Perhaps you remember my neighbor giving me a big box of Meyer lemons. They’ve all been used up one way or the other, but one of my favorite successes is preserved lemons.
Disclaimer: I’m not a food blogger and rarely post full recipes. I’m just a blogger who often writes about food … more like a food seductress. I thought I’d share my experience in general terms to see if anything tempts you. Although you could probably make the lemons from the description below. Sneaky am I.
I had never eaten preserved lemons before, but I thought they sounded good. The lemons were super-easy to make. I used as many lemons as I thought would fit into a large canning jar. About 6? Plus, you need more lemons for their juice.
You cut the lemons into quarters but stop about an inch from the bottom so the lemons stay intact at the base. Opening kind of like a flower. Then they get rubbed inside and out with ½ cup of Kosher salt. Then you kind of stuff them into a large canning jar and cover them with whatever salt is leftover and the lemon juice.
Shake the jar once a day for the first four days to redistribute the salt and juice. Then just let them cure for six to eight weeks in the refrigerator.
Mine were ready to eat a couple of weeks ago. There is much speculation on whether to eat only the skin or only the pulp or both. Then some say you should rinse them to reduce the saltiness.
The first thing I tried was chicken tagine, which is a chicken stew with olives, preserved lemon and spices such as cinnamon, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin and turmeric. There are a million recipes out there – all you need is Google! If you are a subscriber or can get past the firewall, I made a variation of this recipe from the NY Times.
Some recipes call for green olives, some call for black and some call for both. I went with both and used Kalamata for the black and French Picholine olives for the green.
I rinsed the lemons and used both the skin and the pulp. For chicken, I used six bone-in, skin-on thighs. It makes a nice saucy stew, which I served in large wide bowls over couscous.
We loved it and ate the leftovers a few days later. When I was cooking, I tasted the lemons alone, and they were kind of odd, but combined with everything else, they were delicious. I would maybe even use more next time.
My next test of the lemons is tonight. I’m starting with this recipe from the NY Times … Sheet-Pan Baked Feta with Broccolini, Tomatoes and Lemon. It’s basically slabs of feta cheese, broccolini, grape tomatoes and red onion tossed with olive oil and herbs roasted together on a sheet pan. The recipe says about 20 minutes at 400 degrees, stirring halfway through.
I’m going to use preserved lemons instead of fresh lemons. I may also add some olives, artichoke hearts and capers. Everyone in the pool! Still thinking about whether to serve it over orzo or Israeli couscous.
Do you use preserved lemons? How so?
Al Fresco dining
The weather is really nice. The wind has finally died down, so I thought we might make it Mediterranean night and eat outside. I just purchased an outdoor rug and then added some pillows I bought at Home Goods. I like how it spiffs up our little al fresco dining area.
And yes, fully masked and feeling frisky, I walked into a Home Goods store and made a purchase! The rug was from Amazon. All in all, I felt throwing a little money and color at it sort of makes up for inadequate attention to landscaping.
Hi, Donna –
I’ve never had preserved lemons before …. at least I think that I haven’t.
Your dishes here sound delicious. I am very interested in hearing how your Sheet-Pan Baked Feta with Broccolini, Tomatoes and Lemon turned out. And did you serve it over orzo or couscous?
Love the rug!
It was fabulous! I made it for two and sort of eye-balled the quantities, but here’s the gist of it:
In a large bowl, mix 1 bunch of broccolini, thick stems discarded and the rest of the stems removed and chopped into bite-sized pieces; a heaping cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half; 1/2 red onion, cut into thin wedges; 2 marinated artichoke hearts, cut in half; a heaping tablespoon of capers; 1 preserved lemon, rinsed and sliced into thin 1-inch strips (leave the pulp on); and about 8 Kalamata olives, cut in half. Add olive oil (about 2 tablespoons), a generous shake of cumin, a dash of cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Let it marinate for about 30 minutes.
Spread the mixture onto a 1/2 sheet pan. Nestle squares of feta cheese into the mix (I gave us each a piece about the size of a deck of cards). Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, stirring half-way through without disturbing the cheese. I cranked the heat to 425 right at the end to give the broccolini and tomatoes a little more char.
I served it with plain Israeli couscous. Delish! Although you could go carbless or use any other sort of grain or even bread. Served with a lovely Sangiovese out on the patio.
I’ve never had preserved lemons before either but they have always intrigued me. One of these days…your post is inspiring me to at least find a jar to try to see if I like them. Some fancy schmancy food shop must carry them, right? Brava to you for making your own!
Deb
I would definitely encourage you to buy some, but don’t taste it plain right out of the jar. Rinse one, cut part of it up and mix it with something you would like with lemon. Some sort of soup or stew would work well.