Читать книгу The Dolce Vita Diaries - Cathy Rogers - Страница 28

Ingredients for 1 large jar

Lemons—10 unwaxed

Salt—6 teaspoons

Bay leaves—3

Peppercorns—21

Coriander seeds—21

Cloves—3

Cathy was at the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy, when the soccer-ball-size lump means that you just want the little blighter out. Most mums-to-be would have been putting their energy into nesting, but she couldn’t because our nest would be in London and we were in LA. So instead Cathy’s suddenly demon-like energies went into preserving. My favourite is her preserved lemons. She uses big, fat juicy ones and they have to be be unwaxed. You can eat the whole preserve, rind and all. The jar is whisked out of the fridge at a moment’s notice to brighten up a salad or pasta dish with tiny citrusy nuggets.

Sterilize a three-quarter-litre preserving jar by putting it in a hot oven for 15 minutes. Take 5 lemons and squeeze out as much juice as you can. Keep the juice. Cut the other lemons into wedges and remove the seeds.

Stuff the lemon wedges into the jar to make a layer, then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of salt on top, and a third of the bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander seeds and cloves. Add another layer of lemon wedges and repeat the salting and spicing. Repeat with a third layer. Now pour in the lemon juice, which must completely cover the lemon wedges. Close the jar and store it away. After a month or so the skin will start to go soft.

We usually chop half a wedge up into small bits to sprinkle on salad. The jar will keep for up to a year and it’s nice to make an extra one to give away.