Avocado Toast , Preserved Lemons and Easter in Germany

Quickly, let me give you my recipe for avocado toast. Take a slice of your favorite bread (toasted or not) and spread a ripe avocado on it. Or just put slices of avocado on your bread. The choice is yours and anyone can do it. If you want to, add a fried egg and call it breakfast or lunch. Or add anything else you like. I see coffee shops and restaurants that sell these toasts for a lot of money. There is a way to elevate this simple toast into a culinary delight by adding finely chopped, preserved lemon rind. Anytime you bite into one of these crunchy little lemon cubes, your palate will experience an explosion of flavors from the floral notes of the released lemon oils to the salty fermented umami crunch.

Preserved lemons are more than just lemons, as they capture the glorious perfume of the lemon and excite your palate. They will enhance almost any dish. Sprinkle them on a salad, a chicken dish or anything else you can think of. Preserved lemons add a fermented quality that regular lemons don’t have with their tart, salty and slightly bitter taste.

Preserved lemons have been a staple in North African cuisine since the 11th century. It is a way to preserve lemons for use long after their season is over. Paula Wolfert introduced them to the American audience in 1970 with her award-winning cookbook Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco. If you want a true Moroccan preserved lemon, add the spices.

Those who have followed me, know about my lemon trees and my ongoing love for lemons. My blog has many recipes using my Meyer lemons, which I treasure. For years, I have made preserved lemons with some of them, but I have never blogged about them. So, I thought it is time to do so. I have given many jars to my friends and wish I could share them with you too. My niece and her husband took a jar with them back to Germany. I have added whole cloves, dried bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds and black peppercorns. In my last batch, I used just kosher salt, and I think that’s what I prefer. Usually, I use the rind and peel only, removing the pulp and rinsing the peel thoroughly to remove most of the salt. Then, I cut them into into tiny cubes, the smaller the better. I read somewhere that the pulp is great in cocktails, but I haven’t tried that. Lately, I have been adding some preserved  lemon when making my chicken stock.

Making preserved lemons at home is easy; it just takes time. Mine have lasted a year or longer in the fridge.

I am leaving for Germany in a few days and I am not sure that I will post again before Easter.    Easter is one of my favorite time to visit my family and friends. The arrival of spring is a happy occasion after the long winter. Everybody is happy and ready to embrace the warmer  weather and longer days. The restaurants and cafes move their tables outside, as every ray of sunshine is greeted with a smile and spring is celebrated with holidays and festivities.

This year is especially nice because the Easter holiday is later in April. I am going to be able to not only to celebrate Easter but also the first of May. In my village, this day is celebrated with a walk through the forest into the next village. Along the route, there are stands with drinks, some of them being little shots of Schnaps (a gin-like drink). The word Schnaps (according to wikipedia) refers to the fact that the drink is a consumed with a quick slug from a shot glass. In the evening, the celebration continues with a gathering around the May tree in the center of the village where Maibowle (May punch) is being served. This punch is wine steeped in an herb called sweet woodruff. I'll post more about my trip when I return, but in the meantime, I will add  some photos from my trip on Facebook and Instagram. ​I can't wait to be with my German family again. Read about one of my previous trips and deviled eggs here.

In this  nutty, chewy, not-too-sweet almond lemon cake, whole cooked lemons are being used. It  is not your average lemon cake.  Click here for the recipe.

Here is an easy-to-make pound cake that is infused with lemon juice. A great combination and perfect any time of the day. Click here for the recipe. 
I wish you all a Happy Easter or Fröhliche Ostern as we say in German.

It is important to scrub the lemons very clean with a brush in a tub of water and dry them with a clean towel. Sterilize the jars in boiling water for 15 minutes and then dry them.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

1 or 2 wide-mouth quart jars
(or one larger wide-mouth large jar)
​
8 or more Meyer (or other) lemons 
½ cup kosher salt 
lemon juice

Spices (optional)
​
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
5-6 coriander seeds 
3-4 black peppercorns 
1 bay leaf

Directions:
​
Quarter the very clean lemons almost all the way leaving the quarters still attached at one end. Rub the inside of the lemons with salt (about 2 TBS) and pack them inside the very clean jar. Add the spices as desired. Repeat with the remaining lemons, squishing them into the jars. Press the lemons down to release their juices, making room for the remaining lemons. When you can’t fit any more lemons into the jar, add enough fresh lemon juice to cover them completely. Put the cover on the jar and leave it out on the counter for a week, shaking it twice a day to redistribute the salt. If necessary, add additional lemon juice to fill the jar to the brim. After a week, put the jars in the fridge with an occasional turn or shake for a month. Now you are ready to use them and they will last in the fridge for a year or more. ​

Guten Appetit!
loosely adapted from different recipes 
by © Sunnycovechef.com