Preserved lemons
After a trip to Morocco earlier this year I have begun to cook a variety
of Moroccan and middle eastern dishes.
One of the ingredients called for occasionally is preserved/pickled
lemon. Over the weekend, I started a batch.
The recipes call for cutting the washed lemons into quarters to within
1/2 inch of the stem end so they don't come apart. You then pour about
a tbsp of sea or kosher salt into the cut and stuff the lemons into a
sterilized jar, pressing them in as far as they will go. The full jar
is then partially filled with the fresh squeezed juice of a couple of
lemons. As the lemons "cure" they give off a lot of juice and taker up
less space.
I started with a quart and pint jar, transferring from the small jar
into the large one as they settled. After a month they will be ready to
use and should be refrigerated. Most recipes call for just the rind,
rinsed of salt and chopped or cut into shreds. They will supposedly
keep for a very long time.
gloria p
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