presrvd-lemons-msg – 5/1/15

Dried, pickled and salted preserved lemons.

NOTE: See also the files: fruit-citrus-msg, vinegar-msg, Period-Fruit-art, saffron-msg, salt-msg, fd-Jewish-msg, Preservng-CMA-art. 

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Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 17:36:03 +0000
From: "Olwen the Odd" <olwentheodd at hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Preserved (Pickled) Lemons
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

>has anyone else done any cooking with preserved lemons. I think they are
>Morrocan. My supermarket sells them loose along with olives and pickles
>and stuff. Are there any good period recipies that use them?
>
>I just discovered them the other day and have so far used them to make a
>great eastern chicken stew.
>--
>Yehoshua ben Haym haYerushalmi

Are you talking about the pickled lemons?  If so, then I can tell you that 
the fighters really like them.  I often have them on our dayboards or 
hospitality tables.  I have used them sliced in some of my home recipes but 
do not recall seeing them called for in any period recipes, but I have a 
limited library so others may have.

Olwen


Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 19:01:43 +0000
From: "Olwen the Odd" <olwentheodd at hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Preserved (Pickled) Lemons
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

>They seem a bit sour to eat as is. At least the ones I have seen for sale
>at the shuk or in the supermarket. But they cook up great.
>--
>Yehoshua ben Haym haYerushalmi
>Senischal soon to be Shire of Beit Aryeh
>MKA Zachary Kessin Jerusalem, Israel

Yes.  Pickled with saffron.  Very sour.  That is why the fighters like them. 
They go well in marinades for meats and fish.  They stand up well in heavy 
meat stews and make very nice accompanying garnish with spinach and salads.
Olwen
What is shuk?


Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 10:31:17 -0800
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Preserved (Pickled) Lemons
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

Yehoshua wrote:
>has anyone else done any cooking with preserved lemons. I think they are
>morrocan. My supermarket sells them loose along with olives and pickles
>and stuff. Are there any good period recipies that use them?
>
>I just discovered them the other day and have so far used them to make a
>great eastern chicken stew.

First, Olwen, i don't know what kind of pickled lemons you have, but 
the Moroccan lemons are salted. I have posted to this list, i 
believe, some recipes for making Moroccan salted preserved lemons... 
most minimally, you wash the lemons well, dry them, slit/cut them in 
specific ways, pack the slits with salt, layer them in large glass 
jars with more salt, and let stand in a dark cool place for some 
time, turning occasionally. They become tender and silky and are a 
good addition to many recipes.

So, Yehoshua, what do you want to know? I have purchased some very 
delicious, but expensive, mustard which is made with garlic and 
Moroccan salted lemons. If you're interested i can post a list of 
ingredients and you can make your own.

I also have a LOT of Moroccan cookbooks, including a Moroccan 
Sephardic cookbook. The most common recipe using salted preserved 
lemons uses them sliced or chunked with chicken and green olives. If 
you like i can post some recipes...

Anahita


Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 11:55:44 -0700
From: James Prescott <prescotj at telusplanet.net>
Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Preserved (Pickled) Lemons
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

>>has anyone else done any cooking with preserved lemons. I think they are
>>Moroccan. My supermarket sells them loose along with olives and pickles
>>and stuff. Are there any good period recipies that use them?

There are many in Lancelot de Casteau. Ouverture de Cuisine. Liege:
Leonard Streel, 1604. Note that Casteau's active working life, when
he used these recipes, was prior to 1600.

The translation is nearly finished. Here are the recipes that
use preserved lemons (here called salted sour lemons). There may
be a few changes before the translation is finalised, but these
should be close to their final form. Translation copyright 2003
James Prescott and Jeremy Fletcher.

1. [A boiled capon.]

Boiled capon[:] when it is almost cooked, add 
rosemary, marjoram, mace, a salted sour lemon cut 
into slices, a rummer of white wine, or verjuice, 
and some butter, some beef marrow bones, and let 
them stew well together, some toasts of white 
bread underneath.

13. Other sort of disguised veal.

Take the [leftover] flesh once you have made the 
leg all prepared thus [see recipe 9], and making 
some round balls or long like small sausages, and 
stew them in good stocks, and [add] a salted sour 
lemon in slices, mint, marjoram, a bit of 
verjuice or wine, and stew it well, and serve 
thus.

20. Carp in soup.

Take a carp well scaled and cleaned, and cut it 
into four pieces, and take some onions fried in 
butter, a salted sour lemon cut into slices, a 
nutmeg, a bit of ginger, marjoram and mint 
chopped very fine, then add some wine or verjuice 
and butter, and stew it well thus with a bit of 
barley beer.

22. Pike of another sort.

Take a pike well cleaned and put it to boil with 
salted water and vinegar, then break it into 
pieces, in order to remove the bones, then chop 
the pike very fine, and put it into a small pot 
or a flat bottom dish, and take a fresh lemon or 
sour lemon chopped very fine, mace, a bit of 
pepper and new butter, and white wine, a bit of 
orange, and stew it well together.

