Cooking Miscellany

I made preserved lemons earlier this week—the quick kind, which involved quartering five lemons, tossing them with ½ cup kosher salt, putting them in a quart jar, and adding ½ cup lemon juice. The jar sits at room temperature for three days, then is refrigerated for two days, and they’re ready.

I used some of the preserved lemons in a fish recipe from the Roden Middle Eastern foods book, and I had never guessed how they would taste—more like a green olive, sour and salty, and unlike anything else. A wonderful discovery.

The Roden book has so many fish recipes! I plan to try every one.

We had Dad’s bok choy with it.

I’ve felt guilty about our food waste since our compost pile is out of commission at present, so I have tried keeping a stock pot going. That’s not an option here in the summer, but it’s quite pleasant to have it adding to the warmth of the house in the winter. My stock tends to be rather dark and murky because of using it as a compost substitute, but it has enriched a few soups and sauces.