Does anyone have a recipe for pickling lemons and/or limes? I prefer a Middle
Eastern flavor, but any recipe will do. I can find recipes using salt and oil,
but I am looking for something that has more spice. Thanks in advance, Gaye

"GaSeku" > wrote in message
...
> Does anyone have a recipe for pickling lemons and/or limes? I prefer a
Middle
> Eastern flavor, but any recipe will do. I can find recipes using salt and
oil,
> but I am looking for something that has more spice. Thanks in advance,
Gaye

Here's one I use.

Recipe for Preserved Lemons

8-10 medium sized fully-ripe Meyer or Ponderosa lemons
(home grown or organic. Do not use lemons which have been waxed or oiled,
as
is often the case with supermarket lemons) NOTE: I used supermarket lemons.
Just clean and buff them well. If necessary, scrape with a dinner knife to
remove any wax.
kosher or pickling salt (do not use iodized salt)
stick cinnamon
whole allspice
whole black pepper
whole coriander
bay leaves
whole cloves

Soak the lemons overnight to soften the skin and dissolve any dirt. This
also "plumps" the lemons somewhat. Drain, and dry the lemons with a course
towel, "buffing" them to remove any imperfections or stubborn dirt. Pop out
the hard stem end and be sure to clean out this area thoroughly. Be sure
the
lemons are very clean, with no mold or soft spots. Set aside any overripe
lemons for juice.

Working over a clean, shallow bowl, slit a lemon lenghth-wise in quarters,
starting about ½ inch below the stem end and ending about ½ inch above the
bottom. Go all the way through the skin into the center of the fruit. You
want to be able to smash the lemon open, but not have it come apart.
NOTE: I accidently cut a few all the way through on one side. No problems.

Still working over the bowl, sprinkle the interior of each lemon with about
one
tablespoon of salt, making sure that the salt gets into the center.
Sprinkle
some salt into the bottom of a scalded canning jar (not the metal type),
drop
in some of the spices, and begin squashing in the lemons. They will begin
to
"relax" or "wilt" and release juice. Keep squashing them in, adding spices
each row. Pack them in tightly (they should not be able to move around).
You
really have to push! Stop when you reach the "shoulder" of the jar.

If the lemons have not released enough of their own juice to cover
themselves,
top off the jar with lemon juice. The lemons should be completely covered
with
briny lemon juice, with none of the skin above the surface. Dump in the
contents of the work bowl (at this point a slurry of salt and lemon juice).

Seal the jars with the rubber washer and place in a warm, bright spot.
Shake
the jars daily, and carefully "burp" them during the initial fermentation
period to release the gas which will build up. Do this over the sink, as
they
have a tendancy to bubble over. After the first week, fermentation will
slow
down. Burp about once a week after this. Initially the fermentation will
be
quite active and the liquid will be cloudy, but after about a month the
liquid
will clear up and you will be able to see the lemons clearly. If you don't
use
enough salt, the lemons can go off. Be on the lookout for mold. Discard
and
try again if you get mold or a nasty odor. However, jars can develop a
white
crust or bloom which is harmless and can be washed off.

To use the lemons, alway use a clean implement to fish them out. Even
though
some receipes call for topping off with olive oil, for your first batches
keep
the mixture oil-free. The lemons keep indefinitely; the syrup just gets
thicker and better.

You can use just the peel or the whole lemon (skin and flesh). Rinse in
water
to remove excess salt, or adjust the salt accordingly. The skin can be
chopped
or mashed. Whole quarters of skin make an excellent cover for broiled
meats,
particularly fish or lemon. Rinsed quarters are also an excellent
accompaniment to grilled lamb chops, served as a relish.

That's it! Thanks so much. Gaye