Clementines preserved in salt

There are unusual recipes which, because of their very peculiarity, once tasted and appreciated impose themselves on us perhaps more than they would otherwise, especially in the eyes of those who venerate traditional techniques. Today’s intriguing idea is based on citron confit, although it uses a different fruit. Get some top quality clementines, home grown and fragrant, and put them in salt: yes, you read that right, today’s recipe is designed to provide a wonderful ingredient for lovers of stews, who no longer want to eat concoctions lacking in taste and imagination. Our salt-preserved clementines, moreover, are ideal for adding that extra something to dishes made with olives - considering how the latter go so well with citrus fruit. Alternatively, even chilli peppers go well with these fantastic salted clementines.

Wash the clementines thoroughly, then make two cross-cuts in the base, but keeping the fruit intact. Place two or three teaspoons of salt into the cut of each clementine, then place them one at a time in a large airtight jar which has been well sterilized. As you add the clementines to the jar, add a handful of salt, the bay leaves, pepper and cinnamon. Layer the fruit up to the top of the jar. Pour the juice of 5 lemons over the clementines and then add water until they are all covered. Now seal the jar and let it sit for at least a month in a dark, cool place.