise (ili mente)


Pomiješajte 50 g šećera s 50 ml vode. Zagrijte da se sav šećer otopi pa ostavite da se potpuno ohladi. Ovaj sirup možete pripremiti i unaprijed, i veću količinu i čuvati u hladnjaku, koristiti kad vam zatreba.
Pripremite čaj s 500 ml vode i 2 vrećice. Ostavite vrećice u infuziji 30 minuta.
Jagode narežite, stavite u zdjelu, dodajte oprane i posušene listiće melise i pomiješajte s 25 g šećera. Stavite zdjelu iznad posude s kipućom vodom i zagrijavajte jagode oko 15 minuta dok ne otpuste sok. Procijedite jagode kroz cjedilo - pomozite si žlicom, miješajte da odvojite što više soka, ali bez da izgnječite jagode, u suprotnom će vam limunada biti mutna.
Pomiješajte u bokalu čaj, sirup od šećera, sok od jagoda i iscijeđeni sok limuna (limun dodajte po svom ukusu, ovisno volite li da je limunada na kraju slađa ili kiselija).
Ohladite dobro u hladnjaku, poslužite s ledom, ukrašenu kriškama limuna i jagoda, listićima melise.


* Jagode koje su vam ostale pri pripremi limunade, ako vam se ne sviđaju za jesi ovako polukuhane možete upotrijebiti za neku drugu slasticu - ja sam npr. napravila sladoled i pekmez, ili ih dodajte u neki kolač, muffine i sl.