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Sunday 11 August 2013

PRESERVED LEMONS

Good Morning to you,


Last week I mentioned that I would be making some preserved lemons as my stock is running low..... well I am actually down to my last preserved lemon.

Preserved lemons might be something which you are not familiar with, but preserved lemons are used a great deal in Moroccan cooking, where they form an integral part of the flavouring of a traditional tagine.

There are a number of ways to preserve lemons, they can be preserved in lemon juice,  they can be pickled  in brine or you can even boil the lemons in brine and preserve them in oil.

Bay leaves and peppercorns can be added, but I prefer to make mine the traditional Moroccan way, which is to salt them and preserve them in lemon juice.



So let us begin.... it's on with the apron and the music I am listening to and thoroughly enjoying is,  


Dusty Springfield.  I used to listen to Dusty Springfield when I was a teenager I loved the songs "I Only Want To Be With You" and "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" do you know, I still love listening to her music today.

INGREDIENTS


6 teaspoons of sea salt
please do not use table salt


5 large thick skinned lemons
plus
6 more lemons to juice


1 large Kilner jar, washed and sterilized in your normal way.


1 wooden skewer cut in two

METHOD


Wash the lemons and then dry them
then remove the stem


Cut each lemon into quarters, but do not cut right through,
cut so that the lemon still holds together


Ease the lemon slightly apart and
sprinkle the lemon with a teaspoon of sea salt,
then repeat and
 salt the other four lemons


pack them, one by one into the  sterilized jar


press the lemons into the sterilized jar so they are packed
together, sprinkle with the final teaspoon of salt,
then close the jar


Leave for six days and you will notice that the lemons 
have released some of their juices.
This was the juice released after two days,
shake the jar every couple of days,



and this is the juice released after 4 days.
At this point you will find the skins have softened a little .


JUICE  SIX LEMONS


plus


Six lemons

It is always hard to know exactly how many lemons
you will need to juice, to cover the preserved lemons,
 as it depends on how much lemon juice each lemon yields.
I thought four lemons would be enough, but I  found I had to 
juice two more.
So always keep a couple of lemons in reserve.
  


On the sixth day, open the kilner jar and you will hear 
a slight hiss.


Add the lemon juice to the jar, then press the
lemons down as much as you can, making sure
the lemons still hold their shape.
This masher is from India and it is perfect
for the job, but a potato masher is fine to use.


Place the cut wooden skewers crossways into the
 jar to hold down the lemons. 
The wooden skewers need to be a little
larger than the neck of the jar to keep the lemons
submerged in the lemon juice.
You will have to press hard to make sure the
skewers sit above the lemons


Replace the lid and store in a dark cupboard for at least 
a month.  I tend to leave them for five to six weeks
as the longer they are left, the better the flavour.


Remember the lemons which we juiced, well do not
throw the skins away.  Grate them to use on another day.


Place the grated rind into an ice cube tray.  I add a teaspoonful of grated rind to each cube, so when I need to use
the lemon rind in the future, I know what weight
each cube is, 
then place in the freezer until needed.

Look..... I even have heart shaped ice cube trays,
 how fabulous is that.


When the preserved lemons are ready, they will have reduced in size quite a bit, but don't worry about how they look, as I grant you, they are not the prettiest lemons to look at, but the flavour is superb. When cooking with the preserved lemons the salt is washed away and the pulp is removed.  Only the skins are used.

I mentioned that preserved lemons can be added to tagines, but strips  of preserved lemon can also be added to lamb or chicken dishes.  You will find that the flavour is quite mild and sweet, despite the salt which has been used to preserve them.  These little lovelies will keep for about six to nine months.

So in six weeks time, you will see these preserved lemons in their new guise and we will cook a recipe together...... you will not be disappointed.

Take care and I will see you later in the week.

This week I will be joining,

and





21 comments:

  1. Daphne, I have never heard of this before! I'm sure the flavor is superb! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. oh lovely, thanks for this recipe Ive always wanted to make this.

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  3. Daphne, thank you for taking us through the process. I'm hooked on using preserved lemons for cooking. '-)

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  4. An excellent idea in an excellent recipe !!!!!!!!
    I will certainly try it !!!!!!!!!
    Thank you so much, Daphne !!!!!
    Best wishes
    Niki

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  5. So interesting and informative Daphne! Thanks so much for sharing this. We have lemons on our farm but at times they are not around and now I know how to preserve them. If you wish do add this link to my Creative Monday Blog Hop which goes live every Sunday afternoon. Thanks a lot for becoming a Follower of my Blog and sharing your comments. I am happy to follow back. Have a great week.

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  6. Dear Daphne,this recipe is just new for me!!!
    But i'll try it!!!I have a big lemon tree in my yard!!
    Thank you so much for sharing!!!
    Have a lovely weekend!!
    Dimi...

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  7. This is something new to me !
    But I just love the idea.
    Wonderful post.
    Rose

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  8. Dearest Daphne,
    That was another lovely tutorial in Daphne style! I wonder what the sodium content of preserved lemons might be. That's for both of us a point we have to watch very carefully.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  9. Wish I had seen this a week ago as I had a bag full of lemons to experiment with. Maybe I can get some more and then I will definitely try this. Can't wait to see how they're used in a recipe.

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  10. It was new to me also. My mouth kept puckering as I read. I love all things lemon! Definitely going to try it!

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  11. WOW, there is a lot of steps to this but I bet the outcome is so worth it. I was going to ask if they tasted salty but you answered that. Do you use the liquid or throw that out?

    Thank you for your kind words on my blog and well wishes, they sure come in handy of lifting the spirit.
    GOD keep you safe this coming week...

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  12. Very interesting recipe. I have never thought of preserving lemons before. Sounds like they would be lovely.

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  13. Fabulous instructions. It would make a great gift for some of my foodie friends and what a good idea to save the rind! x

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  14. Very interesting, Daphne! I use to freeze lemon juice in ice cubes but also whole and grated rinds of pressed lemons which I use to perfume sauces and desserts. Do you throw away the juice at the end, or is it also of any use in cooking???

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  15. Daphne,
    Oh, I love lemons. This recipe looks interesting. These pictures are so nice, as I am a lemon lover. I love lemonade, lemon pie, lemon cookies, you name it. There are many health benefits in lemons also.

    I hope you are enjoying the summer days.

    Love,
    ~Sheri

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  16. Well aren't you resourceful?? Now you have me craving a lemon cake, or lemon bars...Mmmmm.

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  17. Hi Daphne~ I can't wait to try this! What a wonderful way to preserve the fresh flavor of lemons, which I love:) Stopping by from Tasty Tuesday~ Lynn @ Turnips 2 Tangerines BTW~ I am also a fan of Dusty Springfield:)

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  18. Amazing post, Daphne! I love the images!!!! I can just imagine how fabulous these will make any recipe lucky enough to include them!!! YUMMY!

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  19. I'm happy that I stopped by today. I make preserved lemons myself, but I like your idea of using the skewers to hold done the lemons.

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  20. WOO! This recipe could not have come at a better time! I visited Morocco earlier this summer and have finally got up the courage to try some recipes we discovered there. First on the list is preserved lemons. Can't wait to try it out!

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  21. Wow. This post is great. I never heard of preserving lemons. I love it. I have to give this a try. Thank you for sharing.

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Dear Friends,

It is so wonderful to know you enjoy reading Ivy, Phyllis and Me! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment. I really do appreciate it.

Best wishes to you.

Daphne

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