Prepare sleighs in summer and lemons in winter. And before prices for lemons begin to rise and the season is not over, you can still have time to stock up on a jar of fragrant lemons.
I won’t tell you for all of Tunisia, but in Israel it is generally accepted that the fashion for pickled lemons came to Israel along with the Tunisian sandwich (bread, canned tuna, egg, roasted red pepper, black olives, green onions and... pickled lemons!).
But they are also good in many other ways, such as in sauce for meat cutlets, in a salad with rice (or quinua or burgul or...), in mayonnaise, in spaghetti, on a piece of black bread with sour cream, with boiled potatoes or beans, with avocado, etc. And of course, lemon with fish is a classic.
Lentils with lemon.
Quinoa with lemon.
Cooking procedure.
Wash the lemons thoroughly, cut them into slices and remove the seeds. Since lemons have a dominant taste, it is worth cutting them thinly.
Mix salt, sugar, sweet paprika and chili. Instead of the last two components, you can take hot paprika or nothing at all. But salt is required. :)
Mix.
Dip lemons on both sides, shake off excess salt and place in a jar scalded with boiling water. All recipes emphasize the importance of touching the lemons as little as possible and not putting them into the jar. Alternatively, you can salt each piece by hand without dipping it, or, on the contrary, place everything in a fairly large bowl and shake it so that all the slices dip themselves. The kids will love it. :) I salted each slice myself, without resorting to extremes.
Put it in a jar. Somewhere in the middle, on the side (so that you can smell all the slices) you can put Bay leaf. You can add English allspice.
After a day, fill it to the top with either water (bad, because it dilutes the taste), or lemon juice. And pour it on top vegetable oil(according to Cherie Ansky’s version, we fill the bottom with oil after 3 days!) to prevent contact with air: this is not Camembert and we don’t need mold here. Leave it in the room for another three days, and then put it in the refrigerator. If you pour olive oil in, you will have the opportunity to see how olive it really is: only olive oil freezes in the refrigerator. You can eat it right away, but it is recommended to let it sit for a week.
I have seen options to periodically turn the jar over so that all the lemons are in the liquid, put half a lemon under the lid, which will press the lemons down and only this half on top of the oil will become moldy, but I would advise just not putting the lemons all the way to the top and then everything will be fine pour in juice and oil and do not turn anything over and without any mold (the question is how important it is to press something on them for better fermentation). All versions emphasize the importance of reaching into the jar with a clean, wiped fork, and not with greasy hands.
With spices.
Without spices and another cooking option: not slices, but quarters. I don’t know why they do this, the jar fits more into slices and it will be more convenient to cut later.
Well, the proportions.
Option 1.
3 medium lemons + lemons for juice.
Half a glass of coarse salt.
A teaspoon of hot or sweet paprika.
Half a teaspoon of sugar (optional).
A couple of bay leaves.
Vegetable oil.
Option 2.
1 kg lemons.
3-4 tablespoons of coarse salt.
I don’t know how such a quantity of salt can be enough for a kg of lemons.
Option 3.
1 kg. lemons.
0.5 kg. salt.
Thus, the variation in salt in the options is colossal and everyone can do as they please. I simply sprinkled each slice on both sides and popped it into the jar without much thought. :) In many versions, the amount of salt is not written down at all.
Option 4.
6 medium lemons.
6 tablespoons of salt.
1 smooth spoon of sweet paprika.
lemon juice.
A quarter cup of oil.
Option from Sheri Ansky.
0.5 kg lemons.
2 tablespoons of coarse salt.
1 spoon of sugar.
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.
According to the famous Israeli culinary specialist Sheri Ansky, sugar helps lemons soften and gives shine to the juice, and sweetness does not affect the acidity of the lemon, but emphasizes it. In addition, sugar preserves like salt. Add oil only after three days of fermentation, that is, give them more time to ferment.
Anticipating the description of the recipe, I will say that they are sour fresh lemons will not replace savory pickled ones. Salted lemons are so beautiful that after the first jar they are used, they move from the rank exotic dishes into ordinary ones and receive a permanent residence permit in the refrigerator. In mine, at least, we got it. In our family they are used for meat and fish, for salads, and just for bread with cheese and ham.
In the Middle East, lemons are fermented in different ways. What all recipes have in common is lemon and salt. Additional ingredients are spices, and here everyone chooses what they like: hot pepper, sweet pepper, garlic, cardamom, oregano, mint, bay leaf in fresh and dry form. Olive oil is always used, mainly for sterilization purposes.
Lemons are fermented whole and in pieces, large and not very large. Long fermentation methods (1-2 months) and express methods are known. Today I'll show you a quick way to make lemons with a little spice.
