Leggi questo post in: Italiano
I’ve been experimenting with the radiators and food processors in my kitchen again these days.
Yes, because once again, it’s lemon season in southern Italy.
This means that I’ve been making my beloved salt-preserved lemons again.
We love using these salty, tangy lemon peels on pretty much everything.
In the past, I’ve always reused the extra salt left over after we’d finished all the lemons in a jar to salt the water we cook pasta and rice in. But at one point it occurred to me that it was a shame to waste the amazing lemon scent absorbed by the salt.
So last summer I did a little experiment. I spread the extra salt on a baking sheet and put it out in the sun on my balcony. The metal baking sheet heated up in the strong southern sun and the salt dried out after about one week. Every morning I’d scrape the salt off of the baking sheet and mix it up so that it would dry more homogeneously, and put it out in the sun.
It’s pretty much the same thing I did for my sun-dried citrus peels, but it took longer for the salt grains to dry out because they were totally soaked with juice, plus there were little bits of lemon pulp mixed in. But it worked, and that’s all that matters.
Now that it’s winter, I’ve been drying the extra salt in a container on top of the hot kitchen radiator, my tried and true method of drying citrus peels and preparing ingredients for my beloved flavored salts. It usually takes longer this way than in the hot summer sun.
My husband did my a “favor” one day when I wasn’t home by putting one tray of damp lemon salt in the hot oven after he removed something that he’d baked. The result was burnt, brown salt with zero lemon scent left. So don’t do that.
Once the salt is totally dry, use a small food blender or coffee grinder to pulverize the salt grains. And smell it. And smell it again. Because it smells really good. But it tastes even better!
Put your lemon salt in jars or, my favorite, reused spice jars with shakers, and put a bit in your plate whenever you need salt, but also want a slight zing to it. Salad, pasta, fish, you name it!
I’ve been doing a lot of radiator drying experiments, and have some new flavored salt and other powder recipes coming up for you. In the meantime, why not try my lemon-rosemary garlic salt? I’ve also started substituting dried sage for rosemary, and nearly everyone loves it even more that way!
Question of the day: How do/would you use flavored salts?
I use garlic salt and lemon-rosemary garlic salt on nearly everything. My husband and I are both kind of obsessed because they add that extra bit of flavor that plain salt just doesn’t have. We use these salts on salad, eggs, fish, pasta, rice… you name it!
Yummmm! Flavored salts transform otherwise dull foods into fabulous meals. My favorite is the lemon rosemary salt – so good on fish and salads. Mmm.
And you’ll be getting more salt this year, too, my dear Linda!
Since I don’t have a radiator, could this be done in a toast oven or microwave?
Sure, Rosemary, it can in an oven, but make sure that the heat is very low to avoid scorching the salt (which is what my husband accidentally did to one of my batches). I honestly don’t know about a microwave, because I don’t have one and I’m not sure if you can use one to dry things out. If you try it, be sure to let me know how it goes so that I can update the post! 🙂
You’ve just reminded me that I need to make some more of this. I’ve soaked some in honey, but I think salt preserved ones are still the best.
Really, Agy? Lemons soaked in honey to eat as is, or to preserve them? I’d never heard of that, so I’d love to hear more!
Thanks, I have all this left over lemon salt and still have a few weeks of summer to dry it out and give it a go.
Cheers,
Helene
Excellent, Helene! Definitely do give it a go! When I don’t have time (or desire) to dry it out, I actually just use it in the water for cooking pasta, so if you get lazy, that is another way to use it! 🙂