How to make Piccalilli
James Herriot had a loathing of eating fat. But fat was very popular amongst the farms of the Yorkshire Dales who invariably reared quick maturing Pigs with a high fat content. So when he was faced with a plate of sliced fatty bacon after an early morning calving he had to find a way out. And a pot of Piccalilli provided the answer. Eating the fat alongside copious quantities of Piccalilli was the only way he could finish his plate as described graphically in one of his stories. A recipe for Piccalilli is included in ‘the best of James Herriot’ and I had never tried it before so here is my attempt at re-creating it. I also bought a jar of supermarket Piccalilli and believe me it is nothing like this home made version – I absolutely love it.
Piccalilli
8
servings30
minutes20
minutes14
kcalIngredients
2,7Kg (6lb) mixed vegetables such as:
Green Beans (chopped into small pieves)
Small ‘pearl’ onions
Cauliflower (chopped into small pieces)
peppers (cut into small pieces)
Courgette (chopped into small pieces)
450g (1 lb) salt
2 pints White Wine vinegar
170g (6 oz) sugar
15g (1/2 oz) Turmeric
30g (1 oz) Dried English Mustard
30g (1 oz) Ginger
40g (1 1/2 oz) Plain White Flour
Directions
- Cut the vegetable up into small pieces, spread on a dish and sprinkle the salt on the top. Cover and leave for 24 hours to draw out the moisture.
- Rinse and drain the vegetables.
- Set aside 3-4 tablespoons of vinegar and warm the remainder.
- Stir the Turmeric, mustard and ginger into the vinegar and mix with the vegetables.
- Simmer for 15 minutes
- Blend the flour with the set aside vinegar and add to the mixture . stir and bring to the boil and then simmer for 3 minutes.
- Ladle into jars, put a wax disc on top and then seal.
Notes
- Sterilise your jars beforehand
- Leave in a cool dark place for a few weeks and up to 3 months before opening.
- Once opened keep in fridge for up to 4 weeks.
- Perfect with cold meats and/or strong cheese