Still on a mission to build my stock pile for The Fat Cat's first Sugar and Spice event I purchased some 8oz jars - twice the size of the chutney jars I've been filling. I was going to try and fill them with sauces, Puttanesca for example which is easy to throw together and never fails to impress. However, I am unsure as to how well puttanesca sauce will keep with no natural preservatives in the jar. The pickles and chutneys are obviously preserved using vinegar and copious amounts of sugar in some cases and I can rely on them to be good for 6 months to a year...plenty of time to get them nice and 'brewed' and also sold!!
So, what to put in the jars? Pickled asparagus was an idea - 'natures swizzle stick' perfect for cocktails. Do I know many cocktail drinkers? Well, yes, but none who would make them at home...cocktails are for special occasions or when we happen upon a nice cocktail bar! (Not an easy feat in Hull I can tell you!)
It was then I remembered an old favourite of mine from when I lived at home; pickled red cabbage. Ideal with potato ash or meat pies, great with steak and chunky chips - real comfort food! Plus I had nearly 3 litres of spiced vinegar left from the pickled onions so off I went to the grocers to pick up some red cabbages. I bought two because I had no idea how far they'd go and following a recipe guideline I'd found online I cut them into strips and layered them in a large dish with coarse salt. I guessed that this was to remove any excess moisture and low and behold, once left in the fridge overnight, there was some very purple water at the bottom of the dish! I'm hoping the salt also keeps the strips of cabbage crunchy once immersed in pickle. I prepare pickled onions in pretty much the same way - in a brine - and that is so that they remain crunchy!
The strips of cabbage were then drained and popped in the lovely 8oz hexagonal jars I had heated in the oven to sterilise and then covered in the vinegar! (I made sure I removed the chili seeds and peppers before covering the cabbage). Isn't it a delicious colour?? (you can also see a few of the honey chutney jars in the back ground.)
My next job was the Giardiniera - Italian Mixed Pickled Vegetables. Ideal for anti-pasti. I bought some cauliflower, carrot batons, green beans and mushrooms. These were cut into pieces which would fit into the 8oz jars (except the mushrooms which I left whole). All the vegetables were brought to the boil in the spiced vinegar I had left over from the pickled onions AND the pickled cabbage! I only boiled for 5 minutes, I wanted to keep the veg slightly crunchy. I then drained the veg to make it easier for me to divide it between the jars and for additional flavour I popped a peeled garlic clove in the bottom of each jar. The vegetables were crammed as tightly as I could into jars and covered in vinegar. Voila! Pickled vegetables!!! I shall be testing those out on my Polish friends as they are the experts apparently on pickled vegetables and they have already given me rave reviews of the Fiery Tomato Chutney!!!
Both of these jars will be fiery as well which is an interesting slant I think? The vinegar has been sat for a month already full of chilies and mustard seeds...I'll make sure that they are well labelled otherwise someone may get a very hot shock!!!
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