Pickled Onions and Gherkins

Using the same brine as before, add your onions, gherkins, peppers and I added carrot ribbons too.

Pickled Cucumbers

Simply make the brine and pour the boiled brine over the sliced cucumbers and seal in sterile jars.

Brine recipe:


6 TBS salt
3 cups vinegar
3 cups water
1 TBS pickling spice
10 Black peppercorns
6 tsp sugar
1 Cinnamon stick
2 Bay leaves


Place in the bottom of the sterile jars:
half teaspoon of mustard seeds, coriander seeds, a few peppercorns and some dried chillie flaks if you wish.
Some fresh dill sprigs ( I used dried as I had no fresh)


Make up the brine by boiling the ingredients above.
Slice up your cucumbers and fill sterile jars to about 1 inch from the top.
Remove the cinnamon stick from the brine
Pour the brine over the cucs up to about a half inch from the top of the jar and put the lids on the jars
Leave for 24 hours until the lids seal.



For the sweet pickled gherkins I simply doubled the sugar.

Jam and Chutney

Pumpkin Recipe:

2lb (900 g) pumpkin, peeled and chopped
1 1b (450 g) tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pint (570 ml) white vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons allspice berries
1 ½ teaspoons white peppercorns
11b (450 g) onion, peeled and sliced
1 ½ lbs (675 g) brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoons of black peppercorns

Method:

Place the chopped pumpkin in a pan and cover with vinegar, add the sliced onions, chopped garlic and chopped tomatoes.
Crush the allspice and peppercorns, add both to the pan then stir thoroughly and leave for about 1 hour.
Add the ginger, salt and sugar to the mixture and bring it to the boil slowly.
Simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and taking care that the consistency does not get too much like that of jam.
Allow the chutney to cool, pour it into clean jars, cover and store.

This recipe originally appeared in the National Vegetable Society Bulletin




Kasundi Recipe (from my good friend Indian food author Kris Dhillon...yes name dropping and I don't care)


Kasundi
Cook time: 2-3 hrs on High 4-6 hrs on Low
Spice Mix
1 ½ tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp black cumin seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp chilli powder
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10 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 x thumb sized pieces of ginger, roughly chopped
6 hot green or red chillies, roughly chopped
1.5kg Roma style tomatoes, chopped
400ml malt vinegar
200ml olive or sunflower oil
½ cup grated palm or soft brown sugar 110 grams
1 tbsp salt
Process garlic, ginger and chillies until finely chopped. Place half the chopped tomatoes in food processor or blender, add about half the vinegar and process until fairly smooth. Repeat with remaining tomato and vinegar.
Heat the oil in a wok or large pan until very hot but not smoking. Turn the heat down a little and add the spice mix. Cook stirring for about 2 minutes until mixture darkens a little and becomes deeply aromatic. Take care not to burn it or it will become bitter.
Add the garlic and ginger mixture and stir fry over medium to high heat for about a minute and a half or until aromatic.
Add processed tomato, sugar and salt and stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Foam will form at the surface. Skim this off and discard. Don’t worry if you don’t get it all.
Transfer mixture carefully to slow cooker, cover and switch on. Stir half way through cooking.
Kasundi is ready when it develops a jam like appearance and the oil rises to the top.
The kasundi will keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks or indefinitely if transferred whilst still hot to sterilised jars and sealed.



All the jams were made using jam sugar. Follow the instruction on the back of the packet of jam sugar.

Fruit Scones

Fruit Scones


You will need:

450 grams of plain flour (sifted)

Pinch of salt

20 Grams of baking powder

75 grams of butter or margarine

2 eggs

140 ml of buttermilk or plain milk

85 grams of sultanas

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

Put the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
Rub in the butter or margarine, until the mix becomes like breadcrumbs.
Add in the sultanas.
Whisk the eggs and milk in a jug and add to the flour mixture.

Work well until the mix comes together in a ball, leaving the bowl clean.

Place the mixture on a lightly floured surface and knead gently for a minute or two.
Roll the scone mix out to a thickness of about 1 inch, flouring lightly if needed.

Use a cutter to cut into rounds.

Brush any remaining egg and milk mixture on top of each scone and place on a greased and lightly floured baking tray.

Bake the scones for about 12-15 minutes until slightly golden on top.


Leave to cool on a wire rack and eat the same day.