Preserved Lemon

So obviously preserved lemons are not a recipe in and of themselves – I’m sure I don’t need to make that clear but one of my friends may be mistaken. After all, he believed that Paul Newman was famous because of his salad dressings! Need I say more? I decided to prepare preserved lemon because it’s used in North African cuisine quite often, and I was at that stage wanting to cook a Moroccan dish. Also, I saw a recipe from Maggie Beer that called for preserved lemon (I think it was actually a recipe for Moussaka) and became intrigued.

I was completely ignorant of how to go about preserving lemons, but one of my iPhone applications, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman has some great features on basic food preparation. The only downside to the recipe is that it isn’t as multicultural in its recipes as it could be, and is very focused on an American audience, which I suppose makes sense given that I’m assuming he’s American. The instructions call for you to pour boiling water in a new or used jar in order to clean it. I followed this and, struggling with the boiling water, managed to get the water out of the jar and, without thinking, subsequently flushed it once more with some cold water to make sure it was clean. I heard a sharp crack, and there went my jar due to the sudden change in temperature! Fortunately, I had bought two jars, so I was able to continue with the preservation.

I enjoyed the process and layering that preserving requires, but when I shook the jar the next day, all of the layers seemed to sink to the bottom, so I became worried that some of the lemons on the upper layers may not preserve properly. It all went quite well though and, although I didn’t particularly enjoy the Chicken, Olive and Preserved Lemon Tagine that I cooked using my preserved lemons, it was well worth while, and I’ve still got some more time to use up the rest of my batch!

Directions:

1.4 kg lemons, preferably unwaxed, quartered lengthwise

110g kosher salt

4cm cinnamon stick

2-3 cloves

1 star anise

2-3 black peppercorns

2 cardamom pods

1 bay leaf

Fill a clean 950ml-sized jar with a tight-fitting lid with boiling water and soak its lid in boiling water too. Let the water sit while you cut the lemons, then dup the water out.

Sprinkle a 5mm-deep layer of salt across the bottom of the jar. Nestle a layer of quartered lemons into the bottom of the jar, sprinkle liberally with salt, then repeat, adding the spices and bay leaf as you go. Stop when the jar is about ¾ full and squeeze the remaining lemons into the jar – seeds and all – so that the fruit is completely submerged in the lemon juice and salt brine.

Set the jar out on a counter and vigorously shake it once a day for 7-10 days. During this time it will start to bubble a little and the dried spices will swell back to their original size.

Refrigerate the lemons and let them continue to cure for another week before using (the lemons will keep for at least 2 months in the refrigerator). When they have cured, unscrew the lid. After a moment, they should smell sweet and citrusy – an ammonia smell means they’ve gone wrong somewhere along the line.

To use in stews, blanch the quartered lemons in unsalted boiling water for 10 secs, just long enough to leech out a little of the salt. For salads or quick-cooled dishes, scrape the flesh away from the peel, discard the flesh, and blanch the peel in unsalted boiling water as above.

Cuisine: Miscellaneous

Source: “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman