meyer lemon pickle with nigella

if you've been over here lately, then you know how much i enjoy early mornings, and you know what a beautiful view i relish up in the berkshires, a symphony of autumnal colors as of late...

you may also know that our 2009/10 move back to the city has happened, and well, my views have changed.

this year is even more of a change due to the fact that we moved from manhattan, across the bridge to LIC earlier in the year.

this is how the sun comes up around these parts:

morning kitchen view


view from terrace; silvercup, home to the filming of, IMO, one of the greatest series of all time

(no, not sex in the city, the sopranos! get the dvds - srsly)

and if i go way out to the end of the terrace and look left, a view of my favorite building in nyc the chrysler building

it looks ethereal but its just the smun: smog + sun.

so things do look a little bit different around here than they do in the berkshires.

but

lest you feel my lack of joyousness...have no fear because

as sure as the sun shines, there's a lemonade waiting to burst forth in every lemon and perhaps more accurately for our purposes here

if the sun surely shines as long and strong as it does in this kitchen then


ain't no lemons gettin' aden around here because

this my friends, is what I'm talkin' about. sickle

sun + pickle = sickle. as in, this pickle is soooooo good it's sickle!

(i had to)



meyer lemon pickle with nigella

12 meyer lemons, preferably organic
1/2 cup sugar (i use raw)
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup cayenne powder
3 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (toasted & ground)
1 teaspoon nigella seeds (ground)
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder (toasted & ground)
juice of one large lemon (doesn't have to be meyer)
1 large 2 quart jar (cleaned with hot soapy water & dried thoroughly)

1. wipe lemons with a damp cloth and dry with a clean dry cloth. make sure to get them completely dry. this is crucial because if there is any water on the lemons it could cause mold during the pickling process.

2. slice off the little scar at end of lemons. quarter them and then slice each quarter into thirds. as you are doing this remove any pits and try to capture the juice.



3. mix together the sugar, salt, cayenne powder & turmeric. fill the jar halfway with the lemon pieces and halfway with this mixture. then one more layer of each, the jar will be very full or you may not even be able to fit all in on the first try. that's ok, push it down with a spoon and keep going. it will all sink eventually.

4. heat a small dry frying pan on the stove on medium, place the fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds and asefoetida powder in the pan and toast. you will know when it is done when the fenugreek seeds get a darker shade of gold but not brown and you will smell a wonderful aroma. this should take about 3 or 4 minutes. take out of the pan immediately and let cool. once cool grind in a spice grinder to a fine powder.

note: the nigella seeds give it the authentic taste that make this pickle so special. they are very much worth sourcing and unlike pre-ground spices they will stay fresh a long time in your larder. the asefotida is in a category by itself and even though it is ground, it's strong flavor will also last quite long. if you cannot find them near you, this is a very good mail order source.

5. add this powder to the jar and add the juice of the whole lemon on top of that. give everything another push down if need be. close the jar tightly and give it a good shake.

a traditional sun pickle, with thicker skin lemons, or limes can take up to 9 weeks to soften and 'cure'. these meyers took only 3! i think the process was quickened a bit by my intensely southern exposed kitchen here in LIC. :) but i think a month would be good just about anywhere as long as you have a good sunny windowsill, and on rainy days in winter place it a foot or so from the heater.

you will need to shake it once a day, i like to turn the jar upside down every two days or so. you may notice swelling of the jar top (if it is plastic like mine). it is fine to unscrew the lid and slowly let out some air if you notice this happening.

when it gets to 3 weeks or so, open the jar and try a piece. you want the texture of the lemon to be soft enough to chew comfortably, but do not let it pickle so much that the lemon become soft and loses it's texture. you want a bit of firmness to remain.



i like to transfer them to two smaller jars. place them in fridge where they will last a very long time -up to a year or even more. a little goes a long way. always use a clean, dry spoon to take pickle out of jar, this will help them last longer.

confession: i am addicted to indian sun pickles and in any given year you will find an array of sun pickled lemons & limes in my fridge. they are the perfect condiment to any sort of flat bread or rice, and any curry, indian, or east asian inspired dish. i am prone to eating them right out of the jar...enjoy!

and now for some other very exciting news! if you don't know about this already then you better click on this!