[Sca-cooks] Moroccan Preserved Lemons

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

This topic came up a while back. Here are some recipes published in English...

Preserved Salted Lemons - L'Hamd Markad

Preserved salted lemons are an essential part of Moroccan cuisine. 
While it takes a few weeks before they're ready to use, they are very 
simple to make. You can also do this to limes.

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Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen
by Kitty Morse
Chronicle Books, 1998
ISBN: 081181503X
Kitty Morse was born to a Moroccan Sephardic Jewish mother and 
English father and raised in Morocco in the city of Casablanca. She 
now divides her time between Southern California and Azemmour in 
Morocco. Her books are pretty good.

12 or more unblemished organically grown Meyer or other lemons, scrubbed
Sea salt
fresh lemon juice as needed

Wash lemons and pat dry. Cut a thin dime-sized piece from both ends 
of each lemon. Set each lemon on end and make a vertical cut three 
quarters of the way through, so halves remain attached at the base - 
do not cut all the way through. Turn lemon upside down and make a 
similar cut through at a 90 degree angle to the first. Fill each cut 
with as much salt as it will hold. Place lemons carefully in a 
sterilized wide-mouth glass quart jar. Compress lemons while adding 
them until no space is left and lemon juice rises to the top. Lemons 
must be covered with juice at all times, so add lemon juice if 
necessary. Seal and set aside in dark place.

Keep for 4 to 6 weeks before using. To use, discard seeds, and rise 
lightly if necessary. Once opened, store in refrigerator where they 
will keep up to 6 months.

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Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco
by Paula Wolfert
-- Hardcover: HarperCollins, 1973
# ASIN: 0060147210
-- Paperback: Quill, 1987
ISBN: 0060913967
Paula Wolfert, a noted food expert, especially of cuisines from 
around the Mediterranean, spent quite a few years living in Morocco 
in the 1960s, IIRC. This book is quite possibly the best on Moroccan 
food in English, although she leaves out a few essential items, such 
as most breads. Still in print and well worth owning...

5 lemons, scrubbed
1/4 c. salt or more as needed
fresh lemon juice as needed

Optional spices as used in the city of Safi:
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
5-6 coriander seeds
3-4 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Wash lemons. To soften rind, soak lemons in lukewarm water for 3 
days, changing water daily. Pat lemons dry.

Quarter lemons from top to within 1/2 inch of bottom. Sprinkle salt 
on exposed flesh and press sides back together. Place 1 Tb. salt in 
bottom of sterilized 1 pint mason jar. Pack in lemons, push them 
down, adding more salt, and optional spice mixture between layers. 
Press lemons down to release juice and make room for more lemons. 
Lemons must be covered with juice, so add fresh lemon juice if 
necessary. Seal and set aside in warm dark place.

Turn jar upside down each day to distribute salt and juice. Let ripen 
for 30 days before using. To use, rinse as needed. No need to 
refrigerate after opening. Lemons will keep up to a year - pickling 
juice can be used 2 or 3 times over the course of a year.

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from The Moroccan Cookbook, 1975, by Irene F. Day
Irene Day lived in Morocco for three years and has a few amusing 
stories to tell. Most of the recipes are not particularly 
outstanding, but some of her basics are good. It's still in print, 
but, really, there's no need to rush out and look for this book, so 
i'm not giving pub.details. I bought it when it was first published, 
back when there were limited resources on Moroccan cooking in English.

12 or more firm ripe lemons, scrubbed
Sea salt
fresh lemon juice as needed

Wash lemons and pat dry. Slash sides of each lemon lengthwise from 
top to bottom 3 or 4 times but do not cut apart. Fill each cut with 
as much salt as it will hold. Place lemons carefully in a sterilized 
wide-mouth glass quart jar. Compress lemons while adding them until 
no space is left and lemon juice risen to the top. Lemons must be 
covered with juice, so add lemon juice if necessary. Seal and set 
aside in warm dark place.

After 10 days, remove lemons, place in sterilized jar, add more salt 
and enough lemon juice to cover fruit, and re-seal. Store for another 
10 days or more and use. Will keep 2 months or more.