New York Shuk

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Trim 1/4 inch off the top and bottom of each lemon. Split each lemon lengthwise into quarters, keeping quarters connected at base. Transfer to a large bowl. Toss with salt and sugar. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.Israeli-born chef Einat Admony, of the Middle Eastern restaurant Balaboosta, in New York, is similarly effusive in her praise. For her, preserved lemons are, simply, “insane.” So much so that she “literally uses them in everything.”

From there, the options are manifold. In On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee suggests that a solution of 5 to 10% salt is needed to achieve a good North African–style preserved lemon. (As a reference, olives call for the same percentage.) A proper Indian pickled lemon calls for double that amount, as well as turmeric, fenugreek seeds, and chili powder. Or take a tip from Sortun, who encourages you to make a batch with fragrant, sweet Meyer lemons when they’re in season. You can also add cloves, mustard seed, or mace—just a few of the spices popularized by the British in the 19th century. Meanwhile, Admony uses a 70% salt to 30% sugar mix and adds chili and paprika, for a smoky, spicy twist, and turmeric, for color. She also lets her lemons ferment for a full three months. But if you’re in a hurry, Paula Wolfert has a five-day pickled method. Admony notes that she’s “even seen some chefs make a sous vide version in 12 hours,” which, she laughs, isn’t as good as the real thing, but certainly works in a pinch.Originally, lemons were preserved for the same reason all things are preserved—to store and eat them past their season. Mary Ellen Snodgrass, author of the Encyclopedia of Kitchen History, traces their earliest reference to an 11th-century account of Arab Mediterranean cuisine (that is, cuisine from Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco). An actual recipe surfaces in the 12th-century Egyptian treatise On Lemon, Its Drinking and Use, by the Arabic-speaking court physician Ibn Jumay. Jumay’s recipe, now some nine centuries old, is almost exactly the recipe of today. According to Toby Sonneman’s Lemon: A Global History, the recipe called for “slitting the fruit and filling the gashes with salt, then pressing them into a jar, covering with lemon juice and letting them ferment for weeks.”

What does 2 year old preserved lemon taste like?
The flavor of a preserved lemon needs no justification. It’s mellow yet intensely lemony, with none of the nose-tickling bright high notes of the fresh lemon.
Over the past thousand years, these salt-cured lemons have made a meandering journey north and west, joining the cuisines of Israel, Iran, Turkey, and India. But it wasn’t until far more recently that they began to appear in English-language cookbooks. Though there are cursory mentions in 18th-century texts, like The Experienced English Housekeeper, preserved lemons were most likely introduced to American audiences in the mid-1970s, through Paula Wolfert’s James Beard Hall of Fame cookbook, Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco, and Claudia Roden’s subsequent A Book of Middle Eastern Food.While you’re most likely to find preserved lemons in traditional preparations—Algerian couscous dishes fragrant with olives and raisins, Indian curries, Tunisian chickpea stews, and, yes, the Moroccan chicken tagine—they’re a worthy addition to a wide spectrum of meals.

The next day, the lemons will have released a lot of liquid. Transfer entire contents of bowl to a sterilized canning jar, pressing lemons down firmly until they are completely submerged in liquid. Seal jars and store in refrigerator for at least 2 weeks and up to 6 months.
Swap out regular lemons with preserved ones in your go-to recipes for roast chicken and fish or grilled meats. For an easy weeknight meal, toss pasta with some good olive oil, a little garlic, and chopped preserved lemon peel. Impress your friends at brunch by mixing a little of the zesty preserving liquid into Bloody Marys and swirling chopped peel into yogurt with a little honey. And impress them again at dinner by adding a twist on the peel in your Martini. Use preserved lemons to liven up potato or grain salads, or to enhance your salad dressing, hummus, or even, Admony suggests, guacamole. Solomonov even likes to freeze his, then grate the peel for granita. (He also adds a pro tip: Don’t toss the leftover preserving liquid. Instead, “sprinkle it on vegetables or fish before baking. It ups the ante and brings out all of its surrounding flavors.”) Or follow North African tradition and simply put a bowlful out on the dinner table—it might just become your newest favorite condiment.

