Preserved lemons (l'hamd marked)

Step 1: Sterilise a 1-litre glass jar and its lid: wash in hot soapy water, rinse, then dry in a 250°F oven for 15 minutes (or run through a hot dishwasher cycle). Let it cool.

Step 2: Trim the stalk end off each of 8 unwaxed lemons. Stand a lemon on its base and cut down into quarters, stopping about 1 cm from the bottom so the pieces stay joined.

Step 3: Gently open each lemon and pack about 2 teaspoons of 3 ½ oz coarse sea salt into the cuts. Close it up again.

Step 4: Scatter a spoonful of salt in the jar, then push the lemons in one at a time, pressing hard so they release juice. Tuck 2 bay leaves and ½ tsp black peppercorns between them and sprinkle the rest of the salt over each layer.

Step 5: Pour in ¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice until the lemons are completely covered, leaving 1 cm of space at the top. Any lemon sticking out of the juice can grow mould, which is the classic mistake; weigh them down with a small clean glass or a zip bag filled with water if needed.

Step 6: Close the jar and leave it in a cool, dark place for 3–4 weeks. Turn it upside down once a day for the first week to spread the salt, and press the lemons back under the juice. They are ready when the rind is soft and slightly translucent.

Step 7: To use, take out a piece with a clean spoon, rinse it, scrape away the pulp if you like and chop the rind. Once opened, keep the jar in the fridge and use within 6 months; discard it if you see fuzzy mould or it smells off.