Editor's note: The recipe below is from Govind Armstrong's Small Bites, Big Nights.

Ingredients

　　4 lemons, scrubbed

　　1/4 cup kosher salt

　　1/4 cup sugar

　　4 bay leaves, coarsely chopped or crushed

　　1 dried chili pod, split open and coarsely chopped

　　Extra-virgin olive oil to cover

　　Remove the zest from the lemons with a vegetable peeler (be careful not to take off too much of the white pith) and place in a small bowl. Toss with the salt, sugar, bay leaves, chili, and the juice of one of the lemons. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove the zest from the mixture, rinse, pat dry, and cover with extra-virgin olive oil to store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

　　Chef's note:

　　When in season, experiment with the Meyer lemon to get a vibrant and extra-fragrant dose of citrus punch.

　　Small Bites, Big Nights