Pickled Lemons

Now I know the concept of pickled lemons may not sound that appetizing. Indeed the thought of getting a double hit of sharpness with both the lemons and vinegar may even make you smack your lips together in horror... But trust me, these lovely yellow beauties are not sharp, nor are they acidic - they have a warm mellow lemonness that imparts a sublimely subtle flavour to a number of different dishes. They work beautifully in their home-context of North African food - add them to a lamb or chicken tagine or chop them up to add to a tabbouleh. But you can also push one into the derriere of a chicken ready to be roasted. Or put them in whole fish that you're roasting too. Some people only use the skin, but the flesh is good too.

You can pickle your own lemons if you are so inclined, just make sure they are the unwaxed variety, or you can visit belazu.com and try theirs instead. While you're there, I definitely recommend their fantastic rose petal harissa paste and their barley couscous.