I always have a jar of homemade preserved lemons in the fridge, as they are a real work horse of an ingredient to have on hand and are incredibly versatile. Until I read the inspiration recipe below, it had never occurred to me to preserve the lemons in olive oil and, not only are these even more delicious than the regular brine preserved lemons, they are much less of an effort to make, with a shorter maturation period before you can use them.
This recipe makes a pint of the preserved lemons or, as illustrated above, 2 8 oz mason jars full of delicious peel and oil. Make sure you wash the jars well, fill them with boiling water and dry them well before using.
3 organic, unwaxed lemons, halved and thinly sliced
3 Tbsps kosher salt
1/2 tsp saffron threads
2 tsps ground cumin
2 tsps crushed coriander seeds
2 tsps crushed pink peppercorns
1 tsp cassia or cinnamon bark, broken into shards
1 tsp ground bay leaf
In a small bowl, Mix the salt well with all of the spices.
Place a layer of lemon slices in the bottom of each jar. Sprinkle the surface with some of the spiced salt. Repeat until you have only 1/2 inch empty between the lemon slices and the top of the jar.
Pour olive oil slowly over the top of the lemons, allowing the oil to steep through to the bottom of the jar.
Wait 10 minutes and then check to see that all of the lemons are completely submerged and that the oil nearly reaches the top of the jar. If not, add more oil and wait another 10 minutes. Repeat until you are sure that all lemon slices are submerged in oil.
Screw on the tops and place the jars in a dark cupboard for a week. Check the oil level after a couple of days and add more if needed though, if you have been careful about adding oil in the previous step, you should have no need to add more.
After a week, move the jars to the fridge and use as suggested in the recipe for preserved lemons linked above.
Inspiration recipe, here.
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