SC - My entry to Queen's Prize Tourney

[david friedman]

Lady Beatrix of Tanet described her pickled lemon recipe:
>
>My Cooking Entry was Pickled Lemons.
>I had found several references to pickled lemons in _The Domostroi:Rules
>for Russian Households in the Time of Ivan The Terrible_ edited and
>Translated by Carolyn Johnston Pouncy (Thank you Brigid!) and decided to
>see if I could find a salt brine lemon pickle recipe. I found a modern
>one in _A Feast of Fruits_:
>Moroccan Preserved Lemons
[snip]
and asks...
>Cariadoc,& Lord Ras, you are into Middle Eastern cooking, do you have any
>recipes that call for pickled lemons? I have one 1-qt. jar left here, I
>would like to know somethings to do with it.

There is at least one recipe in Al-Bagdadi which calls for "salted lemons".
We did it just with fresh lemons and salt, but I have been thinking, ever
since I came across references to salted lemons in modern Middle Eastern
cooking, that that was what was meant--but I haven't gotten around to doing
anything about it.  Here is the recipe, plus our worked-out version.

Madira
al-Baghdadi p. 41/ 6

Cut fat meat into middling pieces with the tail; if chickens are used,
quarter them. Put in the saucepan with a little salt, and cover with water:
boil, removing the scum. When almost cooked take large onions and leeks,
peel, cut off the tails, wash in salt and water, dry and put into the pot.
Add dry coriander, cummin, mastic and cinnamon, ground fine. When cooked
and the juices are dried up, so that only the oil remains, ladle out into a
large bowl. Take Persian milk, put in the saucepan, add salted lemon and
fresh mint. Leave to boil: then take off the fire, stirring. When the
boiling has subsided, put back the meat and herbs. Cover the saucepan, wipe
its sides, and leave to settle over the fire [i.e. at a low heat], then
remove. [end of original]

Fat meat (lamb) or chicken or both:  3 1/2 lb chicken or 2 1/2 lb boneless
lamb
1 T salt
water to cover-no more than 1 quart
4 medium onions
2 leeks
1 t ground coriander
1 t cumin
1/8-1/16 t mastic
1/2 T cinnamon
4 c yogurt
1/2 lemon
1 T salt
1/2 c fresh mint = ~1 oz

Chicken version: Cook chicken about 30 minutes. If you want to serve it
boned (not specified in the recipe, but it makes it easier to cook and to
eat-we have done it both ways), remove it from the water, let cool enough
to handle, bone, and put the meat back in the pot. Add leeks, onions and
spices. Cook away the rest of the water, remove meat and vegetables, and
add yogurt, lemon, salt and mint; mint is chopped and lemon is quartered
and each quarter sliced into two or three times with a knife. Let come to a
simmer and put back the meat and vegetables. Heat through, not letting it
boil, and serve. Use proportionately less water if you expand the recipe
substantially.

Elizabeth/Betty Cook


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