Culture Club - February 2020
Preserved Lemon (Lemon Pickle)
Halved Juiced lemons packed in salt to cure for a minimum time of 1 month.
Typically I reserve the juice for something else. The way I like to do it is just by covering with salt and letting sit for a few months. To use them after I typically rinse them with lots of water and clean the white pith off.
Notes:
Preserved lemon or lemon pickle is a condiment that is common in the cuisines of Indian subcontinent and North Africa.
Preserved lemons were most likely introduced to American audiences in the mid-1970s, through Paula Wolfert's James Beard Hall of Fame cookbook
Traditional preparations—Algerian couscous dishes, Indian curries, Tunisian chickpea stews, the Moroccan chicken tagine—they're a worthy addition to a wide spectrum of meals.
In On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee suggests that a solution of 5 to 10% salt is needed to achieve a good North African–style preserved lemon. A proper Indian pickled lemon calls for double that amount, as well as turmeric, fenugreek seeds, and chili powder.
Satsuma Kosho (traditionally Yuzu Kosho)
A paste made from chili peppers, citrus peel peel and salt, which is then allowed to ferment. I used Satsuma mandarins to show that you can use whatever you have available to you.
RATIO: 1 part zest to 2 parts pepper and 10% salt. I have seen people add garlic or ginger to it as well. I prefer just the citrus and pepper.
Notes:
It is usually used as a condiment for hot pot dishes, miso soup, and sashimi.
The most famous types of yuzukoshō come from Kyushu, where it is a local specialty.
I like to think of it as a citrusy, funky sambal paste You can put it on anything, really fun and bright.
Yuzu kosho is at its best when it's cutting through the richness and fat of meat.
It’s a great way to utilize the whole citrus instead of just juicing.
The history of this condiment only goes back about 50 years or so, making it a far more recent introduction to Japanese cuisine than miso paste or soy sauce. It has only just become widely available in supermarkets across Japan.
The name 'kosho', which is typically the word used for black pepper (or peppercorns) in Japanese, is not typically applied to foods made with chili peppers. Rather the Kyushu dialect of Japanese has used the word 'kosho' to refer to chili peppers that other regions call 'togarashi' for centuries, and the name 'yuzu kosho' stuck.
Grapefruit Curd
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh grapefruit juice (from 2 grapefruits), plus 3 tablespoons finely grated Ruby Red grapefruit zest
3 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
Coarse salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened
Directions:
Bring grapefruit juice to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until juice is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
Whisk together eggs, yolks, sugar, grapefruit juice, grapefruit zest, and a pinch of salt in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time.
Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl set in a larger bowl filled with ice water, and stir until cool. Cover surface of curd with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
(adapted from Martha Stewart)
Couscous with Preserved Lemon, Olives and Almonds
Recipe made in class was a loose interpretation of this recipe, found on Food52.