[capozzoli]

yep, they should have that lemmony pledge smell.  

But man they make sauces taste great.

There are some rules being broken with cooking these lemons. Ordinarily you would never want to cook the white part of the lemon rind. When zesting only grate off the yellow part and stay above the white. It will leave off flavors, astringent, and tannin. ;
But with preserved lemons it is not the case, for some reason these off flavors are dispersed when the lemons ferment.

Cook the whole lemon, rind and all, the rind will have the most flavor.

Also meant to say add some water or broth to that above Chicken Tangine recipe. It will be a little thick. It should be slightly thick but still a little brothy. It will get thicker as it cooks and some of the liquid evaporates.

Nic, I think I remember reading that myer lemons are ideal.

[tubercle]

Hey tubercle are you sure the lemons are ready? Im not sure cause I have never done it. But I heard it takes a looonnnggg time.

 Lemons have been pickling for 9 months.

Think they are ready now?

[euge]

Might try my hand at this pickled lemon deal.

[punatic]

Might try my hand at this pickled lemon deal.

Didn't Led Zeppelin do a song about that?

[1vertical]

Might try my hand at this pickled lemon deal.

Didn't Led Zeppelin do a song about that?

Yeah, Then they did it again just to be sure...."Travelin Riverside Blues"

[capozzoli]

Im sure they are ready now.

Do they smell absolutely awful? Like something you would clean your floor with? Thats a pretty good indication of their readiness.

Now you have to make the Moroccan tangine of chicken preserved lemons, green olives. Can you get your hands on some good cured green olives?  

Did I post that recipe in here?

Post pics!

[1vertical]

You ever get your Tandoor Oven happening?

[bluesman]

Im sure they are ready now.

Do they smell absolutely awful? Like something you would clean your floor with? Thats a pretty good indication of their readiness.

Now you have to make the Moroccan tangine of chicken preserved lemons, green olives. Can you get your hands on some good cured green olives?  

Did I post that recipe in here?

Post pics!

Olives are something I'd like to try someday...have you ever tried your hand at curing olives?

[capozzoli]

Never cured olives.I would love to. I think it is pretty simple but finding the fresh olives is tough.

No Tandoor yet. I have the old cement mixer cut up and Im looking for a big truck break drum to serve as a base. But havent done much to it. I was on a couple of pizza/hearth cooking sites and the experts there recommend "raku" clay. Just have to find some and get busy.

Coarse I have another giant grill in line before that, a six by eight foot "festival" grill Im making for a charity. That is sitting in a pile of parts waiting. Then there is my smoker prototypes. Wait till you guys see those. I will surely post them. Just have a few more details (hard ones) to work out before I debut what is sure to be the best BBQ/smoker rig in the world....THE WORLD!

[euge]

Olives grow down here. Gonna plant a tree. There's an olive farm about an hour away towards Mexico. Might see if I can get some from them and try my hand at curing the olives. I do have the lye...

[bluesman]

Olives grow down here. Gonna plant a tree. There's an olive farm about an hour away towards Mexico. Might see if I can get some from them and try my hand at curing the olives. I do have the lye...

Keep us posted. I love Greek Kalamata Olives.

http://www.olives101.com/2006/11/13/curing-kalamata-olives/

and they even have a forum...

http://www.olives101.com/forum/

[tubercle]

I planted one of these this spring

 http://www.willisorchards.com/product/Manzanilla+Olive+Tree?category=271

 It was about 12 inches tall and a pencil width but it has been putting out new growth very well.

 I read up on them and basically no fertilizer or mulch, just plant them in the soil and poor soil is really better. Plus they are draught hardy. The cruel red clay of upstate SC should be ideal then.

[nicneufeld]

Last night I made my third attempt at tamales and I think I've got a winner.  Masa, spices, water, and...wait for it...rendered bacon lard.  Stuffed with leftover chicken taco meat (various peppers, onions, and grilled chicken), steamed for an hour and a half, and served with a red sauce, cheese, and olives.  Ay carumba!

The smell of corn masa and bacon fat steaming together is relatively intoxicating, especially with the windows open last night because of the unseasonably cool weather.  It may be a newish dish to me as a cook but it definitely is comfort food!

[euge]

I think leftovers make a great tamale filling. Are you making big Bobby Flay style tamales or more conventional sized ones?

[nicneufeld]

Smallish ones...have to fit in my modest sized steamer.  Only problem about making them in a small steamer pot is that by lunchtime the next day, they are gone, in my house!   

Ah well, such a delightful combination of carbs and fat should probably not be eaten to excess anyway!!