Preserved Lemons

I can't quite remember how or why I wanted to learn how to preserve lemons. It might've been the fact that using fresh lemons instead of preserved ones for a tagine didn't quite work, or the fact that I could never find preserved lemons at the shops. In fact, I haven't found preserved lemons at the shops! I've always been a fan of making things myself, so when my friend Vince was giving away loads of lemons from his tree (I gave him fertiliser and compost from my worm farm in return), I got creative and looked up Lemons in The Cook's Companion. There was also a whole lot of Lemon Loaf over the season! Anyway, you can always split the lemons into smaller jars, but always be sure to cover the lemons in juice, so keep a good number of extra lemons for this. Thanks also to Tarsh and Maz for giving me all their extra jars when I started making these. I've used them in a Fish Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Chickpeas, and more recently to season our steaks for a Rustic French Rub.

250g coarse kitchen salt
10 thick-skinned lemons, scrubbed and quartered
1 bay leaf, torn into pieces
2-3 cloves
1 stick cinnamon, broken into pieces
extra lemon juice (optional)

Scatter a spoonful of salt into a 1 litre sterilised (see STERILISE below) jar.

Tip lemons into a wide plastic tub with remaining salt and mix well.

Massage fruit vigorously, then pack into jar, curved-side out, inserting pieces of bay leaf, cloves and splinters of cinnamon stick at intervals.

Press down hard on fruit to release as much juice as possible. Spoon salt mixture left in tub over fruit.

Cover with extra lemon juice, if required. (If a wedge of lemon is not covered with lemon juice, it sometimes develops white mould. It doesn't look great, but it is harmless.)

With a clean cloth dipped in boiling water, wipe neck of jar free of salt, and cap tightly.

Let the lemons mature for at least a month in a cool spot (not the refrigerator) before using.


STERILISE

Wash jars in hot soapy water and then rinse them in hot water. Put into a stockpot of boiling water for 10 minutes and then drain upside down on a clean tea towel. Dry thoroughly in an oven set at 150 deg C. Remove the jars from the oven to fill them while still hot. Once jars have been removed from oven, avoid any contact with their interior surfaces.