food preservation

Moroccan Preserved Lemons w/ Only 2 Ingredients

Have you ever wanted to make a recipe, only to realize it requires a special ingredient?  You drive to three stores across town and no one has it.  Then you go home, look it up on Google, and it’s ridiculously simple to make.  Yep, that’s Moroccan Preserved Lemons.  So hard to find, yet so easy to make.  It only requires a little bit of prep work and time.   Salt Typically, I don’t count salt as an ingredient.  Every home has it.  But in this case, I felt it was only right to count it because this recipe requires a truckload of the stuff.  I typically use kosher salt as it dissolves really well in this recipe.  You can also use sea salt.  If you’re not sure which salt to use, be sure to read my post on Types of Salt. Why So Much Salt? So you may have noticed this recipe calls for an insane amount of salt right?  Well, that’s because we are preserving the lemons, not fermenting them.  We are using the salt to stop any harmful microbes from growing, while preserving the lemons.  So yes, you really do need that much salt.  It keeps those nasty microbes away. What Can I Use Preserved Lemons For? Preserved lemons have been used for hundreds of years in North Africa.  They then spread through the Mediterranean and Middle East.  Moroccan Preserved Lemons originated out of a need to have the taste of fresh lemons all year long.  Shakshuka is one of the most popular dishes that use Preserved Lemons.  This dish is a personal favorite of mine.  But really they can be used in a multitude of dishes.  They have the ability to transform stews, tomato sauce dishes, pizzas, and more!  It’s like lemon’s funky cousin on steroids.  A little goes a long way.  So start with a little and then add more if you like.   What Kind of Lemons Should I Use? Ideally you would use a thin skinned lemon.  The closest variety in the US would be the Meyer Lemon.  However, not only are these hard to find where I live, I have a lemon tree.  It produces more lemons than I can possibly eat.  They are a thicker skinned variety and they work just fine.  So use what you have.  Once you get the hang of it, search out the thin skinned varieties.  See which you like better. Steps First put two tablespoons of kosher salt in the bottom of your jar. Then, cut one lemon to remove the stem end.  The side that would have been connected to the tree.   Once this is done you will need to cut the lemon lengthwise into fourths.  You want to try not to cut the lemon all the way through.  I have attached a picture for easy viewing.  The lemon should end up having an X or + shape pattern lengthwise.   Open the lemon where you made the cuts and put one teaspoon of kosher salt inside the lemons. Give the lemon a bit of a shimmy to move the salt around.  It’s gonna make a mess and that’s fine.  You want as much of the salt inside as possible. Turn the lemon cut side down and place in your mason jar or canning jar.  Give the lemon a firm squeeze to release a lot of the juices.  Try to release as much as you can without breaking the lemon apart. Repeat these steps with each of the lemons.  Place each lemon in the jar making sure to pack them tightly.  Fill almost to the top of the jar leaving about an inch of space.   Once filled, add two tablespoons of kosher salt to the top of jar and close the lid.  If the lemon juice does not go all the way to the top of jar, use additional lemon juice until it covers them. Give the jar a shake and leave it on your counter to rest.  Each day, for seven days, give it a shake.  After seven days, stash it in the fridge.  They won’t be fully cured for 4-6 weeks in the refrigerator.  You can use them earlier but they won’t have the same flavor. How to Use It’s important to realize that when you go to use these, you will need to first rinse the salt off.  Nobody wants that much in a dish.  Second, you will be removing the insides of the lemons.  Third, you are only going to use the peel.  So, once the skin is removed you will chop the peel very fine and add it to your dish.  Super easy! Storage Once everything is in the jar, you will need to shake these once a day for 7 days.  Then they are done.  You will notice the jar goes from clear to cloudy.  That’s totally normal.  Stash in the fridge.  These will last anywhere from 6 months to 1 year in the fridge in an airtight container.  The salt will eventually degrade the lemons and they will get very soft.  At which point I make a new batch. Morrocan Preserved Lemons are great in everything from soups to pilafs. It only needs two ingredients and time to make this umami packed flavor bomb. This recipe is so easy to make you won’t believe you didn’t do it sooner!  

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A white pie dish filled with Garlic Confit. Garlic confit is a mix of olive oil, fresh garlic and herbs. The herbs are rosemary.

Beyond Easy Herbed Garlic Confit (2 in 1 Recipe)

