Preserved lemons 🍋 etc.

Our preserves pantry is now overflowing … with the addition of preserved lemons, tomato relish and sweet pickled zucchini (always yum).

Thanks to those that donated fruit, and those that came along to preserves group on Tuesday to help chop, stir, chat (perhaps the most important bit!) and package.

Pop past and buy a jar next time your a nearby. The tomato relish recipe we use was a prize winner🥇in the Alphington Show this year. It’s good. With mustard and curry powder undertones … and thickened with cornflour that doesn’t contain gluten.

And if you are not sure what to do with preserved lemons here’s a SUPER easy and delicious recipe from Claudia Roden … you just chop some stuff up, and chuck it in a pot to do its magic (just make sure you are generous with the salt and pepper - the key to good middle eastern recipes I think).

Moroccan Lemon Chicken

• 1 large chicken ( or you can use 4-6 chicken thighs)

• 2 tablespoons oil

• 1 onion grated, or finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon tumeric

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• salt and pepper

• a good bunch of coriander leaves finely chopped (if you don’t like coriander you can just add more parsley instead)

• a good lunch of parsley leaves finely chopped

• 1-2 preserved lemon wedges (lightly wash off some of the salt and the flesh, then finely chop up the preserved rind)

Put the chicken in a large saucepan with all the ingredients except the preserves lemon. Half cover the chicken with water and simmer gently, tuning it over a few times until it is so tender that the flesh can pull off the bone (about 1.5 hours). Throw the lemons into the sauce and cook a few minutes longer (you can add more or less lemon - to taste).

Serve with rice or couscous etc. etc.