Depending on your neighborhood, or how far you’re willing to travel, you can likely buy a jar of preserved lemons ready to eat. It’s just as easy, however, to make them yourself. The simplest and most delicious method calls for nothing more than lemons, salt, and patience (our own take also adds a touch of sugar for sweetness). It goes like this: Start with a handful of lemons. Cut each fruit into quarters lengthwise, without slicing through the base, and transfer them to a large bowl, tossing them with salt (and sugar, if using), before covering and refrigerating them overnight. The next day, the lemons will have released quite a bit of liquid, and you can transfer the entire contents of the bowl to a canning jar, pressing the lemons down firmly until they’re completely submerged. Seal the jar tightly and store it in a cool place for a month or longer—this is one of those things that get even better with age. The result is a lemon with a velvety peel and an intense yet mellow lemony character—whose “texture is soft and flavor is deep,” says Sortun.
Fresh lemons are a workhorse in my kitchen, finding their way into everything from ice cream and tarts, to bitters and homemade cheese, to my go-to household cleaner. In fact, I thought I’d pretty much exhausted my uses for lemons—that is, until a fall afternoon in 2006, when I met a friend for lunch at the then-new-to-me Café Mogador in New York’s East Village. She knowingly ordered us matching chicken tagines without even glancing at the menu. The dish was unlike anything I had ever tasted: intensely lemony, with a depth I couldn’t place. It was so much more than the lemon chicken it appeared to be on the plate. I later learned that its unique flavor came from preserved lemons, which added an irresistible complexity to an otherwise straightforward chicken. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Three months—or even one—may seem like quite the time investment, but being, well, preserved, the cured lemons will last in the back of your fridge for up to a year. And a little goes a very long way to adding that touch of umami and an alluring depth to your cooking.

You don’t need to become an expert at couscous or find room in your kitchen for a stoneware tagine to make use of preserved lemons. Pluck one from the jar, rinse it off, and add it to everything that calls for lemon—and everything that doesn’t. (As Paula Wolfert notes in her headnote on preserved lemons, “fresh lemons are never an adequate substitute” in recipes that call for the preserved variety, though preserved lemons are a fine—perhaps better!—substitute in recipes calling for fresh.)
And yet, despite making their way into some American pantries 40-odd years ago, they have retained their aura of exoticism in the United States. Admony laughs as she tells the story of how, when she moved to New York in 1999 to work at Tabla, she showed her Tunisian-cum-Israeli style of preserved lemons to the restaurant’s celebrated chef, Floyd Cardoz—in her estimation, a master of spices—and his kitchen staff “had no clue; they had never seen them before.”Boston chef Ana Sortun has a name for that: lemon umami. “Preserved lemons add a fermented quality that a regular lemon would not,” she says. Sortun, who first encountered preserved lemons when she worked for the Tunisian-born chef Moncef Meddeb some 22 years ago, was so taken with the condiment, and Eastern Mediterranean cooking in general, that she opened her own restaurant, Oleana, to honor the cuisine. Chef Michael Solomonov, best known for his landmark Philadelphia restaurant Zahav, agrees: “Sometimes it just doesn’t cut it to squeeze a lemon on top of a dish, and that’s when preserved lemons come into play. They add a big punch of flavor: heavy citrus, heavy floral notes from the oils in the peel, and ultimately heavy umami. It’s that extra something in the background of a dish that piques your curiosity.”

What is the most used spice in Russia?
Black peppercorns, one of the most common ingredients in Russian food, first arrived to the country from India. According to linguists, the Russian word пряность (spice), comes from the word перистый (feathery), a reference to the taste of black pepper.
New York Shuk’s Signature Harissa adds depth, richness and subtle pepper-filled heat to a variety of dishes. Add this American-made harissa to hearty stews and braises. We particularly love it with chicken or lamb. Or, stir a tablespoon or two into a tomato base for Shakshuka (eggs poached in a tomato and pepper sauce).Their harissa is a medium-spicy combination of dried chiles that are rehydrated and blended with lemon juice, garlic and non-GMO sunflower oil, coriander, cumin and salt.

