VCE: Preserved Lemons

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Preserved Lemons

 

Recipe By : Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison, page 82

Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Condiments Fruits

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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A staple seasoning in North African cuisine, lemons preserved in salt are

both a condiment and an ingredient, adding a soft, briny accent to salads

and tagines that's altogether different from fresh lemon. The skin is

what's used, but Kitty Morse, author of Come With Me to the Casbah, uses

the soft flesh as well, in vinaigrettes, soups, and other dishes. You can

buy these at Middle Eastern delis, but they're not hard to make and they're

a pleasure to have in the kitchen.

 

To make preserved lemons, first sterilize a clean jar large enough to hold

the number of lemons you plan to use by submerging it in a pot of boiling

water for a full minute. Carefully lift it out with a pair of tongs,

allowing the water to drain out, then set it upside down on a clean towel

to drain.

 

You'll need enough lemons to fit in the jar plus extras for juice. Rinse

them under warm water, then cut four lengthwise slits in each lemon, going

from near the top almost to the bottom, but don't cut all the way through

the fruit. Rub sea salt or kosher salt generously into the slits, then put

the lemons in the jar, packing them tightly. Add fresh lemon juice to

within 1/2 inch from the top, then cover and put in a cool dark place or

the refrigerator to cure for 3 weeks. Sometimes a white film develops over

the lemons-just rinse it off. Preserved lemons will keep, refrigerated,

for 6 months or longer.

 

 

 

 

 

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