Preserved Lemons

When I left my home in a city of over a million people and moved to a town with only 16,000 souls I had to give up a lot when it came to ingredients and grocery choices. For this reason and because it is enjoyable I now make some of the things I can't buy in a local food store. Preserved lemons is one of those items.

Preserved lemons are commonly used in Moroccan cooking. I love Moroccan foods with their aromatic cinnamon, cardamom, saffron and rosewater. I often use Meyer lemons, a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. They are sweeter and less acidic.

These preserved lemons will keep in the refrigerator for several months and I almost always have some on hand.

Preserved Lemons

1 jar with a tightly fitting lid
lemons to fill the jar
lemons to make juice to fill the jar
kosher salt

Slice the lemons into quarters without cutting completely through so they still hold in one piece.

Rub the cut edges with coarse salt and stuff into the jar until the jar is filled. Alternate with more coarse salt. End with more salt. Fill the jar with fresh squeezed lemon juice. Seal.

Leave the jar on the countertop for one or two days so the juice is more quickly released from the lemon. Then refrigerate for 2 - 4 weeks before using.

Simple Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine

I mistakenly purchased boneless, skinless chicken thighs yesterday. I planned a sheet pan dinner but these would dry out in the oven. Rather than pop them in the freezer I prepared a slow cooker tagine. (A tagine is a Moroccan or Tunisian style stew. The spices are its signature.)

I prepped all of it last evening, added the chicken this morning, turned the slow cooker on for an eight hour braise and walked out the door.

It is a treat for me to come home to the aroma of supper on the table. After a busy day of substitute teaching at a Hutterite Colony 30 minutes out of town and then a quick stop to pick up a shipment of foraged foods at the bus depot I opened my front door. A smile broke out on my face as I inhaled the aroma of mellowed spices and remembered the meal waiting for me.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas

Feel free to adjust the amount of spices. There are so many variables, for example the freshness of your spices will dictate how much to use. My spices are relatively fresh and strong. If you don't like cayenne, leave it out. But don't be too cautious. These spices really make the meal.

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium sized yellow onion. coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. flour
drizzle of olive oil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 c. chicken stock
2 c. cooked or canned chickpeas
3 medium carrots, cut into larger chunks
1 c. canned tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/2 preserved lemon, rinsed and coarsely chopped
sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add spices and heat until aromatic. Add flour and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in chicken stock. Cook for a couple of minutes until slightly thickened.

Add tomatoes, chickpeas, apricots, carrots and lemon.

Transfer to slow cooker. Cover until ready to cook. Add chicken thighs, cut in larger pieces, and stir to coat with the sauce. Turn on to an 8 hour slow cook. Serve with steamed couscous.

You can find my recipe for preserved lemons here.

Virtual Supper Club - Pucker up with Lemons

I know this is only my second month with this group but I could hardly wait for February. Pucker Up for Valentines Day with these lemony treats. All these  recipes sound so enticing.

 

I have made Preserved Lemons before but this recipe had a twist by using saffron. The colour was so delightful. I have always used my preserved lemons in a tagine and wanted, again, to try something new and this salad really caught my eye.
Now check out the rest of the menu and enjoy!

              

                Susan - Chicken Rice Avgolemono with Dill
                    Val - Lemon Ginger Fried Chicken
                    Jerry - Fennel Salad with Meyer Lemon
                    Roz - Lemon Polenta Cake with Winter Fruit Compote 
                    Sandi - Limoncello

Tomato Salad with Avocado and Preserved Lemons

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Cooking Light

    4 cups diced plum tomato (about 2 pounds)

    1 tablespoon minced preserved lemons

    2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1 diced peeled avocado

    2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

    Combine first 5 ingredients. Sprinkle with parsley.

I decided to present this salad in two different ways. The recipe suggest dicing the tomatoes and avocados and tossing with lemon juice.

I also decided to make it as a composed salad in the picture above. In both I used a nice coarse sea salt as garnish.





 

Preserved Lemons

Cooking Light

Preserved lemons are a classic Moroccan condiment.  I have used them in a tagine or Moroccan stew but a couple of sliced added to basmati rice would be divine. In this recipe saffron is added for an earthy flavor and a beautiful golden orange color. Pack in a wide-mouth glass pint container.

I made my preserved lemons two ways, also. In one jar I cut the lemons into quarters, almost but not quite through at the top so they are still in one piece. In the other jar, I sliced the lemons and stacked them to fill the jar. The sliced lemons are with salt only and no saffron. You can see the difference in colour.

Usually you only use the peel of the preserved lemon. If you use the flesh, be sure to adjust the salt in your recipe because these are preserved in salt.

    1 tablespoon kosher salt

Lemons 2 ways - whole with saffron and sliced with only salt.

    1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed

    2 cups thinly sliced lemon (about 3 lemons)

    1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

    1 tablespoon olive oil

    Combine salt and saffron. Place one lemon slice in bottom of a wide-mouth 2-cup glass container. Sprinkle with a dash of salt mixture. Repeat layers with the remaining lemon slices and salt mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature 3 days.

    After 3 days, press the lemon slices down with a spoon. Pour the juice and oil over lemon slices. Place a ramekin, custard cup, or clean decorative stone on top of lemon slices (to weigh them down). Cover and let stand at room temperature 5 days. Remove weight, and cover with lid of container.

    Note: Preserved lemons can be stored at room temperature for up to a month or refrigerated for up to 6 months.


 

Making Your Own Preserved Lemons

Deana at Lost Past Remembered has a wonderful recipe this week for roast chicken with preserved lemon.  It looks stunning.  I am leaving for vacation in a few days and have a fridge full of lemons.  Rather than do the usual - zest, squeeze and freeze - I thought I would make some preserved lemons and try her dish when I return.  Preserved lemons are commonly used in Moroccan and Middle Eastern foods.

It is so easy.

Preserved Lemons

Cut off the top and bottom stem ends off the lemons.  Cut lemon in half to within an inch of the bottom.  Leave in tact.  Cut again to quarter the lemon and leave the bottom in tact.  Fill your jar with lemons cut like this.  Using a pure salt, like kosher or sea salt, rub about a tablespoon into each cut lemon.  Measure two tablespoons on the bottom of the jar.  Add lemons.  Add two more tablespoons of salt on top of the lemons.  Squeeze other lemons to add juice up to about halfway up the lemons.  Let the jar sit on the countertop for a couple of days.  The juice from the lemons will come out.  If after 2 or 3 days the lemons are not submerged in lemon juice, squeeze more and add to the jar.

Move the jar to the refrigerator and let the lemons sit in the brine for up to 3 weeks.  They are now ready to use.

When you use the lemons, rinse thoroughly and scoop out the flesh.  Use only the peel portion.  Remove the white pithy layer as well.  You can also add peppercorns, bay leaf, coriander seeds, whole cloves or bay leaf to the brine as it cures.