82. To make poupelin pasties.

Take some dough as above, a roll a bit thicker 
and longer than the other pastry, and arrange it 
always rising, so that you can put a partridge 
inside, and put the partridge the feet upwards, 
then add salted sour lemon cut into slices, 
nutmeg and ginger, chopped marjoram, and new 
butter, then close the pastry at the top so that 
the feet of the partridge come out, then put it 
in the oven.

86. To make pasties of disguised veal.

Take a pound of raw veal and half a pound of beef 
fat, and chop well all together, and add three 
raw eggs, two nutmegs, a bit of pepper, a salted 
sour lemon, well chopped all together, and make 
some flesh like a small leg of mutton, and plant 
in some pine nuts, and make the pasty according 
to the size of your flesh: being half an hour in 
the oven pour in some white wine or verjuice, and 
let it cook well.

88. To make pasty of fresh cuttlefish.

Take the cuttlefish well cleaned, and put it to 
boil until it is cooked, then take two or three 
onions chopped and fricasseed in butter, a salted 
sour lemon in pieces, nutmeg, and pepper, a bit 
of chopped mint, and put all together in the 
pasty, and enough butter.

Note that is is necessary to cut the cuttlefish 
into pieces[:] the pasty being half cooked add a 
bit of Spanish wine.

101. Roasted sturgeons.

Take a piece of sturgeon and boil it strongly to 
remove the scales, then put some whole cloves on 
top with some small sprigs of rosemary inside, 
and put it thus to roast, always basting well 
with butter: being well cooked make a sauce on 
top with wine, sugar and cinnamon, nutmeg, a 
salted sour lemon cut into slices, a bit of 
butter in [it], and boil well all together, and 
pour it on the sturgeons, and serve thus.

104. To make mortadella [sausage] of sturgeon.

Take three pounds of sturgeon, as above, half an 
ounce of cinnamon, two nutmegs, a bit of salt, 
two ounces of grated Parmesan [cheese], and mix 
all together, three egg yolks, two ounces of 
fresh butter, and when all is well incorporated 
together, make the sausages, and put them to stew 
with a bit of water and some wine, marjoram, leaf 
of nutmeg, a salted sour lemon in slices, and 
some butter, and boil well together, some toasts 
of white bread underneath in the flat bottom 
dish: serve the sausages on top.

105. Sturgeon in daube.

Take a piece of sturgeon well cleaned, roasted 
and fricasseed in butter or olive oil, then you 
will take vinegar, and wine as much of the one as 
of the other, and put it to boil, a salted sour 
lemon in slices, some saffron, some pepper, bay 
laurel leaves, rosemary, marjoram, ground radish 
root, a small handful of coriander: being boiled 
pour all hot on the sturgeon, and keep it thus 
well covered.

109. To make pike sausage.

Take pike flesh, and carp flesh, and fresh salmon 
as much of the one as of the other, and chop well 
all together: add nutmeg, salt, pepper, chopped 
marjoram, and mix all with three egg yolks, and 
roll the flesh with the hand like small sausage, 
take the stomach and the bladder of the pike, and 
fill it with your flesh, and put it to cook with 
wine, water, butter, a salted sour lemon in 
slices, rosemary, marjoram in [it]: being well 
cooked serve thus.

135. To make veal hotchpotch home style.

Take a veal thigh being half cooked, add mace, a 
salted sour lemon in slices, marjoram and mint, 
some verjuice or white wine and some butter, and 
let stew well together.

138. To make a stuffed veal liver in soup.

Cut the liver at the thickest, the length of a 
small finger, then with a very sharp knife you 
will cut the liver inside, and you will pull out 
what you can, without turning underneath or on 
top: then boil the liver a bit when it is pulled 
out, and chop it very fine with a bit of beef 
fat, and chop a small handful of good herbs with 
[it], and a chopped onion: you will add a bit of 
nutmeg and ginger, a bit of salt, three egg 
yolks, well mixed together: then refill the 
liver, and take an intestinal caul of veal, or of 
pork, and squeeze the liver inside, let it be 
well tied, then you will put it to cook in a pot 
with good stock, mace, a bit of verjuice or wine, 
and a salted sour lemon in slices, and you will 
leave all to stew well, and serve.

