Lemon pickle

21 November 2023, 10:20 PM

RealPlayer

Lemon pickle

To accompany the Indian dishes I have been cooking lately, I followed a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey for lemons (quartered) pickled in salt, sugar and spices. You leave it in a jar in the sun for about three weeks. At this point it’s ready but I can’t see how you could use more than the smallest amount as a condiment. I used three lemons, which is a large amount.

We’ll see. It’s weird. You’d think it would be an incubator for bacteria.

Maybe I’ll post a pic…

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“It's hard to win an argument with a smart person. It's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person." -- Bill Murray

22 November 2023, 07:13 AM

ShiroKuro

quote:
Maybe I’ll post a pic…

Please do!

Re bacteria, is it too acidic to all them to grow?

Or, otoh, why would this be any different from other things that get pickled, or canned or jarred for that matter? I have no idea why/how those things are safe to eat, but they are.

Anyway back to your product and using the only smallest amount, is that because the taste is too strong?

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22 November 2023, 08:26 AM

Steve Miller

Between the acid and the salt it should be well preserved.

I think it’s mostly a condiment but I have seen recipes that call for it.

Here’s an article.

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22 November 2023, 12:13 PM

RealPlayer

Thanks, Steve, for the article. It’s helpful, offering ways to actually use it. Also it refers to it as “preserved lemon,” which appears as an ingredient in other recipes.

I tend to think it would be used in small amounts just because it has such a strong flavor.

I think it’s almost a month old. Perhaps it should go into the fridge at this point. The recipe says to refrigerate when the rind is soft, but it still has some firmness. Quite a bit of “sauce” has developed at the bottom of the jar.

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“It's hard to win an argument with a smart person. It's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person." -- Bill Murray

22 November 2023, 04:14 PM

CHAS

Pucker up!

What is next? Pickled cranberries?

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Several people have eaten my cooking and survived.

22 November 2023, 04:32 PM

dolmansaxlil

I have preserved lemons before (Meyer Lemons are lovely for this) by just burying them in salt with no spices at all. I use them frequently in middle eastern dishes. Now I just buy them at the middle eastern market because they come in a huge jar and are really inexpensive.

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22 November 2023, 11:20 PM

RealPlayer

Tried pieces of it alongside a cauliflower curry tonight. Pretty salty, but maybe I should have given it a rinse first. Interesting!

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“It's hard to win an argument with a smart person. It's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person." -- Bill Murray