Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Fregola Salad

I have never had preserved lemons before, but somehow I had this overwhelming urge to make them with some meyer lemons.  And then they sat in my fridge.  For a year before I finally decided to even taste them!

What I discovered is that it tasted...  like a meyer lemon.  Ha.  I guess I expected it to taste a little more pickled, but it was quite mellow.  Maybe it's just my batch?  Either way, I'm looking forward to using the rest of them :)



Fregola w/Butternut Squash & Preserved Lemon
adapted from Dave Lebovitz
Serves 2 as a side

1c diced butternut squash
1/4 onion, peeled and minced
1/2c fregola
1/2 preserved meyer lemon
1T golden raisins
1T dried tart cherries
1/8t ground cinnamon
1/4c chopped flat-leaf parsley
2T chopped pistachios (or pine nuts), toasted (optional)

Preheat oven to 400deg.

Toss butternut squash with a drizzle of olive oil and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper.  Bake for ~20min, until tender.

While the butternut squash is roasting, bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add fregola and stir.  Cook until tender, but still firm to the bite, ~10-12min.  Drain and place in a medium bowl.

Heat a small pan over medium low heat.  Add onions and cook until transluscent, 3-5min.  Transfer to bowl with fregola.

When the butternut squash is done cooking, add 1/2c roasted butternut squash to bowl with fregola and onions.  (If there's any extra, go ahead and eat it!)

Remove flesh from the preserved lemon and rinse with water.  Mince the lemon rind and dried cherries, then add them both to the bowl.  Add raisins, cinnamon and parsley, then mix well to combine.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Top with nuts, if desired.


Have you ever tried preserved lemons??

13 comments:

Delicious Dishings said...

I love fregola and am always looking for new ways to use it. This sounds tasty! I'm not sure whetehr I've had preserved lemons.

Natalie said...

I've never heard of fregola
! But you know I love anything with bnut squash!

Colleen @ Culinary Colleen said...

I've been intrigued by preserved lemons ever since I found out you can eat the whole thing, rind and all. Looks great in this!

vanillasugarblog said...

I almost fell over when I saw the prices of meyer lemons at whole foods!!!!

Kristen said...

i love that you preserved them for a year, that's dedication!

Joanne said...

Now I'm SERIOUSLY wondering what was up with the batch I tasted! Maybe it's the difference between meyers and regular lemons. Hmm.

Ranjani said...

I made preserved lemons a while ago with regular lemons, and they definitely tasted pickled. I loved them (as I love anything pickled). Maybe it is just the recipe?

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

Whether preserved or not, Meyer lemons are great! I don't think I've had a really sour preserved lemon either...

Nutmeg Nanny said...

This looks great! I need a big bowl!

Sacha said...

I love what preserved lemon adds to dishes but am ashamed to say, I've only ever used them store-bought, though I know how to make them. That's pure laziness right there ;). This salad looks great!

Hannah said...

I've never cooked with preserved lemons -or- fregola before! This dish is seasoned with curiosity for me. With your cooking prowess, I'm confident it would be a delicious introduction to both.

Amy (Savory Moments) said...

I've never had/made preserved lemons either but I'm very interested in doing so. This dish looks really yummy!

Kerstin said...

I wish I had this for lunch tomorrow - looks so tasty!

I don't think I've ever tried preserved lemons before - very cool!

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