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When I used to dish up my Pukka Pittas at night markets in the South West I used to pickle cucumbers in vinegar all of the time to add a sharp, sour zing to the top of the salads, merguez sausages & halloumi. Recently I have been hankering after a really good kebab & so I thought I would make some pickled cucumbers to accompany it - when they're ready in a few weeks time. With my experiments at the moment being focused on more traditional pickling methods I thought I would try making a salty brine for the cucumbers. The same herbs & spices remain but rather than keeping the cucumbers whole (as most other recipes state) I chopped mine into big chunks, mainly as I am intrigued as to whether this will speed up the fermentation. Who knows whether that will be the case but I will keep you posted on my Instagram & Facebook pages. The brine is, after a day, already tasting amazing & the dill is really shining through - am very much looking forward to eating these straight from the jar but also with burgers, fish, on fancy homemade kebab...the list could go on.  INGREDIENTS 3 cucumbers (I used regular ones but you could use baby cucumbers) 2 cloves of garlic 2 jalapeno chillis 45g seasalt mixed with 1 litre water A generous shaking of fennel seeds & yellow mustard seeds A big bunch of dill WHAT YOU'LL NEED 1 large kilner jar (approx 2.5-3 litres) A little greaseproof paper WHAT DO I DO?
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We have had a bit of the lurgy in our house this week - my daughter kindly shared the love & after waking with a sore throat I thought that a fiery ginger pickle was in order & I knew exactly the one I wanted to experiment with. When dropping some food off for a client to have at a private dinner party recently, I was invited to try several pickles that the Grandma of the family had made. Amongst them was a banging ginger number that knocked my socks off. Ginger has SO many health benefits - it is brilliant for an upset tummy & nausea, is an ace digestive aid as well as helping to clear out sinuses when your bunged up. It has been used for thousands of years in Asian medicine & more recently Western studies have shown that it is effective in reducing the swelling in people that suffer from arthritis, it can activate cell-killing genes in certain cancers & has shown to be effective in the treatment of migraines. Now, there are some big reasons to cook a curry if ever I saw them!! I can quite happily scoff this pickle straight from the jar but it would be tasty in stir fries, to adorn a dhall or meat curry as well as adding a kick to a salad. Enjoy!  INGREDIENTS 160g peeled ginger Juice of 2 lemons 3 tbsp vinegar - I used white wine vinegar but cider vinegar would work too 2 pinches of seasalt WHAT YOU'LL NEED A glass jar with lid (a kilner or jam jar is perfect) - cleaned & sterilised WHAT DO I DO?
I LOVE PICKLES! I love anything in vinegar or brine - love that sharp, sour, tang you get in your first mouthful followed by the complex flavours that then come with all of the spices, garlic & of course whatever has been pickled. For ages I favoured the more modern, quicker method of pickling things in vinegar but in the last couple of years I have started to learn about the traditional, slightly longer method of letting vegetables create their own brine, with a little help from salt & reckon that I could probably do with some of the patience that this encourages! Preserving things in vinegar, brine or alcohol has been going on for yonks as a way of storing food from bountiful seasons to eat throughout the year. And the health benefits are HUGE! Great for gut bacteria, preserving nutrients in food, building our immune system......as my pickling knowledge is topped up I shall pass it on. To begin here's a recipe for a traditional fermented beetroot pickle - I would love to hear what your favourite ferment is & also how you get on with this weeks pickle.  Beetroot & Caraway Pickle INGREDIENTS 500g raw peeled beetroot 1 tbsp sea salt 1 tbsp caraway seeds WHAT YOU'LL NEED Grater or mandolin Crock pot or other ceramic dish (big enough to contain the beets & enough liquid to cover) Plate big enough to fit snugly into the pot Weight to sit on top of plate - I used a kilner jar full of water Clean cloth WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
 This cake is AMAZING. There, I said it & although I am one to say that about a lot of cakes, this one really sits up there with my all time faves. And it is dairy-free, gluten-free & low in sugar! Using vegetables in baking is no new thing but the use of courgette makes this cake mega moist & also allows the other zesty, fresh flavours to come through. It will keep for a good couple of days in an airtight container so you can enjoy it for several days as an afternoon treat or it makes a great pud served with a big dollop of creme fraiche.  INGREDIENTS 3 large eggs 250ml coconut oil melted 3 tsp vanilla extract 150g caster sugar 1 large courgette (around 250g) grated 400g ground almonds 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 325g blueberries Zest of 2 limes Coconut flakes (if you fancy) WHAT DO I NEED TO DO? Preheat your oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4. Grease either a 900g loaf tin (this will make a deeper cake) or a 25cm round tin.
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AuthorBespoke event catering//Cook, Mum, Wife & Hungry lady// Archives
April 2017
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