Preserving lemons happens to be one of my favourite pastimes. This year our large old tree is laden and ready to ripen and I can't wait to get preserving. I have saved all my large jars in anticipation of the event.
My friend Paula called me wanting to know my tried and true recipe for preserving lemons and was it on my blog? I thought it was but upon further investigation Paula was proved right and I was wrong, so here is the recipe that never fails to make me happy. They are inexpensive and effortless to create and they can make that extra difference to so many dishes.
Preserved Lemons
My friend Paula called me wanting to know my tried and true recipe for preserving lemons and was it on my blog? I thought it was but upon further investigation Paula was proved right and I was wrong, so here is the recipe that never fails to make me happy. They are inexpensive and effortless to create and they can make that extra difference to so many dishes.
Preserved Lemons
(from Made in Morocco – Julie le Clerc
Pub 2004)
Pick heaps of lemons.
Sterilise a number of jars (to sterilise lids
place in boiling water).
Juice a pile of lemons (you are going
to use the juice to fill the space in your jars)
Take clean lemons and cut into quarters
without cutting all the way through (leaving the base intact).
Cram coarse sea or rock salt generously
into the cuts of each lemon.
Pack the reshaped lemons into an
appropriately sized jar, pressing down well. (I use tongs to do this and my little wooden pastry shaper to push them down as it is easy to
burn yourself).
Top with a little more salt (don't be afraid to be generous with the salt) and fill the
remaining space in jar with lemon juice.
Seal the jar and store in a cool dark
place for one month before using.
Shake the jar every day for the first
week.
Remove lemons as required with a fork so
as not to contaminate the remaining lemons.
Before using, rinse lemons with water to
remove excess saltiness before adding to food, remove the lemon pith before using preserved skin.
Refrigerate once opened.
2 comments:
I share your love of preserving lemons -- any time I get my hands on a load of lemons, it's preserving time.
I keep reading what you've also written about using only the skins, and not the pith or flesh... I use all of the lemon, and I never rinse them. I haven't come to grief yet, but I'm curious to know why that practice is so common.
thanks Sue, I have heard about using the pith too, I plan to give it a go! I rinse them as I do not like too much salt in my cooking...
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