Preserved Lemons

[piccolomondo]

5-6 lemons, well scrubbed
1/4 cup salt - more as needed
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pint-size jar (clean)



1. Quarter each lemon from top to within 1/2 inch of bottom.



2. Salt inside of each lemon and dust rind with salt.


3. Place 1 tablespoon of salt in jar.

4. Pack lemons into jar and push them firmly down adding more salt between them.


5. Press hard to make room for as many lemons as possible and to release their juices.

6. The lemon juice must cover lemons. If necessary add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Fill to top of jar while leaving some air space before sealing jar.



OPTIONAL: Spices such as coriander, peppercorns, red chile flakes, cinnamon and bayleaf can also be added for an even more exotic flavor.



7. Allow lemons to preserve for 30 days at room temperature. Do not place in refrigerator. Turn jar upside down each day to distribute salt and juice.

NOTE: A white lacy growth will probably appear in your jar as lemons spend 30 days in their juice. Do not worry about this substance, simply discard it when you open and jar.

8. As needed, rinse lemon well under running cold water.


Preserved lemons keep up to one year if covered with plenty of lemon juice and salt.
If desired, they can be kept in refrigerator.

*** The mixture is far too acidic to have any risk of botulism. I'm told that even after you've opened the jar again following the fermentation process you don't have to refrigerate it, though if you have lemon bits sticking up out of the juice they can discolor. A sort of white lacy substance does sometimes appear in the liquid; this is just a precipitate of oils, salt, and stuff from the pith. Shake the jar and it will go away. I do keep mine in the fridge once they're done, because why not, and after all, it isn't really properly canned.

When using, chop whole lemon, rind included.
They can be used in salads, with chicken, fish, vegetables and as a last minute garnish.


Three Pepper Salad with Preserved Lemon








Sweet Indian Lemon Pickles
This is remarkably similar to the Moroccan Salted Lemon recipe, except that it uses sugar instead of salt. Adapted from Julie Sahni's "Classic Indian Cooking."

9 Lemons
4 tb Coarse or kosher salt
1 1/2 tb Cumin seeds,toasted, ground
1 tb Coarsely ground black pepper
3 c Sugar
2 tb Seedless raisins
8 Dried, hot red peppers

Wash the lemons in cold water and dry thoroughly.

Quarter 6 of the lemons from the top almost all the way through to the bottom, leaving about 1/2 inch so they'll hold together. Squeeze the juice from the other lemons.

Mix the salt, cumin and black pepper in a small dish, and mix thoroughly with the lemons, Stuff the lemons into a quart jar and pour in the lemon juice.

Cover with cheesecloth to prevent dirt from getting in the jar, and let sit in the open for about 1 week.

On the 7th day, pour the juices from the jar into an enamel or stainless steel pan, add the sugar and cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemons and cook, stirring gently, for 8 minutes or so. Stir in the raisins and peppers. Put the lemons in a sterilized jar and seal with the lid. Let sit for a week or so before eating. Use like you would any pickle, as an accompaniment.

[eyad]

greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat !!
and how much does it stand???
(in fridge or out...)

[sania]

Making pickles at home is too complex and time consuming.
So almost all buy from stores.

There are hundreds of varieties of pickles of tens of brands made from a large number of basic ingredients,
readily available in stores at a low cost.
Since they are made expertly, home made pickes cannot compete with them for taste.
Generally sesame oil is used to marinate the pickles.
Mustard oil is used in Bengal.

There are varieties of pickles made from such a wide range of basic ingredients such as:

Lemon, Sweet lime, mangoes, goose berries, green peppers, green pepper corns, garlicks, onions, tomatoes, vegetables such as bitter gourd, cucumber,
sour salad leeves, green coriander leaves, freen mint leaves, red chillies, tamarind paste and so on.

[Bent_Bladi]

that looks like the most scrumptious thing on here YUM!

i remember how my mom used to make olives... sort of like that. yum yum yum

[piccolomondo]

greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat !!
and how much does it stand???
(in fridge or out...)

eyad, pickles and lemons are the best food for me and a jar could last only for few hours.
But I still have many worries about 'contaminated pickles', specially on summer.
Yalla, eyad, prepare your pickles and then come back here to tell us your experience; deal?

[eyad]

u know, i would do it at the end of the weekend enshallah.

but what makes me ask, how could they preserve the lemons in the markets.??
i think that it works to keep them with such preserving ingredients, Like the jam.

[eyad]

Home-made Strawberry Preserve

Strawberries are cheap and plentiful in the summer, so why not take advantage of this by storing away some of their sunny, ripe flavour to brighten bleak winter days to come? In a preserve, the whole fruit is suspended intact in its own jelly, so none of the lusciousness is lost.



First of all hull the strawberries and wipe each one with kitchen paper. Then layer them into a preserving pan, sprinkling them with sugar as you go. Leave them to soak in the sugar overnight, giving everything a stir around before you go to bed.

When you're ready to make the preserve, put four small plates into the freezer. Place the pan over a fairly low heat and allow the sugar to dissolve slowly. Give the pan a shake from time to time, but only give very gentle stirs, as you want to try very hard not to break up the fruit.

To check if the sugar is dissolved, lift up the spoon and, if there are no little crystals of sugar visible on it, the mixture is ready for boiling. Now turn the heat up to its highest setting, add the lemon juice and as soon as the mixture is up to what old-fashioned cooks used to call a rolling boil, put the timer on for 8 minutes exactly.

Then, when the 8 minutes are up, remove the mixture from the heat, put a teaspoonful on to one of the chilled plates, allow it to cool, then push the mixture with your little finger. If a crinkly skin has formed on the jam and there is no liquid left, then the preserve is set.

Allow the preserve to settle for 15 minutes, adding a small piece of butter if there's any scum, then pour into jars that have been washed, dried and heated in a moderate oven for 5 minutes to sterilise. Seal immediately with waxed discs, then cover with the lids or Cellophane and elastic bands. Wait until the preserve is completely cold, then label the jars.