preserved lemons

 Today the rain started.

I think it may now officially be winter here in San Sebastián. My feet are cold, my boots are wet, and it's dark until 8:30 am.

This is the unglamorous side of this picturesque, edible town.

Meanwhile, I'm reaping the benefits of my mad return to my humble Gros kitchen this fall. I preserved guindillas, tomato, and fruits...made ricotta and basil-watermelon shrub (coming soon!). I also made this lovely lemons. After a month in the fridge, they are ready to scrape clean, dice and throw in ANYTHING. From couscous to cócteles, there are few things that aren't better with a little preserved lemon. This particular recipe has a nice eastern touch.

Make. Trust.

preserved spiced lemons

• 10 lemons
• 1/2 cup coarse salt
• cinnamon stick
• 5 cardamom pods
• 2 chiles de arbol
• 2 bay leaves

 
Cut off the little rounded bit at the stem end if there’s a hard little piece of the stem attached. Cut an X shape starting at the end of the lemon.
Pack coarse salt into the lemon where you made the incisions. Use a large spoonful for each lemon...don't be shy. Put the saltedlemons in a large glass jar with a lid. Add cardamom, a bay leaf, a dried chili, and a cinnamon stick.
Press the lemons very firmly in the jar to get the juices flowing. Cover and let stand overnight.
The next day do the same, pressing the lemons down, encouraging them to release more juice as they start to soften. Repeat for a 2-3 days until the lemons are completely covered with liquid. If your lemons aren’t juicy enough, add some fresh squeezed lemon juice.
When the preserved lemons are soft, they’re ready to use (about a month). Store the lemons in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep for at least 6 months. To use, rinse before using to remove excess salt, split, and scrape out the pulp. Slice or dice. You can also use the juice of the pulp.

If I remember correctly, this recipe is a takeoff on the one here.

bagels

There's plenty of things from America to miss here, even if they are the kinds of things that make you blush a bit to admit. I wouldn't change the coffee or cafe culture here for anything in the world, but sometimes I want a frozen coffee to carry around and sip in the street, you know? America's got some things right.

Take the bagel. I'm not a passionate bagel lover, but it is a special bread. No croissant, no baguette, no roll can really have the same effect, the same mouthfeel. So in cases like this, you have to take matters into your own hands.

I've made baguettes, croissants, and the like, but never tried a homemade bagel. Turns out they're pretty much as easy as it gets. Stir, knead, form (which can be tricky at first, but gets easier). Then comes the step that makes a bagel a bagel: boil for a couple of minutes in water.

Then off into the oven, where the signature outer crust is formed. Then it's just 20 minutes to perfect bagels. And fortunately cream cheese does exist here. And working on getting some Belle Chevre breakfast cheese across the pond.

homemade bagels

• 4 cups of bread flour
• 1 pkg of instant yeast
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup warm water

Mix all ingredients. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about ten minutes. Let it rest for 10-20 minutes. Break off a piece of dough (about 1/6 of the dough for full-size bagels) and roll it like a snake on the counter. Loop it around your hand and pinch the dough together, giving it a quick roll on the counter to fully unite the two ends. Set it aside and repeat with the remaining dough. Allow the dough bagels to rest for 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water to a boil and your oven to 425. When your dough is ready, boil for one minute, flip and boil for one more minute. Remove bagels and allow them to air dry for a minute. Then place them on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake 10 more minutes.