A spoonful of harissa brings a little fire and a lot of flavor to dressing, marinades and dips, too. Mix a couple teaspoons of harissa with extra virgin olive oil, lemon and salt and drizzle over a plate of peak season Cara Cara oranges, dry-cured olives and torn mint leaves. Or, toss the same mixture with potatoes and roast until tender and caramelized. Looking for a dip? Try substituting two tablespoons of New York Shuk’s harissa for the pepper composta in our recipe for Smoky Eggplant & Pepper Spread.
Shuk means “market” in Hebrew. For Ron and Leetal Arazi, chefs and founders of New York Shuk, the bustling outdoor Israeli markets represent the intersection between culture and community, two values they wish to share through their products. Based in Brooklyn, New York, the husband-and-wife team draw culinary inspiration from their combined Jewish, Moroccan, Lebanese, Turkish and Eastern European heritages to create vibrant pantry staples to enhance everyday cooking.

Harissa—a chile condiment popular in North Africa and the Mediterranean, including Turkey, Israel and Lebanon—varies from region to region, as well as from household to household. New York Shuk’s Signature Harissa is based on co-founder, Ron Aranzi, grandmother’s recipe and draws influence from his family’s Moroccan and Lebanese roots.
The Feedfeed was founded to encourage recipe sharing amongst home cooks on social media. It has grown into one of the world’s largest crowdsourced forums for curated food and drink inspiration. At The Feedfeed Shop, sharing remains our mission. The shop provides access to rare hero ingredients and heirloom-worthy tabletop pieces straight from the makers and producers that are the bedrock of our community. Each product has been lovingly selected for its ability to elevate everyday moments.We value your privacy! Email addresses, notes, and other content shared by visitors to this website will not be sold, shared, or rented at any moment to any third party. We are committed to protecting and securely managing all of the personal information that you choose to share with us. All submitted content will become property of New York Shuk LLC and may be used for internal marketing and research purposes such as:Order history, status, tracking, inform you of new products, services, analyzing trends and statistics. Those who submit and opt in to our email distribution list may unsubscribe at any time.We’ve got plenty of secrets but we’re willing to share. Get full pantry access to our latest recipes and always be the first to know about upcoming classes and member-exclusive offers.

Is Zara owned by?
Zara is one of the biggest international fashion companies, and it belongs to Inditex, one of the world’s largest distribution groups.
Inspired by the bold flavors of shawarma—meat cooked on a rotating spit—this spice mix invokes the enticing aromas of the classic Middle Eastern street food. A piquant blend of coriander seeds, cumin, paprika, turmeric, garlic and salt, New York Shuk’s Shawarma seasoning serves as a short cut to elevating roasted vegetables, grilled meat and more.

You have items in your order that need to be refrigerated during delivery. In order to ensure that these products remain fresh, we must ship them to you as quickly as possible. Make sure to refrigerate or freeze immediately upon arrival. All refrigerated items must be shipped via FedEx 2 day shipping, and will only ship out Monday-Wednesday each week. If you order after 12pm est on Wednesday, your order will ship the following week. If you would like to avoid this extra shipping and refrigeration charge, please remove the refrigerated items from your cart.× Remove Refrigerated ItemsCelebrities who have appeared in advertisements for New York & Company include Eva Longoria, Brooke Shields, Iman, Cindy Crawford, Jennifer Hudson, Maria Menounos, Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, Eva Mendes and Gabrielle Union and Kate Hudson.

