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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 8, 2020 16:37:21 GMT
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Post by mickthecactus on Jan 8, 2020 17:00:13 GMT
The top shelf of my fridge is devoted to pickles.
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Post by mickthecactus on Jan 8, 2020 17:23:36 GMT
This coriander (cilantro) chutney is so delicious:-
75g coriander (not lower stems or roots) coarsely chopped Half to one hot green chilli coarsely chopped One and a half tablespoons lemon juice Half teaspoon salt Half teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds Freshly ground black pepper
Put all in the container of a food processor and blend until you have a paste.
Highly recommended!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 8, 2020 20:51:10 GMT
Oh, thank you for that, Mick! I am fascinated by all those pickles from the Indian sub-continent, but know pretty much nothing about them.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 20, 2020 8:47:18 GMT
My garden is swamped with Swiss chard at the moment. We like the leafy part but what to do with those enormous white stems? I found the answer. Pickle them. Recipe:
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Post by mickthecactus on Sept 20, 2020 10:08:46 GMT
Can they be stored? I have plenty of Swiss Chard stems.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 20, 2020 10:50:54 GMT
Mick, the honest answer is 'I really don't know', but I have pickled green beans and garlic once. I put them in big mason jars and kept them in the fridge for months. If you pickle yours with garlic which I'm going to do, don't be alarmed when your garlic turns blue. It's normal and can be eaten.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 20, 2020 16:02:05 GMT
It seems they would turn into a different product when stored in the fridge, if 30 minutes is enough time to infuse them with flavor. I just looked up a bunch of recipes for pickled chard stems, and they called for anywhere from 48 hours to one week of letting them set before eating. Also, various sources said they would last from three weeks to one month in the fridge. All of the recipes were more or less similar to Tod's, with the difference mainly being in the number of different spices used. Here is one from Canada which calls for more stems: www.canadianliving.com/food/food-tips/recipe/how-to-quick-pickle-swiss-chard-stemsAnd another recipe calling for even more stems and which includes directions for canning. This one says you can keep the pickle for up to a year if it's canned or for a month in the fridge if not canned: localkitchenblog.com/2010/05/09/pickled-chard-stems/I find both celery and chard to be naturally rather salty and also liable to be objectionably stringy. Because of that, I try to de-string them before proceeding with any recipe. I do that by breaking each stalk close to the stem end and pulling gently up the rounded side of the spine. This usually gets rid of anything too tough.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 20, 2020 16:14:10 GMT
I agree wholeheartedly Bixa about the removal of those tough stringy bits. As I was de-stemming the green part from the stalk it was very noticeable how stringy they are! I have all my stalks ready in the fridge and will try pickling them tomorrow. Maybe not all but definitely a trial run.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 9, 2020 11:40:49 GMT
Yesterday's amusement while we hid away from the heat of the day: Pickled some onions just for the heck of it. If one buys a jar from Farmer's Market or even supermarket they cost in the region of R40-00 upwards. A whole kg of pickling inions costs R9-00, but add onto that the vinegar and spices - another R2-00. So you can make a jar for around R4 at the most but Im not counting the cost of the jar…..you already paid for it when you bought the first pickles at the Farmers Market.
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Post by onlyMark on Nov 9, 2020 13:46:42 GMT
Looks good. Exactly the same thing I did in Zambia.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 9, 2020 14:12:50 GMT
We had better compare methods then?!
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Post by onlyMark on Nov 9, 2020 16:56:35 GMT
Tod, I follow this recipe now but without the sugar. I see you have some carrot in there. Never thought of doing that. If I can get malt vinegar I will use it, if not then one of the dark normal vinegars I used to see in PicknPay. www.sarsons.co.uk/recipes/pickled-onions
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 9, 2020 17:48:48 GMT
Tod, your onion filled jars are things of beauty! Thanks for that recipe, Mark. Do you not use the sugar because it makes the finished product too sweet? I always thought that the inclusion of small amounts of sugar in pickle recipes was for its preservative properties, but maybe not. I would so much love to have malt vinegar in my life. This is why I don't: www.amazon.com.mx/Heinz-Vinagre-gourmet-botella-líquidas/dp/B073V5KSGJ/ref=sr_1_1 (1343 mxn = 66 usd / 56 euro / 1013 rand)
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Post by onlyMark on Nov 9, 2020 18:10:37 GMT
Yikes, that's expensive. I bet in the UK you can get a litre for less than 10 usd. Sugar - yes I should think it does help with the preservation, but if I've got a load of vinegar and a good helping of salt, the effect of the sugar is either minimal or non-existent. But though, it is a personal preference that's all. I'm not keen on pickles that have any element of sweetness in them that I can taste. I was brought up with having on the table a jar of cucumber and normal onion at most meals to dip in to, just in vinegar. No sugar added, so my taste tends towards the sourness of the vinegar alone. You may well know them as "Refrigerator Pickles" - it was exactly the same but again, without the sugar and with malt vinegar which then was cheap and plentiful - www.asouthernsoul.com/cucumber-and-onion-refrigerator-pickles/
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Post by onlyMark on Nov 9, 2020 18:22:18 GMT
I've just fetched this out of my fridge now for you. Vinegar, cucumber and onion, that's all. Made it two days ago and it'll be gone by the day after tomorrow.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 9, 2020 20:34:42 GMT
Looks so lovely & fresh!
