Having recently started working as a Manager in an Italian delicatessen, I am really surprised by how often I get asked for this product! It’s Moroccan in origin, but it can be used in hundreds of different ways. Let your imagination run riot. Use these lemons in salads, in mayonnaise, with fish, in stews and tagines - or if you’re really brave, just as a nibble with a drink!

Ingredients:

• 6-7 juicy, ripe lemons
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half *
• 6 coriander seeds *
• 4 black peppercorns *
• 1 bay leaf *
• Enough water to cover

* - OPTIONAL

Cut crosses in the lemons to within the 1/2 inch of the bottom so that they are still joined as one. Sprinkle salt on the exposed flesh. Squash the lemons into the jar, packing down tightly as you go.

At this point you could add the spices if you want. Spices in preserved lemons are customary in the southern region of Morocco, although in the north they have a tendency to simply use water and salt. Use the spices by sprinkling them evenly throughout the jar of lemons.

Cram any gaps with quarters of lemon, coated in salt. Put the remaining salt into sufficient water to cover the lemons, bring to the boil, and dissolve all the salt. Allow to cool.

Pour over the lemons, submerging them completely, but leaving a half-inch gap between the water and lip of the jar. If the jar has a metal lid, cover the jar with a double layer of clingfilm first. This prevents the metal lid from being corroded by the salt solution.

Leave the jar in a warm place for 30 days, turning the jar each day to distribute the juices throughout the jar. To use the lemons, first rinse them and then remove the pulp. The lemons will keep for at least a year in the fridge, so make sure you tie a date label to the jar!

Over time, you’ll notice the lemons turning a deep golden-amber colour, and the pectin in them might make the fluid jell. This is fine; the lemons aren’t affected. Some people like to use the pulp by blending it with mayonnaise or cream, and eating with chicken or fish. I love it all.

Enjoy!!

Federica shares her recipe.

Apologies to any hard-line traditionalists, but Yak butter is unfortunately impossible to find in Europe and most other places, I presume, so I’m afraid this is a poor substitute. I am unfortunately unable to vouch for how authentic the flavour is, but I’m informed by a good friend who has visited Nepal that it’s actually not too bad!

Put a small pan with a mugful of cold water on the stove. Add a good quality ordinary black tea bag (Lipton tea is apparently suitable, although you could experiment with Lapsang Souchong, which is quite strong) or a heaped teaspoonful of black tea.

Bring to the boil and simmer for one minute. Remove the teabag, or drain off the tea leaves. Put the tea back into the pan (if you’ve strained tea leaves out).

Add a sprinkling of salt (about an eighth of a teaspoon) and enough full-cream milk to give you a milky brew. Again, if you can use goat’s milk it is so much the better. If you can’t get full cream milk, add the milk you have, plus a teaspoonful of cream.

Stir. Place the lot into a blender. Make sure it’s still good and hot. Start to whiz it, and add a heaped teaspoonful of ghee. Keep whizzing until all the butter is melted, and the tea frothy.

Pour into a heated mug (you can heat it by pouring some boiling water into it) and drink.

In time, you can adjust the salt to taste. I like mine quite salty (and buttery) because I can soak up the dregs of butter with my Tsampa or Tibetan roasted barley flour.