Sweet Piccalilli

 

A while back someone had requested that I make Piccalilli.  I had never made Piccalilli before and I have to confess it has never been one of my favorite things, but I thought that this year I would make a small batch just to try it.

I have only ever had commercially made piccalilli and I have always found it to be too sharp and vinegary for my taste.  I was loathe to make a full batch recipe of any kind of piccalilli, but I do like to try new things and so I went for it, making a small batch.  Even if I did love it, I could never use up a full batch all by myself.

Piccalilli is a very British pickled condiment, tracing back to the days of the Great British Empire, with recipes dating back to the mid 18th century. One of the first known recipes comes a 1694 recipe book by Anne Blencoe crediting someone named Lord Kilmory.  It was also called Indian Pickle or Picca Lillo.

I did not go back that far to find a recipe for mine. I source this recipe from a favorite British Cookbook of mine, Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course, which was a gift to me on my birthday in 2003.  Delia Smith was one of the first television cooks that I used to watch when I first moved over to the U.K. and I trust her recipes implicitly.  This book is one of the few treasures I chose to bring back with me when I came back to Canada in 2020.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SWEET PICCALILLI

This is not a complicated recipe and it does not use really complicated ingredients. There is nothing complicated about what is needed or in putting it together. I like that. It is a rather lengthy list, but most of the ingredients are spices.

• 1 medium cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 pound (225g) small onions, peeled, quartered and cut across
• 2 cups (480ml) distilled malt vinegar (try to get the white) plus 2 1/2 TBS
• 1/4 of a whole nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 pound (225g) runner beans, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup (175g) caster sugar (fine granulated sugar)
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed together with 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 TBS (28g) dry mustard powder
• 2 TBS (14g) ground turmeric
• 3 level TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 TBS water

I did cut my vegetables into much smaller pieces. I don't like really chunky saucy pickles.  I don't mind big chunks in things like sweet mixed pickles or mustard beans, but in a relish like this one I prefer them to be smaller. You do what you prefer.

I could not get white malt vinegar and so I used white pickling vinegar.  Pickling vinegar has a higher acidity level than regular white vinegar and it also has a more neutral flavor, which makes it great for pickles where you want all of the flavors to shine, not just the vinegar.

If you don't have whole nutmeg, you can use ground nutmeg, about 1/2 tsp, but do note that the flavor of already ground nutmeg is inferior to nutmeg you grate yourself.

Caster sugar is a type of granulated sugar which has a very fine grind. You can use fruit sugar, which is finer than regular sugar, or you can blitz your sugar for a short in a food processor.

 

HOW TO MAKE SWEET PICCALILLI

This is not really that hard to  make.  The most labor intensive part is prepping and chopping up all of y your vegetables. If you have everything ready to go before you start, this doesn't take too long at all.

You will need a large saucepan and five - six (clean and sterile) 1/2 pint canning jars. (See below on how to prepare your jars.

Place the cauliflower, onions and 2 cups of vinegar into the saucepan. Add the nutmeg and allspice and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes.

Uncover and add the cucumber, beans and sugar. Smash the garlic together with the salt on a cutting board and then scrap this in as well.

Bring the mixture up to the simmer again, then cover and cook on low for a further five minutes. The vegetables should be crispy tender, not mushy.

Set a colander over a clean saucepan and drain the vegetable mixture, catching the vinegar in the bowl underneath. Reserve the hot vinegar mixture.

 

Whisk the flour, mustard powder, and turmeric together in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the additional vinegar to give you a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in about a cup of the hot vinegar mixture to combine smoothly.

Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in the remaining hot vinegar and boil gently for about 5 minutes. Stir in the drained vegetables to combine well and heat through.

Divide the piccalilli between the five hot and sterile jars,, wiping the rims of the jars clean once filled. Screw on the lids and set aside to seal. If desired you can process the piccalilli in a water bath, but it isn't really necessary.

This should sit for 3 months before eating. Store in a cool dry place.