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Post by tod2 on Nov 10, 2020 6:52:06 GMT
Thanks for your recipe Mark which is MY recipe too! The carrot sticks and 1 Jalapeño, 1 Serrano and 1 Cayenne chilli came about because Pick 'n Pay supermarket sells 3 little packets of an assortment of chillis for the price of two. I could have used Thai or another chilli they had on offer. Another addition could be raw green beans - I've done a whole bottle just of those but if you don't like eating blue whole garlic cloves (the white vinegar makes them go blue but very edible) leave them out or just toss them. I can't remember whether I blanched the beans first for 30secs first…..I think so. If I find the recipe I will put it here.
Pee Ess: I could not find Malt vinegar so used Brown Vinegar which I'm guessing is from grapes. And I doubled the sugar after giving the liquid a test taste. Too tart for me.
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Post by onlyMark on Nov 10, 2020 8:23:01 GMT
Tod, there's no hard and fast rule is there about sugar or not or amount of, malt vinegar or not and even though I could get malt vinegar in Zambia for the amounts I needed it was a hell of a lot cheaper to use the same brown vinegar you have. I still didn't add any sugar though but I know what you mean and it was on the limit of ok for me.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 10, 2020 14:31:02 GMT
What is brown vinegar -- is it the same as cider/apple vinegar?
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Post by onlyMark on Nov 10, 2020 15:05:29 GMT
I think brown vinegar is still a malted vinegar of sorts but done in a way that is somehow cheaper than proper malted vinegar. It isn't apple/cider stuff as far as I know. I'd have to read up on it.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 10, 2020 15:18:35 GMT
Mark & Bixa, my bottle has label which reads: Brown Spirit Vinegar. I'm sure its a grape one which leads me to think……What would the flavour be like if we added a couple of tablespoons of that black gold, being Modena Balsamic vinegar. My big bottle is very liquid but my teeny squeeze bottle has thick honey -like consistency and actually bares the name 'Black Gold'.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 10, 2020 15:40:38 GMT
I was looking at some French websites, and even though malt vinegar is available if you really look for it, most people suggest to substitute white wine vinegar in recipes. That isn't much of a help since I normally see only red wine vinegar in my local stores. Lighter coloured vinegars at the supermarket are almost always cider vinegar.
In any case, my pickling experiments are never satisfactory so I will abstain.
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Post by fumobici on Nov 10, 2020 16:18:54 GMT
Go to an Asian store or department within a supermarket and get rice vinegar which is very neutral and great for general cooking where a vinegar is indicated.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 10, 2020 17:17:57 GMT
I already have rice vinegar for sushi.
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Post by fumobici on Nov 11, 2020 2:16:06 GMT
Well, there ya go!
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Post by lugg on Nov 13, 2020 19:26:33 GMT
Vinegar, cucumber and onion, that's all. This is such an old family favourite and I learnt to enjoy it nearly 60 years ago from grandmother but she learnt it from her Grandmother so I guess has been enjoyed in all its simplicity for at least 150 years... maybe longer ? ( Not sure how long we have had / grown cucumbers for ?) She always served it with tinned salmon on a Sunday !
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Post by onlyMark on Nov 13, 2020 21:57:52 GMT
Saturday afternoons for us that was. When the football results were on. Most days it was on the table though.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 20, 2021 13:51:58 GMT
I read a very interesting article today about a speciality of northeastern Italy, particularly Trentin -- polenta e crauti. Those are definitely two items that I would never imagine on the same plate. While maize arrived in the area in the 17th century and became to principal regional food item by the 18th century, the article mentioned that polenta existed before the arrival of maize and was made from spelt and millet but maize was much better and easier. Cabbage had been around much longer but it was impossible to conserve until the technique came across the Alps from Bavaria and the Tyrol -- chop it and pickle it. The article did not say specifically what led the locals to put both polenta and sauerkraut on the same plate, but I assume it was merely hunger and our natural desire for a bit of variety if possible. Meat was added (almost always pork) after WW2 when it was financially viable and is used as the separator of the two vegetal items. And now it is considered a dish for special occasions.
Sounds better than a Christmas turkey to me. (I really hate turkey.)
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Post by onlyMark on Jan 17, 2022 13:15:41 GMT
Made these yesterday. They'll do me for a week or so. Pickled red cabbage and onions -
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