New York & Company, Inc. (NY&C) is an American workwear retailer for women. New York & Company apparel and accessories are sold through a nationwide network of retail stores, and through its e-commerce site.
By the 18 century, dill had already arrived to Russia and begun its slow, silent invasion into local cookery. Today it remains a key ingredient for many soups, salads, marinades and other dishes.Black peppercorns, one of the most common ingredients in Russian food, first arrived to the country from India. According to linguists, the Russian word пряность (spice), comes from the word перистый (feathery), a reference to the taste of black pepper.

Broths and sauces are widespread in Russia. Sauces generally take the form of a vegetable-based gravy made from onions, cabbage, lingonberries or cranberries and are served to complement beef and fowl. Zabelka is a cream-based gravy used in both hot and cold soups.
In addition to traditional spices, Russians now enjoy flavoring foods with imported items such as ginger, coriander, cinnamon, saffron, calamus, cumin and cloves.When speaking of spices grown in Russia, a famous Russian spicy mustard called Saratepa cannot be overlooked. According to legend, after Catherine the Great treated the governor of Astrakhan to English mustard, he promised the queen that he could grow an even better local version. The governor proceeded to cross the English and French varieties to create the Sarepta mustard. Local mustards are used almost exclusively for cold appetizers and sausages, and many Russians still recall the infamous Soviet “sausage restaurants” where the crowning dish was a sausage smothered in mustard and squash caviar. Russian fare is enjoyed the world over, for while most dishes are prepared with basic and minimal ingredients, the palette of tastes is surprisingly diverse. Traditionally cooked in the oven, Russian foods are infused with special flavor through herbs and spices which have been used in local cuisine since ancient times. One of the most traditional Russian condiments and spices is juniper, namely juniper berries, which are used to prepare sauerkraut or added to salted fish and wildfowl dishes for extra seasoning. Another commonly-used relish is horseradish, which has maintained its place of honor as the main condiment at the dinner table for years. Horseradish is also added to sour cream to be served alongside fish and meat dishes and is believed by some to stave off cold and flu symptoms.Russian condiments and spices are an amazing combination of smells and tastes which add zest to local dishes. Black peppercorn, mustard, dill, juniper, broths and sauces all serve to augment the foods which comprise local cuisine.

Who owns NY Shuk?
Leetal Arazi – Co-Founder – New York Shuk | LinkedIn.
By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.In one of the oldest districts in Tel Aviv, adjacent to the Carmel Market, Nahalat Binyamin Street has a wonderful now-not-so-well-known secret, which makes itself known twice a week. Every Tuesday and Friday, the Arts and Crafts Fair brings around 220 creatives and makers together to sell their works. Each artist has a regular stall, so if you like the look of a piece of art, but don’t want to buy it just yet, you can always come back to the same spot the following week – although be careful, it may have already been snagged by another member of Tel Aviv’s art-hungry community. Each work of art is authentic and original, creating an extra-special atmosphere as you stroll through a sea of interesting people and wares. From stunning glass dinnerware, mezuzot, and ceramics to one-of-a-kind photography, jewelry, scarves, and wraps, this is the ultimate place to truly experience artisanal Israeli works – and check off gifts for friends and family back home.An intoxicating fusion of colors, scents and sounds, Mahane Yehuda is Jerusalem’s biggest and oldest market. The stalls here sell everything from fresh produce to clothing and in recent years, Mahane Yehuda has also become a yuppie hub with designer boutiques and top chef restaurants.

One advantage of Israel’s sunny skies nine months of the year is the plethora of outdoor shopping and specialty markets vending everything from local souvenirs to Middle Eastern antiques, foodie delicacies, and handmade goods by local craftsmen. The Israeli market (or ‘shuk’) is a fabulous way to spend your day, among other top attractions you’d be mad to miss. From the Carmel market to Mahane Yehuda, we’ve mapped out a host of places to shop ’til you drop…with the sun on your back.

