My secret ingredient: boiled lemons

Claudia Roden, the revered author of classic recipe books on the food of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, reveals her favourite kitchen tip

I first made boiled lemons by chance – many years ago – because I didn’t have any preserved. I put salt in the water then, but now I like it boiled plain.

I boil it for between 20-30 minutes. I haven’t timed it, I just feel it, and when it is really soft, it’s done … not more than 30 minutes usually. Keep it down with a plate so that it doesn’t float, but you don’t need to if you’ve got a lid.

Related: OFM’s classic cookbooks: Claudia Roden’s Book of Middle Eastern Food