Preserved lemons add sunny warmth to winter dishes

Preserved lemons

This recipe is from Paula Wolfert, a well-known authority on Mediterranean cooking who seems to have a special fondness for the cuisine of North Africa. I keep preserved lemons on hand to add oomph to couscous but have recently rediscovered a tasty recipe for preserved lemons with homemade pasta, garlic and parmesan. And they're not just for savoury dishes. Next on my list to try is a preserved lemon pound cake shared by a friend.

To use the lemons, remove and discard the pulp and scrape off some of the pith then rinse and dice. Sometimes I add a bay leaf and a couple of cardamom pods to the recipe below, for variety.

This time of year I make preserved lemons with meyer lemons. Small, thin skinned and distinctively delicious, meyer lemons are perfect for preserving.

2 ripe lemons

1/3 cup coarse sea salt

½ cup fresh lemon juice

Scrub the lemons and dry well. Cut each into 8 wedges. Toss them with the salt and place in a ½ pint glass jar. Pour in the lemon juice. Close the jar tightly and let the lemons ripen at room temperature for 7 days, shaking the jar each day to distribute the salt and juice. To store, add olive oil to cover and refrigerate for up to 6 months. Rinse lemons before using.