Poor quality bric-a-brac lies alongside vintage treasures and antique furniture in Jaffa’s flea market. Of all the places to work your haggling skills, this is it. Even just wandering among the clothes stalls, traipsing around secondhand stores or grabbing some authentic street food is enough to make for a blissful day.
Talpiot Market is housed in the historic Hadar HaCarmel building, built in the late 1930s. The fruit and vegetable market offers the best of Israeli produce, and is a pleasing experience for all of the senses. Here you can find farm-to-table produce, spices, fresh baked goods, and much more, all at a fair price. It has a long tradition of serving new immigrants, the city’s large religious community, as well as residents of more established neighborhoods. At Haifa’s main shuk you can also grab a great falafel or other local cuisine in a city famed for its coexistence.This dinner is part of our Neighborhood pop up series, where we will hold food events to celebrate community and the special connection which occurs when people, strangers and friends alike, bond over food. We hope to share food and conversation with you soon.

What are the spices in the shuk?
A piquant blend of coriander seeds, cumin, paprika, turmeric, garlic and salt, New York Shuk’s Shawarma seasoning serves as a short cut to elevating roasted vegetables, grilled meat and more. Ingredients: coriander seeds, cumin, paprika, turmeric, garlic, spices, sunflower oil & salt.
Spiced is a family style multi-course gathering for up to 20 people and is completely vegetarian. The ticket price includes all food plus wine/non-alcoholic beverages.

What is sold at the shuk?
Running the length of Levinsky Street in South Tel Aviv, Shuk Levinsky has a massive range of products, from dried fruit to soaps, spices and nuts. The Levinsky Market is filled with cuisine from cultures all around the world and has ingredients that provide the perfect addition to just about any meal.
Spiced is the long awaited collaboration between friends New York Shuk and Arthur Street Kitchen. Join us as we celebrate the flavor-filled world of cooking with spices, from New York Shuk’s signature and inventive use of harissa and middle eastern spices, to Arthur Street Kitchen’s bold approach to well-seasoned, big flavored salads. On the plate, you will savor a multi-dimensional approach to spice, without the fire, but brimming with flavor. We will be serving a variety of spiced salads and vegetable dishes, along with New York Shuk’s unrivaled handrolled couscous (hint: it’s like no couscous you’ve ever tasted before!).

Our artisan made Harissa is handcrafted in small batches using the best sourced sun dried chili peppers. Spread it onto sandwiches and burgers, seasoning paste for grilled meats, poultry and fish or stir it into your favorite soups, stew and sauces.
Spice vendors across North Africa each have their own secret recipe for this blend, which means “head of the shop” and combines all of their best spices in one place. The rich, warming flavors of Ras El Hanout are ever-present in the kitchens of Morocco, and now, you can welcome them into your home too.We’ve detected that JavaScript is disabled in this browser. Please enable JavaScript or switch to a supported browser to continue using twitter.com. You can see a list of supported browsers in our Help Center.

Who owns New York and Company clothing store?
NY&C history 2016 – CEO Gregory Scott and his company are featured in an episode of Undercover Boss.
Subscribe to C’est Si Bon – our premium monthly subscription box curated with full-size products and local artisanal goods. The perfect gift. It is SO GOOD!Meet New York Shuk. Inspired by their mother’s recipe after their family immigrated from Morocco to Israel. Choose from Premium Harissa Paste and Harissa with Preserved Lemon.

To assemble the salad, use the back of a spoon to smooth the cold saffron yogurt across a platter, creating slightly raised edges around the perimeter. Top with the roasted eggplant mixture. Spoon the harissa tomatoes over and serve.Partially peel the eggplants by removing a 1-inch-wide strip of skin lengthwise, alternating with a 1-inch strip of skin on, creating long, zebra-like stripes. Cut the eggplants into 1-inch dice.Make the saffron yogurt: At least 12 hours before you plan to serve the dish, crumble the saffron threads into a medium bowl. Add the hot water and let sit until cool, about 5 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and salt until combined. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. The yogurt mixture will turn a saturated shade of yellow and become infused with the flavor of saffron.