143. A leg of mutton disguised and boiled.

Peel the skin away from the flesh, and take all 
the flesh away from the bones, and chop it very 
fine with a bit of beef fat, and a salted sour 
lemon cut into pieces, well washed, and you will 
take a bit of mint also chopped with [it], then 
add nutmeg and pepper, a bit of salt, half a 
rummer of white wine, and three raw eggs, and 
chop well all together, and mix it well, and 
after you will replace the flesh between the 
bones, and make it in the shape of a leg as it 
was: then take a pig's intestinal caul: [ensure] 
that you have some beaten egg yolks: then you 
will rub the same caul with the egg yolks, and 
after you will wrap the caul around the leg, so 
that it is well covered, then tie it well 
lengthwise and crosswise, so that nothing comes 
out, and put it to boil until it is cooked: then 
[take] half of a white bread [loaf], and soak it 
with the stock, and strain it with four ounces of 
blanched almonds ground and strained through 
cheesecloth: then put with the leg court bouillon 
and a bit of mace, and some white wine, and let 
it stew well.

145. Disguised veal in soup.

Take a thigh of veal, and chop it very fine with 
some beef fat, half as much of fat as of flesh: 
then prepare it with the same sort of spices 
[with which] you have made the leg: then you will 
take some flesh as large as two eggs, and shaped 
by hand like a small leg, and put it thus to stew 
with a bit of wine, nutmeg, salted sour lemon in 
pieces, and a bit of capers, and stew it well: 
then serve four or five on a plate.

153. To make a veal loin stuffed and roasted.

Take some good stuffing herbs, and chop them very 
fine, fricassee them in butter: add 4 egg yolks, 
nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, a bit of sugar, some 
salt, and cook it a bit, not too much: then chop 
a salted sour lemon mixed with the stuffing: then 
take a veal loin which is a bit parboiled: then 
put the stuffing under the veal kidney, and cover 
it with a double veal intestinal caul, and attach 
it with some skewers so that nothing falls out, 
then being cooked take the kidney out, and chop 
it: add two egg yolks, a bit of sugar and 
cinnamon, a bit of salt, and put the said kidney 
on some bread toasts, and put it into a pie dish 
with some butter, and put the covers on top with 
some fire, so that the toasts are very little 
heated, and put around the plate where the veal 
loin is, and pour all the fat on the loin with 
some vinegar, and [put] some oranges cut into 
pieces on top.

156. Otherwise. [Veal rolls]

Take a thigh of veal, and cut it into slices the 
length of a hand, and three fingers wide, and 
beat it with a knife without breaking it: then 
take some good herbs chopped very fine, and add 
some egg yolks, nutmeg, cloves and ginger, a bit 
of salt, beef fat chopped and mixed together: 
then spread the slices of veal on a table, and 
take some of these greased herbs, and spread them 
on the slices of veal, then roll them, and insert 
some skewers of wood or of iron, and put it to 
boil, and stew with salted sour lemon, mace, 
verjuice or white wine, and some butter, and let 
it stew well, and serve: if you wish the same you 
can put it to roast and serve it with oranges, 
and melted butter.
--
James Prescott / Thorvald Grimsson
Coordinator, Ouverture translation project


Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 17:04:03 -0700
From: James Prescott <prescotj at telusplanet.net>
Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Preserved (Pickled) Lemons
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

At 16:10 -0700 2003-12-16, Harris Mark.S-rsve60 wrote:
>> There are many in Lancelot de Casteau. Ouverture de Cuisine. Liege:
>> Leonard Streel, 1604. Note that Casteau's active working life, when
>> he used these recipes, was prior to 1600.

> I must have missed this earlier, or have simply forgotten it. Is this 
> a French book in French?

Largely in the French culinary tradition, with some obvious Italian
and Dutch and Spanish influences, written in French with some Walloon
words, from what is today called Belgium.

> Isn't "sour lemons" a bit redundant? Aren't all lemons sour? But each 
> of these recipes, or at least the translation, use this term. Or are 
> these recipes calling for a type of lemon that is particularly sour 
> and then salted?

There are regular lemons, and there are lemons which are noticeably
more sour.  The original French uses two different words.  Think of
the difference between regular oranges and the sour Seville oranges
destined for the modern marmalade.

The original French offers phrases which can be translated as "fresh
lemon", "fresh sour lemon", and "salted sour lemon".

Sour lemons are available today preserved in salt.

Thorvald


Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 15:44:21 -0800 (PST)
From: Judith Kingsbury <miriambaslevi at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] more on lemons
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

"Pixel, Goddess and Queen" <pixel at hundred-acre-wood.com> wrote:
>>>>
So, apparently the people at Whole Foods who make up the labels for things
have never tasted the preserved lemons they made up labels for that say
one should use them to add a lemony zip to things like baked goods. They
are, in fact, the Moroccan salty kind (and got used in a tagine last
night, yum!).

Anahita, do you know how period they are?

Margaret
<<<<

Since Anahita hasn't answered your question as yet, I will endeavor to 
do so.

Preserved lemons are listed in the recipes from the MEDIEVAL ARAB 
COOKERY trans. by Rodinson, Arberry, and Perry,  pg. 144.  So they are 
indeed period.  I love all sorts of preserved and salted items for my 
cooking.  I was intrigued by seeing the recipe for salted grapes on the 
stem in the same book.  I adore preserved lemons in my tagines, my 
favorite one is Chicken cooked with preserved lemons, dried apricots, 
and kalamata olives with a honey sauce.  I don't know if it is a period 
recipe, but everything we use in it was available within period in 
Morocco.