Preparation time: 30 minutes + 1-3 days / Yield: 0.75 l jar
Ingredients
- lemons 500 g
- coarse salt 35 g
- small hot pepper(medium heat)
- dry paprika 1 tsp.
- dry cardamom ½ tsp.
- dry oregano ½ tsp.
- vegetable oil 1/8 cup
Preparation
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Wash the lemons thoroughly, trying to remove not only dirt, but also wax. Rinse with boiling water. Then cut crosswise as thinly as possible, 3-5 mm.
Chop the pepper, first remove the seeds and membranes.
Place the lemons in a container, add salt, pepper, paprika, oregano and cardamom. Mix well.
Clean dry glass jar Place the lemons tightly, tamping them firmly with your fingers so that as much as possible gets in. You will see that the lemons give juice. Choose a jar of the appropriate size - it should be filled to the top.
Place the jar on the windowsill, near the light. Over the course of a day, quite a lot of juice will form there, and the lemons will begin to “squelch.” If this does not happen, add more juice by squeezing the fruit specially prepared for this purpose.
Pour vegetable oil on top (I use olive oil). Shake the jar to release the oil, then add more. The oil should be added in such a way that the lemons are completely hidden under it, then they will not become moldy.
That's all. Now we have to wait a little. Lemons, cut into thin slices, are fermented for 2 to 7 days (depending on the ripeness of the lemons). It is recommended to shake the jar a couple of times during this time so that the oil and seasonings are distributed more evenly.
Pickled lemons are very common in Middle Eastern cuisine. They are sold ready-made in every supermarket, but many people prefer to ferment lemons at home during their ripening season.
Pickled lemons have a wide range of uses: they are added to meat and fish, used as a dressing for salads and an addition to sandwiches.
Every housewife has her own signature recipe, which she considers the best.
Some ferment lemons whole, others cut them into slices. You can choose either method, I will describe both.
During fermentation, the taste of lemons changes, just like any pickled vegetables, it becomes peculiarly piquant, so replacing it with just lemons will not be equivalent.
The preparation of lemons is the same for all methods.
1. Buy lemons that are as ripe and juicy as possible. Unripe lemons will taste bitter; lemons that have been sitting for a long time will not yield enough juice.
2. Wash the lemons thoroughly, use a stiff washcloth and dishwashing liquid to remove not only the dirt, but also the wax that is on the citrus peel. Wipe the lemons dry.
Pickling lemons into thin slices (express preparation).
1 kg lemons
75 g coarse non-iodized salt
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 hot pepper, seeds and membranes removed
1/4 cup olive/any vegetable oil
Preparation.
1. Prepare a clean and dry glass jar.
2. Cut the lemons crosswise into slices 3-5 mm thick.
3. Place the lemon slices in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, paprika and pepper.
4. Mix well and even remember the lemons with salt and spices, and then very tightly, with force, fill the jar with them to the very top.
5. Close the jar and place it in a well-lit place (preferably on a windowsill).
6. After a day, the lemons should be covered with juice. If this does not happen, add freshly squeezed lemon juice to the top of the jar.
7. Once the juice has been released, pour a layer of olive oil into the jar.
Good, ripe lemons will be ready in three days; not so ripe ones may take a week.
Pickle lemons in thick slices or whole.
1 kg lemons
2 large lemons (for juice and sealing)
500 g coarse non-iodized salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1. If you want to ferment whole lemons, use a sharp knife to cut each lemon lengthwise to the pulp. Four to six such cuts need to be made, depending on the size of the lemon. If you want to ferment in slices, cut the lemons crosswise into slices 1-1.5 cm thick.
2. Pour as much salt into each cut on the lemon as will fit. Dip lemon slices in salt so that both sides of the slice are covered with a salt crust.
3. Place the lemons (slices) in a clean and dry jar. The jar should be packed tightly, but without force. Lemons should fill the jar entirely, not reaching the top 1 cm.
4. Cut enough slices from one extra lemon to cover the entire neck of the jar. From the second extra lemon and some of the one you just used, squeeze the juice and pour it into the jar.
5. Place the lemon slices without salt in the top layer in the jar so that they cover the entire area of the lid like a lid. Pour oil over the layer of lemons.
6. Close the jar hermetically and leave at room temperature for 3-4 weeks. Turn and shake the jar occasionally to mix the salt and juice.
Description
Pickled lemons- This is a rather unusual winter preserve, which will partly taste like the more familiar sauerkraut or even cucumbers. In this case, the workpiece will also have its own original taste, which is ideal for many fresh dishes, as well as fried meat and fish. How will such a preparation be useful? Lemons themselves are amazing. healthy fruits, they are most often used to treat colds. Lemons will give a large amount of vitamin C contained in the zest to the marinade and the preparation. As a result, conservation will not only be delicious snack, but will also provide support immune system body.
