RECIPES TO USE LEMONS RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. If you wish to soften the peel, soak the lemons in lukewarm water for 3 days, changing the water daily.
• 2. Quarter the lemons from the top to within 1/2 inch of the bottom, sprinkle salt on the exposed flesh, then reshape the fruit.
• 3. Place 1 tablespoon salt on the bottom of the mason jar. Pack in the lemons and push them down, adding more salt, and the optional spices between layers. Press the lemons down to release their juices and to make room for the remaining lemons. (If the juice released from the squashed fruit does not cover them, add freshly squeezed lemon juice — not chemically produced lemon juice and not water.*) Leave some air space before sealing the jar.
• 4. Let the lemons ripen in a warm place, shaking the jar each day to distribute the salt and juice. Let ripen for 30 days. To use, rinse the lemons, as needed, under running water, removing and discarding the pulp, if desired — and there is no need to refrigerate after opening. Preserved lemons will keep up to a year, and the pickling juice can be used two or three times over the course of a year.
• According to the late Michael Field, the best way to extract the maximum amount of juice from a lemon is to boil it in water for 2 or 3 minutes and allow it to cool before squeezing.
• •Located on Morocco's Atlantic coast, south of Casablanca and north of Essaouira, the city of Safi is known for its seafood specialties. •To most closely approximate the flavor of Moroccan lemons, Wolfert recommends Meyer lemons for this recipe. This lemon/mandarin orange hybrid, in season in January and February, has yellow-orange flesh, a smooth rind, and a sweeter flavor than other lemons. •To sterilize a mason jar for the lemons, place it upside down in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes. Using tongs (wrap the ends in rubber bands for a better grip), remove the hot jar and dry it upside down on a paper towel-lined baking sheet in a warm oven. To sterilize the jar's top, boil it in water for 5 minutes, then remove with tongs. For more information on home canning, click here. •When you're ready to use a lemon, remove it with clean utensils to avoid contaminating the inside of the jar with bacteria. This way, the remaining contents of the jar will not need to be refrigerated.

Steps:

• 1. Fire up your wood-fired oven an hour or so before you’re ready to cook (you can easily adapt this recipe for a barbecue or regular oven – use your instincts).
  2. When the oven temperature reaches 200°C (check with a thermometer) and the smoke and flames have died down, you can start cooking.
  3. Peel and bash the garlic with a generous pinch of sea salt in a pestle and mortar, then add the dried oregano and enough olive oil to loosen the mixture.
  4. Cut the lamb into 3cm chunks, then place in a large bowl. Season with black pepper, then add the marinade, and toss to coat.
  5. Halve, deseed and cut the peppers into chunks, and cut the lemons into wedges, then thread onto 8 skewers, alternating between lamb, pepper, bay leaves and lemon wedges.
  6. Lay the skewers on a baking tray and roast in the hot oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until charred, sticky and cooked through, turning occasionally. Keep an eye on them – rotate the tray so that all the kebabs get a turn of being close to the fire and pull them back a little if the bread starts to burn.
  7. Pick and roughly chop the parsley leaves, then scatter over the kebabs. Delicious served up with flatbreads, a dollop of Greek yoghurt and some sliced cucumber.