Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Moroccan Preserved Lemons

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I have wanted to make preserved lemons for a long time so when I had the opportunity to buy organic lemons (straigt from Sicily), finally I made it. Preserved lemon is a condiment that is common in North African cuisine, especially in Morocco (it is used in dishes like tagines). Diced/quartered/halved or whole lemons are pickled in a brine of lemon juice and salt; occasionally spices are included as well. The pickle is allowed to ferment at room temperature for weeks or months before it is used. The pulp of the preserved lemon can be used in stews and sauces, but it is the peel (zest and pith together) that is most valued. The flavor is mildly tart but intensely lemony.

I found the recipe on Ashley’s blog but she adapted it from Paula Wolfert’s book, The Food of Morocco (which I would love to buy!).

Moroccan Preserved Lemons

Ingredients for a 1,5 liters (3,17 pints) jar

– 6-7 organic lemons
– juice of 10-12 lemons
– 3/4 cup salt
– 8-10 coriander seeds
– 2-3 bay leaves
– 1-2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Method

Have ready a 1,5 liters (3,17 pints) canning jar.

Wash and dry lemons to remove any surface dust or dirt. Scrub the skin to lift any dirt or grit that is hard to remove. Quarter the lemons from the top to within 1-2 centimeters (1/2 inch) of the bottom. Sprinkle each lemon with as much salt as possible (salt extracts juice from the lemon, softening the rind). Reshape the lemons.

Place 1 tablespoon of salt on the bottom of the jar. Push lemons into jar and sprinkle over the remaining salt. and add the spices between the layers. Press the lemons down to release their juices. Pour over more lemon juice to completely cover lemons. Seal and label the jar. Let the lemons ripen for about 30 days in a warm (but no direct sunlight) place.

To use, remove a lemon from the jar and rinse under running water. Remove and discard the pulp if needed.

And here are some photos of our Moroccan trip back in 2008. Now relax a little, turn the music on and enjoy the pictures…

Click for larger photos!

Weekend Crumbs

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Lots of crumbs about last weekend. On Friday afternoon I bought organic lemons at a cafe and gourmet shop, called Sarki Fűszeres. I needed organic lemons to make Moroccan salted lemons (recipe coming soon!).

If you visit Sarki Fűszeres in Budapest, don’t miss their cappuccino and croissant.

Saturday morning I went to help out at Makifood Cookery School during Dim Sum class. It was a great class, I learnt so much about dim sum and I ate until I was full.

The menu was divine (nearly every dish was vegetarian): shrimp shumai, vegetarian spring rolls, savory radish and shiitake cakes, congee with various toppings (congee), vegetarian steamed buns, sweet coconut balls (mochi) and fot gao (steamed sweet bread).

Making the filling for steam buns…

Buns waiting to be steamed…

Dim Sum heaven…

My favorite steam buns ever!

Sunday morning I developed a vegan sugar-free carrot pancake recipe. We ate it with hot cinnamon honey.

Making the salted lemons…

Sunday evening dinner: spinach goat cheese quiche with a big bowl of fresh salad…

Moroccan Mushroom with Couscous

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I always smile when I think about our Moroccan trip. It has made our journey very exciting from the very  start: two backpacks, two flight tickets, a Lonely Planet guide book and some money – that was all we took. And – of course – the road plan in our head about what we would like to see.

No accommodation bookings, no pre-paid train tickets, nothing.

We had so many adventures during those 12 days. Climbing the Jebel Toubkal (1,5 km vertical distance in 7 hours and 11 km long hiking trip until the refugee house and 11 km back to the village Imlil, the next day) is an experience that will remain with us forever. This was my very first hiking trip and a very difficult one. I brought home two small pebbles from the Atlas mountains, which are still sitting on my computer desk at home and they constantly remind me that if I endured the climbing and hiking I’m able to accomplish everything in life.

I’ve brought you a Moroccan recipe for today that I found on BBC’s GoodFood Healthy Recipes for the iPhone (a very useful app for a food blogger :)).

Moroccan Mushroom with Couscous

Ingredients (serves 4)

– 300 g button mushroom, quartered
– 400 g (1 can) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
– 400 g (1 can) chopped tomatoes, drained but keep the tomato juice
– 1 red onion, chopped
– 1 teaspoon cumin
– 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon honey
– 180 g couscous
– 50 g soft dried apricots, diced
– small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
– salt, pepper
– olive oil

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan and fry the onin for a couple of minutes until softened. Add cinnamon and cumin and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add the mushrooms, cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes, half of the juice of the can tomatoes, chickpeas and honey. Season with salt and pepper, simmer for 7-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a pan mix the couscous with the dried apricots, some salt and pepper. Pour over 250 ml boiling water, then cover. Leave to stand for 8-10 minutes or until softened. To serve, fluff up with a fork, stir in the parsley and top with the mushroom mixture. We can pour over the dish with the remaining tomato juice.

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