Mellow Yellow

Today is a day which marks respect for all women, International Women's Day, global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. Zorra and fiordisale are inviting bloggers to post a yellow dish, food, drink or any consumable that is yellow in colour.

Lots of foods are yellow, of course the exotic saffron comes to mind, along with eggs, squash, bananas and of course lemons. I'm lucky enough to have an abundant supply of Meyer lemons, thanks to my parents, who have carefully pruned and nurtured their tree for nearly 40 years. I also have one growing in my garden , but it's still quite young, and struggling due to the ongoing drought.

I have preserved bags and bags of lemons. Why let them go rotten on the ground if you have too many? The uses for preserved lemons go way and beyond traditional Morrocan tagines. Add them to marinades, stuff fish or chickens with them, add them to a salsa verde. They are great with any pork dish, as they cut through the richness of the fatty meat. Another fantastic use is when making labna, by draining yoghurt overnight so it can be rolled into small balls, then roll the yoghurt balls into finely chopped preserved lemon, finely diced garlic and lots of chopped flat leaf parsley, and voila....you have a gremolata ball, which can be served with slow cooked or grilled lamb, kid and couscous or polenta. Very exotic.


I use simply lemons, sea salt and lemon juice. Cut lemons into quarters, not cutting right through to separate. Pack with a tablespoon of salt per lemon. Place into jar, pushing each lemon down tightly to reduce air pockets. Cover with extra lemon juice. Store in a dark, cool cupboard for at least 6 weeks, turning your jar upside down to distribute the salty juice.