Winter Condiment of Choice

from http://my-purple-dreams.blogspot.com

I've been obsessed about something I made a while back, which I thought at the time "ahh, I'll make this 'cause I don't want to waste what I've got, but I bet I wind up composting it anyway".

Oh, how wrong I was.

I cannot get enough of the Preserved Lemon I put up last winter.  It is a bit embarrassing really--I've gone through two half-pint jars in under a month.  I put them on everything.  Salads.  Pizza.  Stir fry.  You name it, and I'll reach into the fridge and put some lemon on it.

They are ridiculously easy to make, and the amount of salt involved might give you a coronary.  However, they don't taste horribly salty when they are all done.  They have a great sour-salt flavor, with a hit of strong lemon tang at the very end.  Simply delicious!

To make a batch of your own, you will need:  organic lemons, preferably Meyer variety; kosher salt; lemon juice.

That's it.  Three ingredients, how much easier could that get?  Now, I do encourage you to get organic lemons--you're going to be eating the peel, so you don't want a side dressing of hazardous chemicals do you?

Slice the lemons, either into rounds or half moons.  I opted for half moons, as I was filling little jars.  Plus, this slice allows you to peel out the flesh (which you don't eat) when you want to use the preserved lemon very easily.  However, you can decide.  I have heard tell of people leaving the lemons whole in the jars, and I say if you have jars large enough, go for it.

Layer the lemon slices in the bottom of the jar.  Top with a half teaspoon (yes, really) of kosher salt. Repeat these two layers until the jar is full, leaving a half inch headspace.

Top off with lemon juice as needed, to fill the jar.

Process in a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes, remove and allow to cool & seal.  Store for at least one month before using.  This should last "forever" in the pantry, but use your good judgement about how long to hang onto things.  I really think you won't have that problem--you're more likely to run out before the next winter citrus season is upon us!