Moroccan-Style Preserved Lemons (Page 908)

• Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 -- 8:30pm
• Location: Somerville, MA
• Kitchen: Matty's Apartment
• Fellow Chef: Mike
  
• Dining Companions: Matty, Ronen, Ana, and Craig
• Recipe Rating: B

I chose this recipe because the "Relishes, Chutneys, Pickles, and Preserves" section was the one that was the most behind. I actually made these lemons a long time ago, but somehow I forgot to blog about them. We had these lemons a few weeks back in a dish with Israeli couscous. It's a bit hard to grade just the lemons. I think they did add to the dish, but I certainly wouldn't want to eat them alone. They had an extremely pungent flavor of lemon and salt. Some people really liked them while others thought they were foul. I thought they provided a nice burst of lemon flavor. I am curious to try them in a few more dishes...

I had brunch this Saturday at Neighborhood Restaurant, which is a completely charming little Portuguese restaurant in Union Square. I have only ever eaten brunch there, but I highly recommend it. The food is cheap and excellent -- one meal is always more than enough for two people.

Being cheap and delicious, it was also busy when we got there on Saturday. The waiting area is in the basement in the pantry. We probably waited for 15 minutes, during which time I wandered through their dry storage, checking out the various canned goods, fresh fruits, restaurant supplies, etc... Occasionally someone from the kitchen would rush in, disappear in to one of the walk-ins for a few seconds, and rush off again, with armloads of food. Being down there, surrounded by all that food and bustle, made me ache to cook in an industrial kitchen.

I never doubt my decision to go in to math. I love my job and that's a huge blessing. Part of me will always long for the kitchen though...

Today is Chris' birthday. Happy Birthday!!!