Preserved Citrus
Ernest Miller
Fantastic weather this week, perfect for going on a walk. One of the
great things about Southern California is that just by walking around
your neighborhood, chances are you will see plenty of fruit trees.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of the fruit you see will go to
waste. Don't let it go to waste. Take a chance. Talk to your
neighbors and ask them if you can pick their fruit to make jam,
marmalade, conserves, or whatever else you'd like to make. Offer to
give them some of the results. I've never had anyone say no.
This time of year the most common types of fruit you see is citrus.
Tons and tons of citrus. Lemons, oranges, tangerines and even the
occasional lime.
Marmalade is the obvious use, and a great one, but for my money the
most culinarily useful preserved product you can make with citrus is
preserved with salt. Preserved lemons are one of my "secret" goto
ingredients when I want to punch up a dish. Seriously, you need these
in your refrigerator.
Preserved lemons themselves are very common in Northern African
cuisine, particularly Moroccan. They are also common in Vietnamese and
Cambodian dishes, but their uses go far beyond tagines and pho. You
can use preserved citrus in nearly everything, you just have to
realize what it is: salty, citrus rind pickles.
The basics are that you pack lemons (or other citrus) in a combination
of salt, their own juices and, optionally, spices and water. The salt
and acid will breakdown and infuse the rind of the fruit, turning it
into a soft, flavorful and salty condiment. It takes some time - the
thicker the rind the longer it will take, but usually you'll have
results in a couple of weeks to about a month. This isn't a canning
recipe, though mason jars are ideal containers to use, but the
preserved citrus can then be kept in the refrigerator for six months
or more (they never last that long).
A couple of notes. Since you will be eating the rind, be sure to use
organic, non-waxed fruit. Also, like all pickles, be sure to use a
pure salt, either kosher or pickling salt. Any salt that contains
iodine or free-flow agents will reduce the quality.
Nina Corbett has a recipe for brined lemons (with water and spices),
which makes the lemons a little less salty, with additional flavor:
http://www.putsup.com/2009/05/glamorous-lemons-preserved-lemons.html
A more traditional recipe from Paula Wolfert can be found here:
http://leitesculinaria.com/7073/recipes-preserved-lemons.html
Oranges and limes can also be preserved with these recipes. Limes have
fantastic flavor, but the rinds turn brown. Feel free to play with the
spices as well. I'm planning on experimenting with some smoked salt
as part of the salt.
Once made, you'd be surprised how versatile they can be. Here are
just a few uses:
tapenade
gremolata
hummus
salsa
couscous
pilaf
avgolemono
risotto (particularly lemon risotto)
pasta sauces
fresh pasta (as in adding it to the pasta dough)
pesto
ice cream (seriously, try adding a little to lemon ice cream - salt,
acid and cream)
cocktails
anchovies (as a substitute ... I love anchovies, but some don't, or
are vegetarian)
gazpacho
chicken
fish
vinaigrettes
roasted or sauteed vegetables
pancakes
curd
You know, I could go on and on. As you cook with preserved citrus,
you'll begin to see how many potential uses there are. Just remember
when you start that they are strong stuff. A little goes a long way.
I'll often use only 1/4 of a peel or less to begin with.
And don't throw away that brine ... it can be added to many things as
well (careful, though, it is SALTY!).
Here is one little recipe that you may find quite refreshing and
brings a new flavor to the breakfast plate.
Scrambled Eggs with Cream Cheese and Preserved Lemon
Eggs
Preserved Lemon, rind only, minced
Cream Cheese
Chives, finely chopped
I don't give amounts because I really haven't had time to measure it
out, I do everything by sight and taste.
Chill, even partially freeze, and make a small dice of cream cheese
(little 1/4-inch cubes).
Scramble the eggs and cook until about 80% done. Add the cream cheese
and preserved lemon and finish cooking. I like my scrambled eggs
soft, not hard. Garnish with chives.
You don't need to add salt because the preserved lemons will bring
that. You add the cream cheese near the end because you don't want it
to completely melt and integrate into the eggs. You want those little
chunks of nearly melted cream cheese as you eat the eggs. Decadent.
The salt and acid of the preserved lemon nicely balances and brightens
the richness of the cream cheese and the egg. The chives bring color
and savoriness.
If you want to go even further, consider adding some cooked shrimp or
lump crab as well. Add with the cream cheese, or just before so that
you are just reheating, not overcooking.
Give preserved lemons a try ... you won't be disappointed.
For almost daily updates on food preservation, be sure to check out
the PreserveNation blog:
http://preservenation.blogspot.com/
Last week I wrote a post on Food Preservation and Michael Pollan's new
book, Food Rules:
http://preservenation.blogspot.com/2010/02/food-preservation-rules_10.html
And don't forget to join the PreserveNation Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=280846286958
This Sunday I'll be at the Hollywood Farmers' Market and Wednesday at
Santa Monica. See you there!
Happy Valentines' Day,
Ernie