Back in January, around the time of my birthday, I was given a small bag of homegrown Eureka lemons. I was pretty excited considering I love anything homegrown, especially if it’s given to me. I set about thinking up a way in which I wanted to preserve them. I briefly thought about a small batch of marmalade, but this particular type of lemon isn’t well suited for that, and it would have taken a huge amount of effort for only a very small return. It was when I spied a much forgotten Moroccan cookbook on my shelf that I had a “Eureka” moment. (please forgive the corny pun, or don’t and laugh hysterically like I just did…)
Preserved lemons are a very popular ingredient in Moroccan cooking, adding a bright, salty tang to tagines and other dishes. I don’t typically whip up tagines in my kitchen, but I figured I would use these lemons as an excuse to try something new and experiment a bit. Here’s a few ways I’ve come up with to try them:
+ pureed into a salad dressing (maybe to use with some winter greens, quinoa, and toasted almonds)
+ chopped and added to a bit of fried rice
+ chopped and tossed with some roasted veggies for a bright, salty punch of flavor
+ combined with plain yogurt and herbs for an all purpose dip
I’ll most likely be experimenting with mine soon as they are almost ready to use, so I’ll try to document everything here and share a recipe or two. Happy preserving!
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