A French-Moroccan friend of mine used to love talking about food so much that anytime I saw him or heard his name, my stomach would grumble. He was the person who first shaved whole, black truffles onto a salad for me, possibly about 12 years ago. Sadly, I have since lost touch with him but the memories of the food tales he used to tell are deeply ingrained in my memory and at this point, I am sure I have added in my own twist of what those stories really looked like.

 

One thing that he would cook was a roasted chicken with preserved lemons. Although, if my memory stands correct, I think his wife, the classically French trained chef, did all the cooking. He did all the talking. But, like many people who have left their homeland, there will always be a void or gap to fill that no restaurant will ever succeed at and that is home style cooking, aka, what mom used to make. This is when it’s time to roll up your sleeves.

 

 

 

During one of his stories about how he preserved his own lemons, I was daydreaming about someday having a kitchen that had a top shelf around the entire kitchen, lined with giant jars of preserved lemons and other canned, pickled and jarred items. What a prism of color and function that would be!

 

While roasted chicken can be thought of as ’simple food’ and nothing too exciting, the scent alone is heavenly and reminds me of the open air markets in France. The year I studied abroad in France during college, I remember traveling from city to city and the familiar smell of those whole chickens roasting was so comforting on a chilly, winter day. Admittedly, I got one once as a typical ‘American backpacker’ in Lyon and shared it with a friend and was probably quite a site for the natives. We were so hungry, we started eating it right then and there with no utensils, just our fingers. I think most French would take it home and feed a family of 6 with it. Oh and use plates- but I was young, cold, and very hungry.

 

 

Because roasted chicken is ’simple’, having the best and freshest ingredients is key. Adding these preserved lemons takes it up a few notches. On occasion, I have seen preserved lemons for sale at gourmet markets, but it is not common. I decided to make my own, inspired by the bag of Meyer lemons my mom brought me over the holidays from their own backyard. She wasn’t 100% sure they were Meyer when I asked her, but the skins were thin and the flavor a bit more orangey and sweeter than other lemons. It is also Meyer lemon season and I was thoroughly convinced once I saw them at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. I already used up a bunch making my lemon- honey-hot-i’m-sicky-elixir so they had to be used for something. Here’s an article I recalled from last year in the LA times, ‘100 Things to do with a Meyer Lemon’.

 

 

 

Making preserved lemons was surprisingly very easy. Nothing like canning or confitures that I have attempted in the past. Once they are jarred, it takes about 3 weeks before they are ready to use. I have a small jar of them that was given to me at Christmas too from a friend and can’t wait to try some recipes out. What a great gift idea.

 

I am always a fan of ’simple food’ and anything cooked on the bone and basting in its own juices and fat is always a winner. Alice Waters has made an entire life’s work out of it.

 

On a side note, last week’s episode of Top Chef  was an utter disgrace. They had the most beautiful ingredients from Blue Hill Farm and completely missed the entire concept of the challenge, ‘from farm to table’. Sometimes I wonder where they find these people.

 

 

 

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Preserved Meyer Lemons:

 

Equipment:

 

Vegetable scrubber

Pint size or larger mason jar 

(i got one from Ikea and it was a bit large so I had to use a couple extra lemons.)

Tongs or heat resistant rubber glove for sterlizing jar- the jar can be sterilized in the dishwasher as well

 

Ingredients:

 

10-12 lemons, scrubbed shiny and clean

2/3 cup kosher salt

extra lemon juice of about 2 lemons

 

optional:

2 tbs coriander seed

4-5 bay leaves

 

other spice ideas:

cinnamon stick

pink peppercorns

black peppercorns

 

 

 

Directions:

 

Wash and scrub the lemons. To sterlize the jar, you can either use the dishwasher or I went ahead and boiled a large pot of water since the dishwasher was recently emptied.  Here’s a link for further instruction.  

 

Put 2 tablespoons of kosher salt in the jar as well as half the spices you would like to add.  In this case i was trying coriander seed and bay leaves.

 

Remove any stems from the lemons. Cut off about 1/4″ of the top and proceed to partially quartering the lemons, lengthwise, but not cutting all the way through. The prepared lemon should be held together at one end still. Sprinkle some kosher salt inside and also rub some on the skin. Cram all the lemons into the jar by squeezing them down and allowing juice to come out. Sprinkle with some more kosher salt and the rest of the spices. 

 

The lemons should be covered by lemon juice. Add more lemon juice. Mine were not completely covered and I was beginning to think the jar I got was too large. There wasn’t much I could do at this point, but put in as much lemon juice as  I had. Leave the jar at room temperature and in three days, flip the jar upside down and let it sit like this for a few days, moving it to the fridge. Repeat this process for the next 3 weeks while it is in the fridge.

 

When ready to use, take what you want out of the jar with a clean spoon (not your fingers) and rinse the salt off and any seeds.

 

The preserved lemons last for up to 6 months in the refrigerator, the perfect amount of time to try it on a few new recipes.

 

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Recipe Ideas for Preserved Meyer Lemons:

Roasted Chicken

Grilled whole fish  

toppings on pizza or salad

Lamb Tagine

Morrocan, Middle Eastern, or Mediterranean dishes