Lemon-salt puree

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 organic lemons, approx. 150 g each
• 100 ml lemon juice
• 25 g sea salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Practical and quick substitute for preserved salted lemons.

Wash the organic lemons. Then trim the ends of the lemons just enough to expose the flesh and leave the skin within the white layer (mesocarb) of the outer skin. Cut the remaining lemon into thin slices. Remove the seeds from the slices. Arrange the slices in a wide, lidded pot. Mix the lemon juice with the salt and pour over the slices. Bring everything to a boil, then simmer gently for about 15 minutes with the lid on and on low heat until the peel softens and becomes slightly translucent. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then process it in a blender until it becomes a puree. This puree is a quick and easy alternative to recipes that call for preserved lemons, as these need to ferment for several days or weeks to soften the peel. Simmering the lemon slices softens the peel more quickly than if you simply puree the lemons with salt. Any liquid lost during simmering is compensated for beforehand by adding additional lemon juice. The salt content of the final product, at 9-10%, is lower than that of regular salted lemons or cold-pureed lemons with salt. Nevertheless, the purée prepared this way, when stored in clean, airtight jars, will keep in the refrigerator for at least 1 month, and frozen in portions for much longer. One portion of this recipe yields approximately 60-65 g of finished purée.