  In the world of preserving foods most people know about canning and pickling.  But there is a long standing tradition in many cultures of preserving foods in oil as well.  One of my favorite recipes is a very simple one called Garlic Confit.  I love this recipe because it’s basically two recipes in one.  You get the joy of the actual garlic.  It’s soft and buttery.  Then you get an herb infused oil that can be used in a multitude of dishes.  Garlic Confit is like hitting the culinary lottery.  Two recipes from 2 or 3 ingredients.  Amazing.  Not to mention, the smell of this recipe when it’s cooking is incredible. Basically you take cloves of garlic and slowly cook them submerged in oil.  You cook them in the oven on low heat until fully tender.  You want a low and slow cooking method for this.  This low heat prevents the oil from overheating and breaking down.  It also preserves the garlic.  The pieces will be very tender and can be used in all kinds of recipes.  Fresh Garlic Vs. Peeled You can use fresh cloves of garlic or you can use pre peeled.  Either will work fine.  I have made this with fresh and pre-peeled and I can honestly say I would use pre-peeled.  Unless you really are one of those people who are extremely particular about freshness.  While it’s true that fresher will taste better, it’s a lot of work.  I mean a lot!  It took me an hour and a half to peel the garlic for this recipe.  It takes 30 seconds to open the pre-peeled.  The decisions up to you. Using Herbs to Infuse the Oil The oil can be used for many applications as well.  My favorite being rosemary garlic potatoes.  So in this recipe we will use fresh rosemary sprigs.  I find fresh herbs are easier to remove.  If you wanted to keep this recipe really simple, you could skip the herbs altogether.  But don’t be afraid to use any of your favorite herbs.  It makes such fantastic oil when you do.  You could use dry herbs but they will end up needing to be strained from your final product.  As long as you don’t mind that, go for it. Some of my favorite herb combinations are: Basil Oregano Rosemary Herbs de Provence Thyme Fresh chili peppers How to Make Garlic Confit Start by putting your peeled garlic in a baking pan.  Put in equal parts oil, or enough to completely cover your garlic.  Add your herbs and spices and cook low and slow for an hour and a half.  Make sure to check on these half way through.  If any of the cloves are not under the oil during cooking.  Stir them in.  You want to start checking if they are done after about an hour.  I find an hour and a half works well.    They are done once they can be easily pierced with a knife.  They should be soft but not mushy.  Once they are done remove any herbs and discard. An Important Word About Storage This is super important.  Once these cool, they must be stored in the refrigerator completely covered with the oil to prevent botulism.  If the olive oil solidifies its fine.  You can leave it on the counter to soften.  You can also run it under warm water as well. Just remember to put back in the fridge. When stored properly with the oil fully covering the garlic, these will last 4 weeks or more in the fridge.  But If they start to look off or smell off after any length of time in your fridge, toss them.  I repeat toss them!   This rule applies to most foods, but especially garlic and oil. If you are concerned about not using them fast enough, you can leave a small portion in the fridge and freeze the rest in an airtight container.  It should last 6+ months in the freezer.    Be sure to check out my other oil recipe for Lactose and Casein Free Butter Oil. Herbed Garlic Confit is an easy to make and highly versatile recipe. It makes both a wonderful flavored garlic that can be used on everything from garlic bread to stews. It also makes an incredible infused oil that can be used to make salad dressings and a flavored oil for everyday dishes. It only takes a little bit of prep and some patience.

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A bowl of pickled onions sitting on a table

My Favorite Raw Pickled Red Onion Recipe

I fell in love with onions on a trip abroad many years ago. Everywhere we went they had cheese and onion sandwiches. Sounds gross, I know. But we got so many of them we fell in love with them.  Fast forward to my pregnancy years later and I could no longer eat onions. Not red or white. This went on for years. It didn’t matter if you cooked them or they were raw. I would always get sick to my stomach.  Now many years later I still can’t eat them raw. I can however eat raw pickled onions. This recipe is such a quick and simple raw version of Quick Pickled Red Onions. It requires almost no ingredients and can be made the night before. It is gut friendly because of the apple cider vinegar and raw honey. It makes the onions easier to digest. I’m going to include instructions for the raw version as well as a faster blanched version to save time. Recommendations and Adjustments When I make this I use raw honey as the sweetener. It just ups the nutritional factor. It changes the flavor in a way I really like as well.  It’s also another food that is alive. Which is so very important to our bodies. I tried to balance the vinegar with the sweetness. You could adjust this anywhere from 1 TBS to 2 TBS depending on how sweet you like your pickles.  Finally I recommend using kosher salt. Kosher salt is best in this recipe as it dissolves rapidly without applying tons of heat. Other salts will work but may be gritty. Try to find a finely ground one so that it will dissolve easier.  If you are unsure on which Type of Salt to use be sure to read my post all about salts HERE. Once you slice the onion thinly put it in your favorite canning jar.  I prefer a wide mouth jar for this application.  Add all the other ingredients to a separate pot and turn the stove on for one minute. Just long enough to warm them but not cook them. Stir everything well to dissolve. If you have a little salt at the bottom it’s fine. Add this liquid to your onions. Lid up and stash in the fridge 1-3 days for best results.   Vegan Option To make this vegan replace the honey with organic cane sugar or maple syrup.  It will alter the flavor of the final product depending on which you use.  Sugar will be more neutral than the maple syrup. Raw or Quick If the raw factor doesn’t matter to you or you just need these done fast for a gathering, follow the above recipe. Instead of leaving them on the stove for a minute, turn the heat on medium and bring all the ingredients to a simmer. Then pour over the onions while still hot. Leave 15 minutes and then you are done.  I’ve made this recipe both ways and it works just fine. This recipe will keep in the fridge for a month or more.  I can’t keep it in the house longer than that.  It gets eaten to fast.  You can also reuse the brine several times before it loses quality.  Just get more onions and repeat.  Super easy. This recipe is raw, paleo, dairy free, vegetarian and can easily be made vegan.  Put it on anything and everything.  It’s good on tacos, in burritos, hamburgers, poutine, egg dishes, Pozole, soups and stews.  Let me know what you use it on.  If you make any mods that are amazing,  I’d love to know. This is an easy to make Pickled Red Onion Recipe. It has only three ingredients and can easily be made vegan. These pickled onions are great on everything from hotdogs to tacos.

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