A Somewhat Quiet Member of this List,
Miriam bas Levi


Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 01:12:08 -0500
From: "vicki shaw" <vhsjvs at gis.net>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Moroccan preserved lemon recipe
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

Here is the recipe for the preserved lemons that I had been trying to send to you all when I was using incredimail.  Please feel free to ask any questions.  
Angharad

  a.. Wide mouth jar that will hold about 10 or so lemons, depending on size of lemons.  Best to boil up some water and fill the jar to overflowing to sterilize. 
  b.. About 12 to fifteen lemons, making sure to reserve a few for juice
  c.. Kosher salt, or if you have a Korean grocery shop near you, they generally have several varieties of coarse sea salt.  You do not need the coarsest variety, but you have a choice, or else just get it from the grocery store.  BUT DO NOT USE TABLE SALT

  a.. Roll each lemon across a cutting board, hand over hand until you feel them soften, to loosen the juices.   
  b.. Now, holding the first lemon in the palm of your hand, cut down from the top to the bottom without severing the lemon into two halves. Then cut crosswise again to the bottom without severing. It should look like a flower in the palm of your hand when you pry open the quarters. 
  c.. With the jar nearby, pour salt into the opened sections of the lemon and stop when the salt begins to spill out between the sections, and place that lemon in the jar. 
  d.. Repeat this process until the jar is full and you could not possibly stuff another lemon into it. 
  e.. If you accidentally sever a lemon into two halves or four quarters, save those to stuff in the top before you seal it. 
  f.. Now pour the juice you prepared earlier into the jar, put a square of saran across the top and close the jar and forget about it for three weeks to a month. Be sure that the lid is on tightly and periodically turn it upside down so the juice can also bathe the lemons at the top of the jar for a few hours at a time. In time the salt will draw out the juices from the lemons, and it will develop into a salty syrup. 
  g.. When you see that the color of the lemons has changed a bit and that they seem to have gone a bit limp, they are ready to use in salads. You would remove one or two quarters of a lemon and dice them up and sprinkle on top and later mix when ready to serve. 
  h.. Keep them in a cool place but not the fridge unless you are in very hot and humid country.  If you put them right away in the cold, they will take a much longer time to ripen.
When you slice a quarter or two for salads, remove the pulp and return it to the jar.  It will be handy later to add in blended sauces.  Makes my mouth water to think about the lemons.  I am never ever without a jar of them!

Now you want recipes for using the lemons, don't you!  Come on, 'fess up, your mouth is watering too!


Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 11:22:09 -0800
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Moroccan preserved lemon recipe
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

Stefan wrote:
>Angharad gave us her recipe for salted lemons.
>I have a few questions, though. (no surprise, huh?)
>
>  >  a.. Wide mouth jar that will hold about 10 or so lemons, 
>depending on size of lemons.  Best to boil up some >water and fill 
>the jar to overflowing to sterilize.
>
>Are you leaving the water in the jar? Or dumping it out? Since you 
>are pouring the salt over the lemon slices later, I assume you are 
>dumping it out. If so, is there that much juice in the jar? Or does 
>the salt draw a lot of water from the lemons? How much of the jar is 
>filled with liquid when the lemons are "done"?

I'm not Angharad, but...

Dump out the water. It's just to sterilize the jars. The lemons 
themselves will produce liquid as they cure.

>  >f.. Now pour the juice you prepared earlier into the jar,
>
>Do you mean just the lemon juice, "b.. About 12 to fifteen lemons, 
>making sure to reserve a few for juice"?

Yes.

>  >  g.. When you see that the color of the lemons has changed a bit 
>and that they seem to have gone a bit limp, >they are ready to use 
>in salads. You would remove one or two quarters of a lemon and dice 
>them up and sprinkle >on top and later mix when ready to serve.
>
>Are you dicing up the entire lemon? Peel, pith and pulp? Because 
>later on you say:

Absolutely. The salted lemons transform into tasty tender 
translucence, real tongue tempters...

(well, they're not completely translucent, but all that alliteration 
and consonance sounded good, and they are tender and delicious.)

>  >When you slice a quarter or two for salads, remove the pulp and 
>return it to the jar.  It will be handy later to add >in blended 
>sauces.
>
>Which seems to say you are using just the peel and pulp. You are 
>dipping/straining the pulp out of the jar later to put into these 
>sauces? What kind of sauces would these be?

I don't know which ones Angharad means, but i can post a bunch of 
*modern* Moroccan recipes that use salted lemons.

Let me know if you like and i'll post modern recipes. Also, since 
they have become "fashionable", with a google you should be able to 
turn up "nouveau" recipes using salted lemons.