 

HOW TO PREPARE JARS FOR CANNING

Making sure your jars are properly prepared is essential when it comes to preparing jams and pickles.  If you follow the following steps, you can be assured everything will be fine.

1. Examine all of your jars. Discard any that have nicks, cracks, uneven rim surfaces or other damage or defects. 

2. Clean the jars and the lids: Wash jars, lids and bands in hot soapy water, give them a good rinse in hot water and then set aside to drain.  Wash the lids and bands in hot soapy water and rinse under hot running water. Dry and set aside until ready to use.

3. Jars should be heated for 10 minutes prior to filling to help prevent breakage due to thermal shock.  I just pour boiling water into them, leave it for a few minutes and then dump it out.  I heat the lids in a pan of boiling water and then set aside, ready to use.

 

I have never been a huge fan of the commercially prepared piccalilli, having always found it to be quite vinegary.  This one is quite nice, but I'd expect nothing less from Delia Smith. It is not as sharp as commercial piccalilli which I was happy about.  There is a nice sweetness to it, without it being too sweet. It reminded me very much of my mother's mustard pickles.

Do bear in mind that you have to wait three months for this to be ready to eat. If you make it now, it should be ready for Christmas.  Perfect for the cold meat and cheese trays during the holidays!

 

If you are a fan of making your own pickles and relishes, you might also enjoy making the following.  Both are old family favorites here in The English Kitchen.

SPICED PEAR CHUTNEY - Delicious and spicy and very easy to make.  This pear chutney is a great thing to make with pears when they come into season.  With onions, garlic and dried cranberries, this is a delicious chutney that goes very well with cold meats and cheeses. It does have a bit of a kick, but not overly so.

GREEN TOMATO CHOW -  This is a delicious pickle recipe that I inherited from my late mother-in-law!  It is the BEST green tomato chow going.  I could never make enough of it.  My family loved it. With green tomatoes, onions and red peppers, all in a delicious sweet mustard sauce.  I could eat this by the spoonful.  Its quite simply one of my favorite pickles/relishes of all time, and a great way to use up some green tomatoes.

Yield: 2 1/2 pounds (5 to 6 pints)

Author: Marie Rayner

Sweet Piccalilli

If you cannot find runner beans you may use frozen string beans to make this tasty pickle/relish. This is a very British condiment, a much beloved and integral part of a cold meats tray, especially during the holidays.

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 pound (225g) small onions, peeled, quartered and cut across
• 2 cups (480ml) distilled malt vinegar (try to get the white) plus 2 1/2 TBS
• 1/4 of a whole nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 pound (225g) runner beans, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup (175g) caster sugar (fine granulated sugar)
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed together with 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 TBS (28g) dry mustard powder
• 2 TBS (14g) ground turmeric
• 3 level TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 TBS water

Instructions

1. You will need a large saucepan and five - six (clean and sterile) 1/2 pint canning jars.
2. Place the cauliflower, onions and 2 cups of vinegar into the saucepan. Add the nutmeg and allspice and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes.
3. Uncover and add the cucumber, beans and sugar. Smash the garlic together with the salt on a cutting board and then scrap this in as well.
4. Bring the mixture up to the simmer again, then cover and cook on low for a further five minutes. The vegetables should be crispy tender, not mushy.
5. Set a colander over a clean saucepan and drain the vegetable mixture, catching the vinegar in the bowl underneath. Reserve the hot vinegar mixture.
6. Whisk the flour, mustard powder, and turmeric together in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the additional vinegar to give you a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in about a cup of the hot vinegar mixture to combine smoothly.
7. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in the remaining hot vinegar and boil gently for about 5 minutes. Stir in the drained vegetables to combine well and heat through.
8. Divide the piccalilli between the five hot and sterile jars,, wiping the rims of the jars clean once filled. Screw on the lids and set aside to seal. If desired you can process the piccalilli in a water bath, but it isn't really necessary.
9. This should sit for 3 months before eating. Store in a cool dry place.

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