Storage: If not eating right away, refrigerate the components separately in covered containers. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before assembling to take off the chill.
Cut the tomatoes in half across the equator and, if you desire, use your fingers to scoop out the seeds. Dice the tomatoes into 1/4-inch cubes. Transfer to a small bowl, add the harissa, olive oil and salt, and stir to combine.In the same large bowl used for the eggplant, combine the parsley, scallions, the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil, the lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Add the eggplant and stir to combine.

How long does preserved lemon paste last?
2 weeks Transfer the preserved lemon paste (at room temperature) and pack well in an airtight jar with a secure lid. If not using immediately, pack to the bottom of the jar and pour a thin layer of olive oil over the top. Cover and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
When choosing eggplants, look for those that have tight, shiny skin. To save time, prep the eggplants and slip them in the oven before chopping the other vegetables and making the dressing and tomatoes.This dish, which in Israeli culinary tradition is a salad as much as a side, was born out of a dinner that cookbook author Homa Dashtaki co-hosted with Ron and Leetal Azari, an Israeli couple who own a harissa company called New York Shuk. The dinner was for the Jewish holiday Shavuot, which often features dairy dishes. The dish has three parts: an overnight-infused saffron yogurt, roasted eggplant and harissa tomatoes.

In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Spread in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet and roast, tossing halfway through, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet. (Reserve the bowl for later use, no need to rinse.)

Using a paring knife, score an X just through the skin on the bottom of each tomato. Carefully lower the tomatoes into the boiling water and blanch just until the skin around the X begins to curl back, 20 to 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to the prepared ice bath. Once cool enough to handle, peel each tomato starting with the X; the skin should come off easily. For a hint of zest across a variety of recipes ranging from sweet to savory (and cocktails, too!), consider a batch of this quick and easy gluten-free citrus condiment made of fresh lemons and salt. New York Shuk NYSHUK is an artisanal food company focusing on Sephardic and Middle Eastern cuisines. As two Israeli-natives, living and cooking in New York City, their mission is to elevate and share the vibrant traditional foods that they grew up eating. Their sunny Preserved Lemon Paste, piquant Harissa, and herby, fragrant Za’atar are here to elevate your everyday cooking and build big flavors with ease.*Image is representative of presentation. All baskets are wrapped in clear wrap, secured with ribbon and your personal note to the recipient. If selected for nationwide shipping, this basket will be shipped in a gift box. *Image is representative of presentation. All baskets are wrapped in clear wrap, secured with ribbon and your personal note to the recipient. If selected for nationwide shipping, this basket will be shipped in a gift box.\u00a0 This New York Shuk gift celebrates these handcrafted Middle Eastern pantry staples – NY Shuk is on a mission to keep their culinary heritage alive through their products. Their regular preserved lemon is a modern kitchen essential that adds rich umami and citrus flavors to everyday cooking, with the harissa version bringing a touch of heat. Their signature spice blends have equally as versatile uses. Gift includes three unique NY Shuk condiments and 2 signature spice blends with a fresh lemon!

These days, of course, you can get adorable young lemons pretty much any time you want. (You can even get organic ones by the bag.) They’re firm, fresh and tart, and sometimes there really is nothing you want more. But give me my old lemons, mild and mellowed, a little soft and salty, making everything around them seem a little sweeter. They’re not the only ones, I hope, that grow more tender as they age.On the other hand, they keep practically forever. So if you can just make up your mind one afternoon to spend the 15 minutes it takes to cut, salt and jar them, afterward you can pretty much forget about them for as long as you like, or until you happen to think about Mediterranean citruses again.This is the absolute best-known way to eat preserved lemon, and for good reason. I have two-dozen recipes for chicken with preserved lemon and olives on my shelves, but Claudia Roden’s recipe from Arabesque (Knopf, 2005) is my choice for its sheer clarity and sure-footedness.I had my doubts at first about this recipe, which you can find in Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty (Chronicle, 2010), under the name “Ultimate Winter Couscous.” Could any such medley of starchy roots, I wondered, be made to sing? Well, sing they did, and so decisively that I hoarded the leftovers for lunch. I should also note that the day I made it, the refrigerator shelves were at high tide and I couldn’t find my harissa. Instead, I used a Turkish red pepper paste, and it was smashing.