Also i have become addicted... uh, accustomed to a wonderful (but 
rather expensive) mustard made by a very expensive restaurant here in 
NoCal. It's made with finely diced salted lemons (more like the 
"matchhead" size used in many Chinese recipes for ginger and garlic) 
and garlic and herbs. I keep thinking i should try to make my own to 
save money.

Anahita


Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 17:53:11 -0500
From: "vicki shaw" <vhsjvs at gis.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Moroccan preserved lemon recipe
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

The filling of the jar with boiled water is to sterilize it.  when you have
done that it is ready for the lemons to be placed inside the jar, one by
one, from the bottom up [duh!], layering them as you go.

When all the lemons have been cut and filled with salt and are in the jar,
then you make juice out of the remaining uncut lemons.  That is why I said
to get 12 to fifteen lemons.  If they are small, 10-12 may very well fit in
the jar, so you need xtra.

No, you do not fill up the jar with lemon juice since the salt will draw out
the juice from the lemons to yield that nice syrup.  The jar will never be
full of syrup, but you can fill the jar to the half-way mark with juice if
you like, no problem!

Just don't forget to periodically upend the jar so the lemons at the top
can bathe in the juice.

I only put the diced rind into the salad because I have seen some people
pucker up when  they landed a chunk of the pulp in their mouth.  Me, I love
it!  But the pulp adds up in the jar over time if I take it out for salad,
and then when I make blended sauces in my mini-cuisinart, I fish for a
tablspoon or so of the pulpy pieces from the jar and throw them in - sans
pips - with the rest of my sauce ingredients.

As Anhahita mentioned, you can google moroccan recipes that use the lemons,
and both of us, I am sure will be willing to help you with more ideas or if
you don’t feel like searching the internet but need something right away.  I
know sometimes I just don’t have the patience to spend hours and hours
searching!!!
Angharad!!!


Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 12:15:25 -0500
From: "vicki shaw" <vhsjvs at gis.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Moroccan preserved lemon recipe
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

> Is there any chance those of us on low salt can safely eat these?
> Margarite

sure because you are only eating a few squares in the salad, and when you
begin to use it in other dishes, you are not adding additional salt to the
dish, and ultimately you are only eating one serving at a time.  It's like
having cake when you are diabetic.  A half a slice is ok, where you might
otherwise have had a suicidal 2 or three or more!

Angharad


Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 14:40:39 -0500
From: "vicki shaw" <vhsjvs at gis.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Moroccan preserved lemon recipe
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

> I have a question concerning the preserved lemon recipe:  What kind of
> lemons to use.  Here in Southern California, I am lucky enough to have
> many varieties available.  I grow both Meyer and Eureka lemons in my
> back yard (along with blood oranges, kumquats, mandarin oranges, and 
> two kinds of limes, ), and have plenty of both.  
>     Mike Acord

The best lemons to use would be thin-skinned ones with the smoothest skin.
They tend to be somewhat smaller than the thick-skinned type with lots of
pocks, or large pores.  If all I can find on the market are larger pored
thick skinned lemons, then before I cut them at all, I let them soak in cold
water for a few days, changing the water everyday.  It takes some of the
bitterness out of the skin.

Angharad


Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 11:28:12 -0800
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Moroccan Preserved Lemons
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

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.

-------
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.

-------
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.

-------
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.


Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Two batches of Garum (for anyone here who knows)
From: Robert Uhl <ruhl at 4dv.net>
Date: 26 Jun 2004 10:25:35 -0600

"Amanda Poirier" <griet at rogers.com> writes: 
> MMm preserved lemons... did you salt them or use some other method?

IIRC, I simply preserved the lemons & limes in a proportional mixture of
lemon & lime juice, with some salt added, a small amount of peppercorns
and a pinch of saffron.  To prepare the fruit, I sliced them lengthwise
nearly all the way; next time I do this I'll slice them _all_ the way
through, and will probably cut them into rounds instead.  For the first
month I shook the jar periodically, but for the last several I've just
let it sit.  It's not a killed pickle, but a live one--a sediment forms
after awhile.  I only trust fermented pickles--if the good bugs haven't
devoured the food, then the bad bugs may.

The end result is some hyper-sour, soft-all-the-way-through lemons &
limes.  They are not terribly appealing looking; this is probably due to
the fact that I used less-than-fresh fruit (in fact, I pickled them
because they were getting a touch old in the fridge).  They taste pretty
good, though, and would go nicely with cold cuts of meat.  I might also
try rubbing them into a roast beef, along with my standard garlic,
Worcestershire sauce & fresh ground pepper rub.

Next time I'll also probably add some mother of vinegar and let
acetobacter convert all the carbohydrates in the juice into vinegar.
This will produce a layer of mother on top, but I've a feeling it will
lead to a more attractive result, and an even higher acid content (while
I believe that straight lemon-juice-and-salt will prevent nasties from
growing, I _know_ that good strong vinegar does a great job: lemon
juice, salt, _and_ vinegar gotta do an amazing job).  I'll also use
fresh fruit straight from the grocer's.  Perhaps I'll add a bit of fresh
ginger.  Lastly, I'll prob. leave out the pinch of saffron.  I can't see
that it does any good: the liquid doesn't need a slightly ruddy tint,
and I've a notion that saffron has anti-preservative effects.

