Piccalilli

For the vegetables, my preferred combination is rougly 80% cauliflower and 20% courgettes, as this gives the best mix of crunchy chunks and juicy sauce. You can also throw in some broccoli (including some stalk), green beans and whatever else you have on the go.

In: Basic


Makes/Serves: small jars

Ingredients

  • 200 g Salt
  • 4 pints Water
  • 2 kg Vegetables
  • 11 g Turmeric
  • 14 g Mustard Powder
  • 18 g Ground Ginger
  • 840 ml White Vinegar
  • 14 g Cornflour
  • 128 g Caster Sugar

Method

  1. Make brine by stirring the salt into the water until it's fully dissolved and the water looks clear again.
  2. Wash all the vegetables and chop them up very small. Put into a large bowl and cover them with the brine. If you need a bit more brine, just mix up some more - 50g salt per pint of water. Make sure the vegetables are fully submerged, you may need to put a plate or bowl over the top to keep them under.
  3. Leave to soak for about 24 hours.
  4. In a small dish, mix a little of the vinegar into the cornflour to make a paste. Set this aside.
  5. Put the spices and sugar into a large saucepan and gradually add the rest of the vinegar until it's all mixed together.
  6. Drain the vegetables and add them to the pan. Heat slowly until boiling and simmer until the vegetables are cooked - they want a slight crunch to them still.
  7. Wash your jars and put them in the oven to sterilise.
  8. When the vegetables are cooked, add the flour paste and keep stirring while you bring it back to the boil. Boil for 2-3 mins.
  9. Pour into your warmed jars and tighten the lids while still hot.