THE PICKLED PANTRY

Pickling is one of the cornerstones of food preservation. The Test Kitchen’s essential step-by-step guide is a great way to start.

STERILISING JARS

Use one of these methods. Always start with washed jars and lids.

1 DISHWASHER METHOD

Put the jars and lids through the hottest cycle of a dishwasher without using any detergent.

2 BOILING METHOD

Place the jars horizontally in a large saucepan with the lids. Cover with cold water, then cover with a lid. Bring the water to the boil over a high heat; boil for 20 minutes.

3 OVEN METHOD

Do not use this method if using plastic lids. Stand the jars upright, without touching, on a wooden board on the lowest shelf in the oven. Turn the oven to the lowest possible temperature, close the oven door and leave the jars to heat through for 30 minutes.

Next, remove the jars from the dishwasher or oven using a towel, or from the boiling water with tongs and rubber-gloved hands. The water will evaporate from hot, wet jars quite quickly. Stand the jars upright, not touching, on a wooden board or bench covered with a clean towel to protect it.

Pour hot preserves into hot jars until the jars are filled to the top (unless indicated otherwise by the recipe). Secure the lids tightly, holding the jars firmly with a towel or oven mitt while doing this. Leave the preserves at room temperature to cool before labelling and storing.

STYLES OF PICKLES

Pickles can be as simple as vegetables packed into jars with vinegar, with the resulting pickle being crisp and sharp. Sugar and other flavourings will balance acidity and add complexity. Chutney is a form of cooked pickle, where the vegetable (or a mix of fruit and vegetables) tends to have a softer consistency, and the wider array of ingredients and flavourings used will result in a more complex taste.

METHODS OF PICKLING

The simplest of all methods for pickling requires vegetables to be salted for a day to draw out excess moisture (which would dilute the vinegar), then rinsed. Alternatively, they can be blanched in a brine solution. Next, the ingredients are packed into jars and covered with hot or cold vinegar.

Hot vinegar method

Vinegar is first brought to the boil before being added to the jar with the vegetables. This method allows the vinegar to penetrate the vegetables more quickly, and in the case of vegetables that are salted rather than blanched, will soften them slightly. This can be beneficial for hard vegetables such as beetroot and turnip.

Cold vinegar method

This is best used on relatively soft vegetables or those where retaining the the vegetable’s crispness is desired, such as for cucumber or gherkin pickles.

FERMENTATION

To determine if fermentation has been sufficiently completed, taste the mixture (use a sterilised spoon). It should have a pleasantly sour fermented taste. Once fermented, seal and refrigerate for up to 1 month.

QUICK PICKLED GARDEN VEGETABLES

START 1 DAY AHEAD

PREP TIME 20 MINUTES MAKES 8 CUPS

READY IN 2 DAYS; KEEPS 2 WEEKS

400g baby rainbow carrots

170g asparagus

8 small red radishes (120g)

250g baby snacking cucumbers

6 baby target beetroot, halved

3 fresh long red chillies

2 cups (500ml) white wine vinegar

3 cups (750ml) water

2 tablespoons salt flakes

½ cup (110g) caster sugar

1 tablespoon pink peppercorns

4 bay leaves

½ cup fresh dill sprigs

1 Wash vegetables and chillies well; scrub carrots but don’t peel. Trim the woody ends from asparagus; cut in half crossways. Trim carrots and radishes, leaving a little bit of the tops attached. Cut carrots, radishes, cucumbers, beetroot and chillies in half lengthways.

2 Place vinegar and the water in a medium bowl; stir in salt and sugar until dissolved. Pack vegetables, peppercorns, bay leaves and dill into two 4−cup (1−litre) sterilised jars; pour over vinegar mixture. Seal; cover and refrigerate for at least 2 days.

CHINESE PICKLED GREEN CHILLIES

START 4 DAYS AHEAD PREP + COOK TIME 20 MINUTES MAKES 2½ CUPS

READY IN 3 DAYS; KEEPS 3 MONTHS

250g fresh long green or red chillies

2 cups (500ml) boiling water

3 cups (750ml) Chinese rice vinegar

2 teaspoons salt flakes

¼ cup (55g) white sugar

1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted

1 Prick chillies 2−3 times with a wooden skewer, place in a medium bowl, pour over the boiling water. Leave for 10 minutes or until chillies have softened slightly. Drain; discard water.

2 Place vinegar, salt, sugar and cumin in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, whisking to dissolve sugar and salt.

3 Place chillies in a sterilised 3−cup (750ml) jar, pour over hot pickling liquid; seal immediately. Label and date when cold. Refrigerate for 3 days before using.

PLOUGHMAN’S PICKLE

START 3 WEEKS AHEAD PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR (+ STANDING) MAKES 10 CUPS

READY IN 3 WEEKS; KEEPS 1 YEAR

¾ cup (215g) coarse cooking salt

2 cups (500ml) boiling water

1.75 litres (7 cups) cold water

2 large onions (400g), chopped finely

1 small cauliflower (1kg), cut into small florets

5 large zucchini (750g), chopped finely

2 stalks celery (300g), trimmed, chopped finely

2 large Granny Smith apples (400g), peeled, cored, chopped coarsely

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 litre (4 cups) malt vinegar

½ cup (50g) cornflour

3 cups (660g) firmly packed brown sugar

3 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons each ground cinnamon and cumin

½ teaspoon each ground nutmeg, allspice and cayenne pepper

1 Stir salt and the boiling water in a large stainless steel or glass bowl until salt dissolves. Stir in the cold water. Add onion, cauliflower, zucchini and celery; stand mixture overnight.

2 Drain vegetable mixture and rinse. Pat dry with paper towel.

3 Place apple, garlic and 2½ cups of the vinegar in a large saucepan; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until apple is soft. Remove from heat.

4 Blend cornflour with ¾ cup of the vinegar in a small jug until smooth. Add remaining vinegar, sugar and spices to the apple mixture in pan. Stir over high heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Stir in cornflour mixture; cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Add vegetables; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

5 Spoon hot pickle into hot sterilised jars; seal immediately. Label and date jars when cold. Store in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate after opening.