There are several receipts online for pickled lemons; many describe
pre-slicing the lemons, and letting them sit covered with salt for a
day; many preserve in oil, fewer in juice (and one I found in brine);
most involve some amount of salt; several involve paprika.  One involved
recipe involves repeatedly parboiling the lemons and collecting the
fluid which drips therefrom.  I combined a few to come up with mine--I
wanted something easy which would still preserve the things, as I've
little desire to poison myself.

Hope all this helps.


Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 21:53:09 -0700
From: David Friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Preserved Lemon recipes?
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

> A couple of friends of mine have just gifted me with
> a large jar of preserved lemons. Now I know they
> are very common in Morroccan cuisine but does anyone
> have any good recipes for dishes using these? Period
> is nice but not necessary. I just need to come up
> with ways of getting rid of them.

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.

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

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.

As you can see, we didn't have preserved lemons--modify our recipe
accordingly, since you do.
-- 
David/Cariadoc
www.daviddfriedman.com


Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 11:47:13 -0700
From: David Friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Preserved Lemon recipes?
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

I am reasonably sure that we cut up the leeks and onions, but it's
been some years since we last made it.

Note that the amount of mastic--an eighth to a sixteenth of a
teaspoon--is not a typo. It's powerful stuff. There is a recipe in
_Soup for the Qan_ for a mastic dish with quantities, and the
proportion is similarly small.

We've generally made the chicken version.

> Yummm!
> Are the leeks and onions put in whole? The original doesn't say,  
> beyond the cutting off of the "tails."
> --maire, hungry for lamb...mmmm.....
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Friedman" <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com>
> To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 10:53 PM
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Preserved Lemon recipes?
>>
>>  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  


Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 12:52:18 -0700
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Preserved Lemon Recipes - Modern - One
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

Duke Cariadoc already sent the only SCA-period recipe that uses
preserved lemon that has been translated into English that i know of.

But in his long essay on Medieval Arab cuisine and cookbooks,
"Studies in Arabic Manuscripts Related to Cookery" (republished in
"Medieval Arab Cookery"), Maxime Rodinson notes there is a recipe for
making preserved lemon and 3 recipes using it in al-Kitab al-wusla
ila al-habib fi wasf al-tayyibat wa al-tib, which he translates as
"The Book of the Bonds of Friendship or a Description of Good Dishes
and Perfumes" (but is also sometimes called "The Book of the Link to
the Beloved").

While this book contains a number of recipes repeated in
al-Baghdadi's "al-Kitab al-Tabikh", it also has even more that are
not. And unfortunately the preserved lemon recipes have not been
translated into English to the best of my knowledge. In a foot note,
Rodinson says that in the recipe for making preserved lemons, "The
lemon is split lengthwise and then filled with coarse salt. It is
left thus for two nights and then kept in lemon juice covered with
oil." (footnote 1, p. 144, "Medieval Arab Cookery")

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

Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:55:28 -0700
From: David Walddon <david at vastrepast.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Salted lemons

Big old ceramic container.
2 or 3 dozen lemons.
25 pounds of salt. 
In the wine cellar for 4 to six months.
When I dig them out I put them in smaller "canning" jars and pack salt
around them. No one has died.
They smell divine! And taste wonderful.
They make a great garnish on all things.
Rinsed is good but scraped of most of the salt and sprinkled judiciously on
almost anything they are pretty amazing as well.

Eduardo 

On 8/25/09 2:49 PM, "Raphaella DiContini" <raphaellad at yahoo.com> wrote:
<<< Eduardo made some of these, and although I may be remembering incorrectly I
think they had sat for at least 6 months, just packed in salt, and I believe
just in his garage? He shared a jar with me, and at July Coronation had
included some of them in a rice dish he did as part of the Scappi Dinner on
Saturday night. YUM!

Raffaella >>> 


Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:42:53 -0600
From: Susan Lin <susanrlin at gmail.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Salted lemons

I agree that the salt is an excellent preservative.  There are many things
that are preserved in salt and nothing else and they do not get refrigerated
(or didn't before refrigeration was available)  In the U.S. of A. we are a
culture of people very touchy about food safety.  Things I do having done
some research and having lived all over the world make others twitch.

I made preserved/salted lemons and left them on the counter and they were
fine.  I did not "can" them with either a water bath or under pressure.
Just lots of lemons and lots of salt.  Let them sit, added more lemons and
more salt until the jar was stuffed.  Then just let them sit.

