Feb 3

Lemons are winter's zucchini. For weeks we've enjoyed an embarrassing abundance of lemons from our tree. We've shared with our neighbors, coworkers, family and friends. A sack of citrus is a door prize for all who enter our home. We hardly cook anything that doesn't call for some form of lemon as an ingredient: juice or zest, preferably both. Combing through cookbooks looking for more inspiration, I came across an intriguing ingredient in Mediterranean and North African dishes I had not heard of: preserved lemons. Making them is so simple, though it requires a shocking amount of salt for the pickling process. That's what I'm doing in this photo, and I am enjoying myself though it doesn't look it!