We will ferment lemons at home with olive oil, but without adding vinegar, since lemons are already quite sour. At the same time, the appetizing preparation can be made in the form of circles or the fruit can be chopped into strips. Subsequently, pickled lemons can be served not only as an independent snack, but also used as an ingredient in a cold salad. Creating such a preservation will not take you much time, you will see this from the step-by-step photo recipe that is presented below.
Let's start preparing delicious unusual pickled lemons with spices for the winter and at the same time learn how to use them!
Ingredients
Pickled lemons - recipe
To create such a preparation, Meyer lemons are ideal: they are ripe, thin-skinned with a deep, not overly sour taste.
Other varieties that fit the above description will also work. We thoroughly wash the selected lemons in cold water several times. This process is important because we will ferment the lemons together with the skin. Place the washed lemons in a colander and scald them with boiling water. Cut each lemon in half, along the way.
Cut half the lemons into slices as shown in the photo. The thickness of each slice is no more than 5 millimeters. At this stage we also remove the remaining seeds.
Peel the garlic and cut into thin slices. Together with sweet paprika, as well as other spices selected to taste, place the pieces of garlic in a bowl with lemon slices.
Gently mix the mixture and leave it like this for the next 2 hours or so. This step is necessary for the lemons to release their juice.
After the specified time, tightly fill the prepared sterilized glass jar with lemon slices, and pour the released lemon juice on top, which has managed to mix with the spices. Also pour olive oil or any other odorless vegetable oil into the jar.
Lemons will be fermented at room temperature in the kitchen directly in jars for a week or a little more. After 8-10 days, it is advisable to move the lemons to the refrigerator and leave there for about two more days to consolidate the effect.
How to use pickled lemons is up to you. You can serve such an appetizing and healthy preparation with all those dishes that you would serve with the same sauerkraut or pickled cucumbers. The compatibility of such a snack with other dishes can only be determined by taste. Pickled lemons are ready for the winter!
Prepare sleighs in summer and lemons in winter. And before prices for lemons begin to rise and the season is not over, you can still have time to stock up on a jar of fragrant lemons.
I won’t tell you for all of Tunisia, but in Israel it is generally accepted that the fashion for pickled lemons came to Israel along with the Tunisian sandwich (bread, canned tuna, egg, roasted red pepper, black olives, green onions and... pickled lemons! ).
But they are also good in many other ways, such as in a sauce for meat cutlets, in a salad with rice (or quinoa or burgul or...), in mayonnaise, in spaghetti, on a piece of black bread with sour cream, with boiled potatoes or beans , to avocado, etc. And of course, lemon with fish is a classic.
Lentils with lemon.
Quinoa with lemon.
Cooking procedure.
Wash the lemons thoroughly, cut them into slices and remove the seeds. Since lemons have a dominant taste, it is worth cutting them thinly.
Mix salt, sugar, sweet paprika and chili. Instead of the last two components, you can take hot paprika or nothing at all. But salt is required. :)
Mix.
Dip lemons on both sides, shake off excess salt and place in a jar scalded with boiling water. All recipes emphasize the importance of touching the lemons with your hands as little as possible and not putting them into the jar. Alternatively, you can salt each piece by hand without dipping it, or, on the contrary, place everything in a fairly large bowl and shake it so that all the slices dip themselves. The kids will love it. :) I salted each slice myself, without resorting to extremes.
Put it in a jar. Somewhere in the middle, on the side (so that you can smell all the slices) you can stick a bay leaf. You can add English allspice.
After a day, fill it to the top with either water (bad, because it dilutes the taste) or lemon juice. And fill it with vegetable oil on top (according to Sheri Ansky’s version, fill it with oil at the bottom after 3 days!) to prevent contact with air: this is not Camembert and we don’t need mold here. Leave it in the room for another three days, and then put it in the refrigerator. If you add olive oil, you will have the opportunity to see how olive it really is: only olive oil freezes in the refrigerator. You can eat it right away, but it is recommended to let it sit for a week.
I have seen options to periodically turn the jar over so that all the lemons are in the liquid, put half a lemon under the lid, which will press the lemons down and only this half on top of the oil will become moldy, but I would advise just not putting the lemons all the way to the top and then everything will be fine pour in juice and oil and do not turn anything over and without any mold (the question is how important it is to press something on them for better fermentation). All versions emphasize the importance of reaching into the jar with a clean, wiped fork, and not with greasy hands.
With spices.
Without spices and another cooking option: not slices, but quarters. I don’t know why they do this, the jar fits more into slices and it will be more convenient to cut later.
Well, the proportions.
Option 1.
3 medium lemons + lemons for juice.
Half a glass of coarse salt.
A teaspoon of hot or sweet paprika.
Half a teaspoon of sugar (optional).