Once we opened it to use we put it in the fridge.  Figured the constant
exposure to air from opening/closing might do something unpleasant if we
kept them out.  Nobody has ever gotten ill from these lemons.

Note:  When we use the lemons we always rinse them and even sometimes soak
them for a while.

My opinion is to open one of the jars, take out a lemon, rinse it and give
it a try - it should be salty but should not taste "off".

shoshana

On Tue, Aug 25, 2009 at 3:32 PM, Jennifer Carlson <talana1 at hotmail.com>wrote:
<<< Urtatim's recipe reminded me:
Last spring (after my tagine inquiry), I made up a few, small jars of
salted lemons - just lemons packed with salt, nothing else added.  Then I
put them aside and forgot about them.  They've been sitting at room
temperature on a shelf in my kitchen four about four months now.

I did not process them in a water bath or do anything else to them.  Are
they still safe to eat, or should I pitch them?  They have not changed
color, nor have the lids swollen nor is there any seepage.  Logic says
salt+citric acid = ok, but paranoia says don't use them.

Any canning experts out there?  I only know about canning things with
sugar.

Talana >>>


Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2010 08:10:38 -0600
From: Susan Lin <susanrlin at gmail.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cooking for a vigil

<<< I ended up not using the preserved lemons as I couldn't find them, and
leaving the chickpeas slightly chunky instead of a smooth puree.

Madhavi >>>

Mark Bitman had a quick preserved lemon recipe on NYTimes.com. I saw
it yesterday.

I have a jar I keep that I made last time Whole Foods had Meyer lemons on sale. They last forever although I do refrigerate after we open the jar. They super simple to make as well.


Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:12:01 -0700
From: Susan Lin <susanrlin at gmail.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] A preserved lemon question

On Wed, Nov 10, 2010 at 2:06 PM, Pixel, Goddess and Queen <
pixel at hundred-acre-wood.com> wrote:
<<< I have this jar of preserved lemons that I made a few years back, and I was
wondering if they ever really go bad?

Margaret FitzWilliam >>>

No.  If you made them just with washed lemons and salt and the lemons have
been completely submerged they should be fine.  If you open them and the top
ones doesn't look so hot just toss those and the ones below should be fine.
Just add lemon juice to cover them and store in the fridge - that's where we
store ours after we open them.  The first jar I put up lasted us more than 3
years (I think I packed about 15 lemons in a quart mason jar) and we've only
just opened the one I made last year - it'll probably last equally as long.

Shoshana


Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:47:06 -0500 (EST)
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] A preserved lemon question

Margaret FitzWilliam wrote:
<<< I have this jar of preserved lemons that I made a few years back, and I 
was wondering if they ever really go bad? >>>

If the jar was prepared and stored appropriately, the lemons should still be good. They can go bad, if improperly stored, or not enough salt was used (as in, get moldy).

They keep best if stored unopened in a cool dark place, and in the refrigerator after opening.

They should be no longer bright yellow, but still yellowish, the peel somewhat translucent, and the pulp hardly noticeable. They won't smell like fresh lemons, but should still smell lemony (as well as salty and acidic).

I go through jars quickly. I chop them up and mix with mayonnaise and mustard and herbs 'n' spices which making tuna salad. I sprinkle slivered peel and slivered dried tomatoes on steamed broccoli. And of course they are luscious with cooked chicken or fish.

I don't rinse them off, just use them instead of salt, but I know some people prefer to give 'em a rinse before using. In some of her books, Kitty Morse - who, despite her name is actually Moroccan - mentions the possibility of white stuff floating on top of the liquid, which she says can just be discarded. I have never seen this in any of the preserved lemons I have made or have been gifted by others.
---
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita


Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:12:18 -0700
From: Susan Lin <susanrlin at gmail.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] preserved lemons

The way I make them is to wash the lemons (meyer preferred but any will do)
and then cut them almost all the way through from stem to point into 4
quarters.  Rub them with salt (any salt although I tend to use kosher or
pickling) and put them in a jar (I use a mason jar) - jam as many as you
can into the jar - the juice extracted should cover the lemons or add
additional juice.  Close the jar and wait.  In a day or two open the jar
and you'll probably be able to add a few more lemons.  At this point if the
juice runs out - that's okay as long as there is enough to cover the
lemons).  Recap and leave it for a couple of weeks.

We've left it on the counter at this point.  Unless you live in a hot
climate.  We did not seal the jar as you would with canning because all the
salt acts as a preservative.  Once we open the jar to use we stick it in
the fridge.

We use it in tagine cooking mostly - our favorite is chicken with olives
and preserved lemons.  Wonderful over cous cous.  We always rinse (even
soaking them in water for a little while) the lemons before using them
because otherwise they are too salty.  I'm sure you can use it in any dish
that you want to enhance with lemony goodness.

Shoshanah


Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:19:19 -0500
From: Sharon Palmer <ranvaig at columbus.rr.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Salted Lemons, was More loot and a question

<<< A mundane question, how do you use preserved lemons? I knew the preserved
lemons with sugar, to be used, par example, in the Moroccan tagines, but I
don't have a clue how to used salted lemons.