If the lemon peel is thin, simply mince it as finely as you can. If it’s thick, divide the lemon peel quarter lengthwise and set each half peel-side down on the cutting board. Steadying the peel by flattening it with the tips of your fingertips, carefully make a lateral slice between the pith and peel and work your way across until you’ve removed a layer of soft pith. Repeat with the other half, and then you can mince the peels with ease.
The only real problem is that they might be taking up valuable real estate in the fridge, where someone not in the know might mistake them for a project gone wrong and toss them. If this is a habit among members of your family, I recommend that you train them out of it. (“Whoever throws something out has to taste it first” is an extremely effective rule.)

About 15 minutes before the vegetables are ready, put the couscous in a large heatproof bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the saffron and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour the boiling stock over the couscous. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave for about 10 minutes. Then add the butter and fluff up the couscous with a fork until the butter melts in. Cover again and leave somewhere warm.On many occasions in my longtime relationship with cookbooks, I have had this experience (which will sound familiar, if you like Middle Eastern flavors as much as I do). I’m happily paging through my new Moroccan or Lebanese or Israeli book, lost in dreams of lamb and sumac, saffron and figs. “Mmmm,” I murmur over a glossy page, “that looks delicious.”

I discovered the original of this one, unexpectedly, in the pages of Hot and Hot Fish Club, a Southern cookbook published by Perseus in 2009. I can’t think of a more perfect way to use it than drizzled thickly over a batch of crisp roast potatoes.

Put in the chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper, and pour in about 1 cup water. Simmer, covered, turning the pieces over a few times and adding a little more water if it becomes too dry. Lift out the breasts after about 15 minutes and put them to one side. Continue to cook the remaining pieces for another 25 minutes or so, after which time return the breasts to the pan.
Wash and scrub the lemons. The classic Moroccan way is to cut each lemon in quarters but not right through, so that the pieces are still attached at the stem end, and to stuff each with a tablespoon of salt and squeeze it closed. Put them in a sterilized preserving jar, pressing them down so that they are squashed together, and close the jar.Stir into the sauce the lemon juice, the chopped coriander and parsley, the preserved lemon peel cut into quarters or strips, and the olives. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, until the reduced sauce is thick and unctuous. If there is too much liquid, lift out the chicken pieces and set aside while you reduce the sauce further, then return the chicken to the pan and heat through.

You can find a recipe for preserved lemons just about anywhere, they’re that easy. Here’s an adaptation of one from Claudia Roden’s Arabesque (Knopf, 2005). I used kosher salt, and I can’t see that it did any harm.
Get recipes for Preserved Lemons, Chicken With Preserved Lemon And Green Olives, Root Vegetable Couscous With Preserved Lemon and Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette.Close the jar and leave in a cool place for at least a month. The longer they are left, the better the flavor. (If a piece of lemon is not covered, it develops a white mold that is harmless and just needs to be washed off.)

Can preserved lemon go bad?
Three months—or even one—may seem like quite the time investment, but being, well, preserved, the cured lemons will last in the back of your fridge for up to a year.
The flavor of a preserved lemon needs no justification. It’s mellow yet intensely lemony, with none of the nose-tickling bright high notes of the fresh lemon.Place the carrots, parsnips and shallots in a large ovenproof dish. Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay leaves, 4 tablespoons of the oil, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and all the other spices and mix well. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.Once you’ve stashed away your very own golden hoard, you’re set. You can pair your preserved lemons with olives (is there any other cuisine which makes such magic with old, salty fruits?) in the traditional, braised fashion. You can dress them up with lashings of butter in potatoes or risottos or couscous. They stand up to garlic, and they cooperate with cilantro. They nicely balance sweet flavors, such as dried apricots or honey.