A couple of bay leaves.
Vegetable oil.
Option 2.
1 kg lemons.
3-4 tablespoons of coarse salt.
I don’t know how such a quantity of salt can be enough for a kg of lemons.
Option 3.
1 kg. lemons.
0.5 kg. salt.
Thus, the variation in salt in the options is colossal and everyone can do as they please. I simply sprinkled each slice on both sides and popped it into the jar without much thought. :) In many versions, the amount of salt is not written down at all.
Option 4.
6 medium lemons.
6 tablespoons of salt.
1 smooth spoon of sweet paprika.
lemon juice.
A quarter cup of oil.
Option from Sheri Ansky.
0.5 kg lemons.
2 tablespoons of coarse salt.
1 spoon of sugar.
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.
According to the famous Israeli culinary specialist, sugar helps lemons soften and gives shine to the juice, and sweetness does not affect the acidity of the lemon, but emphasizes it. In addition, sugar preserves like salt. , that is, give them more time to ferment.
Big update.
The first batch was eaten relatively quickly and despite the neat, clean-cut attitude, mold appeared on the surface in the end and the remains were thrown away.
Therefore, the second batch was salted much more thoroughly and a good layer of oil was poured on top. The result was so salty that it was impossible to add to the salad and it took an awfully long time to eat, but it did not spoil. :) In the end, there were a few slices left in the “broth” and the jar with them “was lying” on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator without any use for months. And I decided to use the jar, and therefore free her from this crap. I opened it, sniffed it and felt a very unusual smell. He reminded me Soviet childhood, grandma's dresses, perfume, a table with cosmetics... What is this?
And suddenly I understood! Oh eureka! Yes, these are pickled lemons! Pickled lemons are not a tin of LEMONS at all. Pickled lemons are pickled lemons! Both batches of lemons were simply eaten by lemons! Yes, it was convenient, but these were not pickled lemons at all. I realized that I was putting them in the refrigerator BEFORE they even fermented! And only thanks to the salt and, accordingly, the fact that they were forgotten, over a bunch of months they were still able to sprout, ferment, and ferment in the refrigerator!
And I don't think the above phrase " Add oil only after three days of fermentation, that is, give them more time to ferment“is correct: oil does not interfere with fermentation, it fences off food and brine from oxygen and thus, on the one hand, allows the development of anaerobic lactic acid bacteria in the food, and on the other hand, does not allow mold to develop in the food, which does need oxygen. Therefore, oil can be poured almost immediately after complete immersion of food in brine.
It's hard to explain what it is, pickled lemons. The smell of perfume (the lemon smell has been transformed), the taste is sour, but I’m not sure that it’s easy to recognize lemon. In his book The Art of Fermentation, Katz writes that fermentation not only increases nutritional benefits food, but also creates other tastes. Thus, the “palette” can be expanded even when using a standard set of products. For the second batch I added some ground paprika and whole cumin. Surely you can try cinnamon and cardamom and English pepper and coriander and cloves (French version) and mint and hot peppers(Turkish version) and carrots (Moroccan version) ... And if you remember the existence of other citrus fruits and their skins, then the number of different “spirits” with different combinations and proportions becomes huge.
So the third batch will be like this:
- Regular amount of salt
- Let sit overnight to release juices
- If necessary, add more juice on top so that it is securely covered from air.
- To be on the safe side, add a good layer of oil on top (which you can always scoop out along with the lemons and juice and put it in the pan)
- Let it ferment for a few days in the shade and darkness. AND ONLY THEN, smelling the familiar smell of perfume, put it in the refrigerator for storage.
Pickled lemons are extremely reminiscent. The only difference is that pickled ones are much nobler. Persian is a specific variety, but I don’t think they have any special taste. Most likely they are taken simply because they are small and dry faster. But while they are lying somewhere on the roof, they first dry out, ferment, ferment, and only then dry out and become dry empty balls. And, accordingly, they carry within themselves the memory of their former glory of fermentation. If for some reason acid or liquid is undesirable, then dry Persian can be used. In all other cases, live, fermented ones are probably better.
They'll probably fit in with some fragrant pie, cupcake. With sun-dried tomatoes or instead of them. By the way, they probably also don’t have a very tomato-like taste and aroma? Like sauerkraut and wine, the tastes and aromas are not of cabbage or grapes.
A Frenchman once told me that the most delicious wine The only wine he ever drank was the wine he made himself from Kazakh raisins, which contained a terrible amount of insects. I don't think the insects affected the quality of the wine. Most likely this was simply a consequence of long-term natural drying, during which each grape was fermented and then gave the wine both aroma and taste.
By the way, what happens if you take only sugar? Why not ferment it with sugar only and eat it as jam and add it to sweet pastries? And there is less sugar than in jam and the product is alive.