Ana >>>

Rumpolt has a number of recipes for salted lemons, here is one:

Ochsen 70. 70. Chop beef from the ribs/ that is for braising/ to 
pieces/ set it to (the fire) with water/ and skim it clean/ if it is 
fatty/ then skim it off/ and glaze a cabbage (or herbs?) in it (in 
the skimmed fat)/ and when it is half cooked/ then take it out from 
the broth into a water/ and clean it off/ put it in a clean dish/ and 
pour the broth through a hair cloth/ put browned flour into it/ and a 
little vinegar/ take ground ginger/ whole pepper/ unclarified fresh 
butter/ and salted lemons in it/ Pierce the lemon with a skewer/ and 
put it in the kettle/ and when you nearly will dress it/ then chop 
green well tasting herbs into it/ let it simmer a little with fresh 
butter/ take the lemon out/ and throw small chopped parsley over it/ 
like this it is white and elegant.

Ranvaig


Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2012 11:24:00 +1030
From: "Claire Clarke" <angharad at adam.com.au>
To: <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] preserved lemons

From: Susan Lin <susanrlin at gmail.com>
<<< We've left it on the counter at this point.  Unless you live in a hot
climate.  We did not seal the jar as you would with canning because all the
salt acts as a preservative.  Once we open the jar to use we stick it in
the fridge. >>>

Even in hot climates (and it's 41 C here today :-() you can get away with
leaving it on the counter. But making sure the lemons are completely covered
in liquid is essential. If they're floating a bit you can scrunch up a bit
of non-stick baking paper and stuff it in the top of the jar.

Angharad


Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 09:29:21 -0800
From: Donna Green <donnaegreen at yahoo.com>
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Sour orange relish

I got a bag of sour oranges from Cariadoc (thanks) and I want to make the sour orange relish from Helewyse de Birkestad's translation of Anonimo Veneziano.

"LXX Sour orange relish 
To make a sour orange relish that will last for a year, and to serve with any roast and to make any sauce that you want. Take a heap of (sour) oranges well washed, good wine and a quantity of salt.  When the oranges are washed cut each one into four pieces.  Take the best wine that you have, a large barrel, and put in these oranges and a the amount of salt.  These will hold cured, without spoiling, and they are optimally perfect and good."

Has anyone made this before? I'm thinking it might be similar to the Moroccan salt preserved lemons ... depending on the ratio of liquid to salt.

Juana Isabella
West


Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 17:55:42 -0600
From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at att.net>
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sour orange relish

<<< Ah, but how much salt? I see it more as sour oranges in wine.
Johnnae >>>

You need to read Helewyse's notes to get a full picture:

LXX Sour orange relish
To make a sour orange relish that will last for a year, and to serve with 
any roast and to make any sauce that you want.  Take a heap (tuma)* of 
(sour) oranges well washed, good wine and a quantity of salt.  When the 
oranges are washed cut each one into four pieces.  Take the best wine that 
you have, a large barrel (barilo)*, and put in these oranges and a the 
amount of salt.  These will hold cured, without spoiling, and they are 
optimally perfect and good.

* A tuma is a specific measure but the actual measurement is uncertain.  In 
Sicily, where oranges are grown the measure of a tuma varies between 11 and 
14 liters.
* Barilo is a barrel of a specific size, which can vary by region.  In 
Tuscany this measurement is about 45 litres.
Essentially these are brine cured oranges.  The amount of salt is not given 
in specific measurement but a standard brine curing ratio of 10% should be a 
start (that is 10% weight not volume, i.e. for every liter or 1000g of 
liquid use 100g of salt).

IF Helewyse is correct, it's oranges brined in wine.  Similar process to the 
preserved lemons, but the wine will change the flavor.  Some quick 
calculations make me think the salt preserved lemons may have a higher 
salinity, but they don't have the added preservative of the wine.  Variants 
on a theme, perhaps?

Bear


Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2014 08:12:51 -0600
From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at att.net>
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sour orange relish

<<< I tried these, but they just spoiled in the jars.  I've been thinking about 
doing them like preserved lemons, which IIRC don't have liquid added.  I 
also wondered about canning them, so that the boiling water-sealing thing 
would preserve them, but of course that's not how the recipe goes.

Nancy Kiel >>>

My question would be, "What was the salinity of the preserving liquid?"  The 
recipes I've seen for preserved lemons should produce a salinity of 15 per 
cent or more.

Liquid (lemon juice and sterile water) is added if you don't produce enough 
liquid from the salting to fill the container.

A final caveat, the rind of the fruit needs to be clean.  One of the recipes 
suggested using a vinegar and water solution to do the cleaning.

Bear

<the end>
Edited by Mark S. Harris	presrvd-lemons-msg	24 of 24