Masterclass
2 6
4
L
ongbeforemodern-dayconveniences,suchasfridgesandfreezers,
saltwasusedasa preservative,allowingfoodtolastfromseason
toseason.It’sthemoistureinfood,ratherthanthefood’sage,
thatcausesmicro-organismstogrowandspoilit.Onewaytoprevent
thisis bycoveringfoodwitha layerofsalt.Thesaltworksbydrawingmoisture
fromthefoodthatcouldpotentiallybeusedformicro-organismgrowth.This
methodofpreservingharksbacktoa simplerera,whenallthatwasrequired
fromthecookwaspatienceanda littletimespentwaiting.
Preservedlemons,a stapleofMoroccanandNorthAfricancooking,
featureheavilyinstewsandtagines,lendinga slightlytartflavourthatis
offsetbysweetingredientslikedriedfruitandhoney.Inslow-cookeddishes,
theflavouris mellowedso1-2slicedwedgesmaybeused.For salads and
lighter recipes, ½ -1 tablespoon of chopped rind is ample.Step bystep
1
Halve8 mediumlemonslengthways;carefullycut
eachlemonhalfinhalfagain,withoutcuttingall
thewaythrough.Openlemonhalvesoutslightly.2
Cut4 mediumlemonsinhalfcrossways.Squeeze
lemonsovera largestainlesssteelorglassbowlto
catchthejuice;youwillneed1 cup(250ml)lemonjuice.3
Addlemonhalvestothebowloflemonjuice,
squeezingthemslightly as you add them to release
someofthejuice.4
Add11/2cups(450gm)rocksalt,5 freshbayleaves
and1 tspeachcorianderseedsandcuminseeds
tothebowl,mixwell;pressing down on lemonsto
extractmorejuice.5
Packlemonmixtureintoa 1.5-litre(6-cup)sterilised
jar,ortwosmallerjars;pourenough of the juice
intothejartocoverlemons.6
Placea sealedsmallplasticbagfilledwithwateron
topofthelemonstokeepthemsubmerged;sealjar.
Label and date jar; stand for 3 weeks before using.Howtosterilisejars
Notonlydoespropersterilisationprolongthelifeoftheproduct,
it is alsoextremelyimportantinpreventingfood-bornebacteriafrom
causingsevereillness.Theaimis tofinishsterilisingthejarsandlids
atthesametimethepreserveis readytobebottled;thehotpreserve
shouldbebottledintohot,dry,cleanjars.Herearethreemethods
forsterilisingjars.Alwaysstartwithcleanjarsandlids. 1 Putthejars
andlidsthroughthehottestcycleofa dishwasherwithoutusingany
detergent. 2 Placethejarsandlidsina largesaucepan,coverwith
water,bringtotheboilthenboilfor 20 minutes. 3 Standthejarsupright,
withouttouchingeachother,ona woodenboardonthelowestshelf
intheoven.Turntheoventothelowestpossibletemperature,close
theovendoorandleavethejarstoheatthroughfor 30 minutes.Next,
removethejarsfromtheovenordishwasherwitha towel,orfromthe
boilingwaterwithtongs;thewaterwillevaporatefromhot,wetjars
quitequickly.Standjarsuprightandnottouchingeachotheron
a woodenboard,ora benchcoveredwitha towel.Pourhotpreserves
intohotjarsuntilthejarsarefilledtothetop(inmostcases,unless
indicatedotherwisebytherecipe).Securelidstightly,holdjarsfirmly
witha toweloranovenmittwhiledoingthis,thenleavepreserves
tocoolatroomtemperaturebeforelabellingandstoring.●A note onstorage
Preservesshouldbestoredina cool,
darkplace.Theareayouchooseneeds
tohaveconstantairflowandbedry,cool
anddark– whena preserveis exposed
tolightduringstorageit willdiscolour.
If theclimateyouliveinis hot,wetand/or
humid,thesafestplacetostorepreserves
is intherefrigerator.Oncea jarofany
preserve is opened, store it in the fridge.GOURMET TRAVELLER 45PHOTOGRAPHY BEN DEARNLEY & WILLIAM MEPPEM. STYLING SOPHIA YOUNG.