PreservedLemons

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about

Preserved lemons are a north african food that I discovered thru Ming Tsai. They are simple to make, keep very well, and pack a powerful lemon flavor. In addition, the pickling process produces the most interesting texture. The seems to keep forever in the refridgerator - mine are nearly 2yrs old now and are as delicious as ever.

This recipe should work with any kind of citrus really. I also like using limes in place of the lemons.

Recipe

There are a lot of recipes out there and they are all pretty much the same. This is the one I used and I'm very happy with the result.

• 10 lemons quartered
• 6" of ginger
• 6 red chilis (small, not meaty kind like a cayenne or thai giant)
• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup sugar

Most people use the juice from the lemons and you will likely need a little extra lemon juice to top off the container. It is important that the lemons are completely submerged when you are finished canning them.

Add all of the ingredients into a widemouth jar. Pressing down on the lemon slices as you put them in the jar will release their juices. Ensure that all of the lemon are covered with juice (again add more lemon juice if needed) and place in the fridge for 1 week. Shake the jar up now and then to mix the flavors around. After a week they are ready to use.

-- ChristopherPepe - 11 Mar 2007