Pickled Lemon Seasoning
Pickled Lemon Seasoning
Fresh lemons are washed, sliced covered in salt for at least 24 hours, then drained and mixed with spices to cook in Tagines. Making Msir is easy and adds a unique flavor to meals but careful, just a small amount of the pickled lemon seasoning goes a long way.Msir North African Pickled Lemon Seasoning
Ingredients
1/2 cup sea salt
4 large lemons
Water
Directions
Cut four slits on equal sides into the lemons, but do not slice all the way through. Pack the sea salt into the lemon segments and pack the lemons as tightly as possible into a quart size mason jar. Fill with water and seal jar properly.
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The cone-shaped lid of the tagine traps steam and returns the condensed liquid to the pot. |
Chicken Tagine with Pickled Preserved Lemons
Ingredients
1/2 or 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces and skin removed
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4" thick planks
4 large potatoes, cut into 1/2" slices or wedges
1 large onion, sliced into thick rings
1 small or medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled (optional)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
Small bunch of coriander, tied
A handful of red or green olives, rinsed
1/2 of a preserved lemon, cut into quarters and seeds removed
Directions
Pour enough of the olive oil into the tagine to coat the bottom. Layer the onion rings across the bottom of the tagine, and arrange the carrots on top of the onions. Add the chicken to the center of the tagine, and place the coriander on top. Arrange the potatoes around the chicken, and then distribute the chopped onions, garlic and spices over everything. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the chicken and potatoes. Add the water to the tagine, and place over medium heat.
Use a diffuser if you like, but as long as the heat is kept low, a traditional tagine should be safe on a burner. Cover the tagine, and bring the dish to a simmer. (Be patient, it takes a good 10 minutes for the tagine to heat up to this point.) Adjust the heat to medium-low or low, checking occasionally to be sure that you can still hear the tagine simmering. Tagine is done when potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. You can use a stew pot instead of a tagine, just add an extra 1 cup of broth to the recipe. Serve over cooked rice or couscous.
The juice of a lemon is about 6% citric acid, which gives it a sour taste the distinctive sour taste of lemon juice makes it a key ingredient in drinks, and food lemons contain high amounts of calcium magnesium vitamin C and potassium.
It also contains small amounts of vitamin A and iron. North African Ancient Egyptians also ate lemons and consumed lemon juice to protect themselves against a variety of poisons since they have strong antibacterial antiviral properties. ♥
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