Preserved Lemon Polenta Recipes

AROMATIC BRAISED OXTAIL WITH PRESERVED LEMON POLENTA

Steps:

• Mix flour, chile, salt and pepper and coat oxtails well. In a hot stock pot, coat bottom with oil and sear oxtails until all sides are browned. Pull out oxtails and wipe out stock pot. Saute onions, fennel, celery, carrots, garlic, ginger and lemon grass. Deglaze with wine and reduce. Add tomatoes, soy, thyme and bay. Add water to completely cover meat. Check for seasoning: the broth should taste well seasoned. Bring to boil then simmer on low heat for 3 hours. The meat should fall off of the bone. Remove oxtails and reduce sauce by 20 percent. Using a hand blender, puree sauce. Check for seasoning. Serve on top of polenta.
• PRESERVED LEMON POLENTA: In a saucepan, saute shallots and ginger in 1 tablespoon of butter. Add polenta, lemons, stock, salt, pepper and butter. Check for seasoning. Stir well and cover tightly. Bake in 400 degree oven for 1 hour. A crust will form. Break through crust for polenta.

SHRIMP SCAMPI WITH PRESERVED LEMON AND POLENTA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring clam juice, water, and cream to a boil over medium high heat; gradually whisk in polenta.
• Reduce heat and simmer polenta until thick and tender, stirring constantly, 15 to 20 minutes (halve the time if using cornmeal).
• Stir in hot pepper sauce and season with salt and pepper; cover and keep warm (if it becomes too firm stir in warm water and stir over low heat).
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; season shrimp with salt and pepper and add to skillet.
• Sear about one minute per side, then remove to a plate (will not be cooked through).
• To the skillet, add fennel, tomatoes, shallot, preserved lemon, and garlic.
• Saute until fennel is tender, about 4 minutes.
• Add Pernod, or wine, and boil one minute; add cream boil one minute.
• Return shrimp to skillet, toss until opaque in center, about one minute.
• To serve: spoon polenta onto plates, top with shrimp and sauce.

QUICK PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Trim the ends off the lemons. Slice each lemon into 8 wedges, removing any seeds as you go. Reserve as much of the juice as possible.
• Layer the lemon wedges in a wide-mouthed 16-ounce canning jar, covering each layer with salt. Pack the jar as tightly as possible, pressing down to release the lemons' juice as you go and leaving about 1/4 inch of headspace in the jar.
• Cover the wedges with the reserved lemon juice from the cutting board and the ends. If your lemons do not release a significant amount of juice, top off the jar with the juice of another lemon.
• Stash in the refrigerator for 4 days, then flip the jar over and age another 4 days before sampling. The peel should be nice and soft. Rinse before using.

PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Soak the lemons for 2 days before preparing this recipe. Change the water twice.
• Remove the nut end of the lemon (the end that attaches the lemon to the tree). Slice a cross two-thirds of the way up the lemon. Fill with rock salt, don't be shy. Place into glass jar. Repeat this process until there are enough lemons compacted into the glass jar. Make sure there is enough room (about 1/4 of the jar) left at the top to accommodate any excess juices from the lemons. Secure tightly with the lid and place in a cool dark place for at least a month.
• Some people add 1/2 cup of fresh water to encourage the process of preservation, with the addition of olive oil to act as a sealant on top of the lemons. These last two processes are not necessary. Some people also add cinnamon sticks and cloves or black peppercorns, it entirely depends on your individual taste. Simple is best.
• The lemons will then be preserved and ready to use. They last for about 4 years.
• Remember not to use a jar with a metal lid as this will affect the preserving process and the metal may erode.

PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Toss the lemon slices in kosher salt to coat, and place them into a sterile 2 quart glass jar. Pour in the lemon juice, cover tightly, and let stand on the counter for 1 week. Turn the jar over daily. At the end of the week, top the jar off with enough olive oil to cover the lemons. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.
• To use, pull the lemon pulp from the peel, and scrape out the pith to leave only the yellow rind. Julienne, and add to your favorite dish for a lemony zing.

SHRIMP SCAMPI WITH QUICK PRESERVED LEMON AND FENNEL ON POLENTA

Steps:

• For polenta:
• Bring clam juice, 2 1/4 cups water, and cream to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer polenta until thick and tender, stirring constantly, 15 to 20 minutes. Add hot pepper sauce; season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover to keep warm (if polenta becomes firm, add 1/3 cup water and stir over low heat to loosen and rewarm).
• For scampi:
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp on 1 side with coarse salt and pepper. Add to skillet; sear 1 minute per side. Transfer shrimp to plate. Add fennel, tomatoes, shallots, preserved lemon, and garlic. Sauté until fennel is tender, about 4 minutes. Add Pernod; boil 1 minute. Add cream; boil 1 minute. Return shrimp to skillet. Toss until just opaque in center, about 1 minute.
• Spoon polenta onto plates. Top with shrimp and sauce.

LEMON POLENTA BISCUITS

Steps:

• Beat 1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoon butter, confectioners' sugar, white sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until smooth. Stir in polenta. Add flour in 2 batches, mixing until dough comes together. Stir in lemon juice.
• Turn dough out on a floured work surface; knead gently until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide into 2 pieces. Place on parchment paper; roll up into logs and wrap well.
• Refrigerate dough logs until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
• Cut logs into 3/4-inch slices. Space slices 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon lemon zest on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, about 10 minutes.