Pickles

It’s pickles time again. I know it was only a few weeks back that I wrote about pickles. I’m mad for pickles these days. Who made the giardiniera from the recipe I posted a few weeks back? If you did I would love to hear from you and find out how it went. Do you have any pictures to share? If so can you please share on the recipe share page on Facebook.

Like I said in last week’s blog I was recently in Melbourne and I ate out on the three nights I was there. One of my favourite nights out was with my friend Nisarg. We went to the Moroccan Soup Bar. For those of you who have been to this iconic restaurant you will understand my elation at eating at such a place. An experience which deserves it’s own blog post that is for sure. Soon I will write about the Moroccan Soup Bar and Hana’s wonderful cookbook. I also ate out at Smith and Daughters and I will write about their cookbook too in a later blog. For now though it is pickles I write about.

When I returned home I got out my newly purchased cookbooks and noticed both books had recipes for pickles, so I pickled up a storm.

It is such a treat to have pickles in your fridge as they add an extra zing to so many dishes. Put them in salads, eat them for snacks and aperitifs, garnish soups and main dishes, add them to nourish bowls, Buddha bowls and Indian meals. Before you know it pickles will be your best friends.

These two very simple recipes have been adapted from both cookbooks. I put them in the fridge straight away as the pickle process keeps on doing its thing even in the fridge.

Simple beetroot and swede pickles

2 large beetroots
2 large swedes
1 cup water
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar (optional – I don’t use)
Enough white wine vinegar to cover the veggies

Peel and then cut the veggies in stumpy rectangles (technical term is Jardiniere).
Mix the salt with the water.
Place the veggies in a glass jar and pour in the water.
Top up the jar with the white wine vinegar and add the sugar if using.
Put the jar in the fridge and sample the pickles after a week.

(Idea from Moroccan Soup Bar Recipes of a Spoken Menu Hana Asafiri)

Pickled onion and radish

Keep the veggies in separate jars and you can also do other veggies like carrot and red cabbage if you have them on hand.

1 bunch radishes
2 large red onions
1 cup sugar (optional)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cinnamon quill
2 strips of orange peel
6 peppercorns
1 tsp salt

Wash the radishes well and slice thinly. Peel the onions and cut in half then slice each half thinly.
Put the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan and heat up until it starts to boil. If using sugar, heat up until the sugar dissolves, let the liquid cool a little.
Place the onion in a jar and the radish in a separate jar and pour on the pickling liquid.
Screw on the lids and wait until the jars are cooled down then place them in the fridge. Leave the pickles a week before trying (if you can).

(Recipe adapted from Smith and Daughters by Shannon Martinez and Mo Wyse)

Whats Your Favourite Vegan/Vegetarian Cookbook?

I am on a cookbook review frenzy and plan to review all the cook books I have in my library. Some of them I have never even cooked from, that’s all going to change. It’s exciting trying out new recipes as they never end up being exactly like the recipe says, adding my own touch to each recipe. I would love to know what your favourite vegan/vegetarian cookbook is and which is your fave recipe in there. Can you please share on the face book page what your favourite vegan/vegetarian cookbook is or send me an email so I can check it out.

Have a great week everyone
Happy cooking
Love Veet

Categories:Snacks/Sides

Tags:Pickles Onion Raddish Red cabbage