[Sca-cooks] Preserved Lemon Recipes - Modern - Two

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

More modern recipes using preserved lemons.

Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita

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The Vegetarian Table: North Africa
Kitty Morse
Chronicle Books: San Francisco
1996

Bell Pepper Salad with Preserved Lemon (Morocco)
Serves 8

8 large bell peppers
[Urtatim notes: Much better if all or mostly red bell peppers]
[Add some yellow ones, too. All green ones is just not as tasty]
2 Tb. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. preserved lemon rind, very finely diced
2 tsp. ground cumin
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice to taste

Preheat the broiler.
Place the peppers on a lightly greased baking sheet about 3 inches 
from the heat source.
Broil the peppers, turning them carefully with tongs, until the skins 
blacken evenly.
Place them in a paper or plastic bag and close it.
When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel, seed, and finely dice them.
[Urtatim notes: also remove all the white ribs inside]
Place them in a colander to drain.
Transfer them to a serving bowl
Stir in all the remaining ingredients.
Chill until ready to serve. [Urtatim notes: this is really *much* 
better if served at room temperature]

Urtatim notes: While i didn't hate green peppers, i was never a fan. 
Then i discovered red peppers, which are much more delicious than 
green ones. Red and yellow peppers have been used in the 
Mediterranean for many, many decades - they were what went into a 
Piperade in France when i lived there in '73.

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Paula Wolfert's World of Food
Harper & Row, Publishers: New York, 1988

Moroccan Bell Pepper and Preserved Lemon Salad
Serves 4 to 6

1 lb. ripe tomatoes (2 large), peeled, seeded, and cut in 3/4 inch chunks
2 to 3 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, stemmed, seeded, and cut 
into small pieces (3/4 cup)
[see directions in Kitty Morse's recipe, above]
3 Tb. chopped red onion, or white of scallions
3 Tb. fruity olive oil
1 Tb. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch of sweet paprika
pinch of cayenne
4 wedges preserved lemon

In a medium glass serving dish, combine tomatoes and peppers.
Remaining ingredients, except preserved lemon, and toss to mix.
Cover and refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes.

Rinse preserved lemon in running water.
Remove pulp.
Cut peel into 1/8- to 1/16-inch dice.
Just before serving, sprinkle preserved lemon peel over salad.

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Moroccan Olive and Preserved Lemon Salad
Serves 4 to 6

Wolfert says:
"Moroccan "midway" or ripe olives can be tan, russet, violet, green, 
or dark purple. Unfortunately they are rarely available in this 
country. As a substitute I suggest you use the cracked, large, 
crunchy Greek Atalanti or Royal olives; their fruity flavor plays 
well against red pepper, cumin, and paprika."

Urtatim notes: in the "fresh" olive bars common in better 
supermarkets around here (Berkeley/San Francisco) have found olives 
that look as Wolfert describes: a bin of mixed colors of tan, violet, 
and purple olives. You may have them where you are (whoever you may 
be), too. After all, 16 years have passed since this book was 
published.

1-1/2 cups olives - such as Atalanti or Royal - rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved, green shoot removed
Coarse salt
6 leafy sprigs fresh coriander/cilantro
1 sprig flat leaf parsley
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. finely ground cumin
1-1/2 Tb. fruity olive oil
2 Tb. fresh lemon juice
1/4 preserved lemon rind, rinsed, drained, and cut into thin slivers

Place rinsed and drained olives in an earthenware bowl.
In a mortar crush garlic with coarse salt until pureed
Roughly chop herbs, add to garlic, and crush until pasty.
Add spices and lemon juice and mix.
Pour over olives.
Mix to coat well.
Let stand 2 to 3 hours before serving.
Garnish with preserved lemons.

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