Piccalilli |Cooking With Amanda

British people love their pickles. Many foods get pickled, from onions to eggs (yes, this is true). This popular British condiment is usually served with cheese platters, but can also transform a simple ham sandwich or used as one of the components of the Ploughman's lunch. There are not really many dishes that this relish would not complement.

If you like spicy mustard, you will love this piccalilli. The vegetables used need to reflect the British nature of the condiment and that are easily available. I have seen mango and other ingredients used in recipe, but these are not typically British.

My choice of vegetables are chopped cauliflower, shallots, cucumber, carrots, and green beans. The vegetables are brined to remove moisture, then cooked and pickled in the sauce for at least 3-4 weeks. It is important that the vegetables are chopped the same size so they all cook at the same rate and this also makes for easier eating.

The sauce is a rich combination of vinegar, turmeric (which gives its distinctive color) mustard powder, ground ginger and nutmeg that develops deep flavor the longer it sits.

Piccalilli is traced back to the 18^th Century and was originally called Indian pickle, which would indicate its origin. I would imagine since it is a low cost, easy food to make and lasts for months, was the reason it was so popular and has remained so to this day.

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Piccalilli Recipe

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Ingredients

8 ounces cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
6 ounces shallot, sliced into small pieces
6 ounces cucumber, chopped into small pieces
6 ounces carrot, chopped into small pieces
3 ounces green beans, chopped into small pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
5 cups apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard powder
1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

Add all the vegetables to a large bowl, cover with water and stir in the salt. Cover with a towel and leave for 1 hour. After 1 hour drain the vegetables.
Add the drained vegetables, vinegar, sugar, turmeric, mustard powder, ground ginger and nutmeg to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
While the vegetables are cooking, sterilize the jars.
Fill a large pan (a pasta pan works well) with water and completely submerge the jars upright, lids as well.
Bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes. Keep the jars hot until ready to use, then remove from the water using tongs.
Mix a little water with the flour to make a paste and stir this into the pan of vegetables and simmer until thickened.
Fill the jars, leaving 1-inch space at the top and seal the jars tightly.
Store up to 3 months in a cool dry place.

Notes

This recipe is not written or tested using the USDA certified process for canning. Please keep in mind that per their processes, this recipe should be refrigerated after coming to room temperature.