Description
This Piccalilli recipe is a vibrant and tangy British-style vegetable relish featuring a colorful mix of cauliflower, shallots, cucumber, green beans, and optionally carrots, all pickled in a mustard-spiced, turmeric-infused vinegar sauce. Perfect for adding a spicy and zesty kick to sandwiches, cold meats, or cheese boards, this relish requires an hour of vegetable salting, a brief simmering phase, and a few weeks of pickling to develop its signature tangy flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables
- 8 ounces (226 grams) cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
- 6 ounces (170 grams) shallot, chopped small
- 6 ounces (170 grams) cucumber, chopped small
- 3 ounces (85 grams) green beans, chopped small
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped (optional)
- 1 ½ tablespoons salt
Pickling Sauce
- 5 cups (1 liter) apple cider vinegar
- ⅔ cup (132 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tablespoons mustard powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (75 grams) all-purpose/plain flour
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Add all the chopped vegetables to a large bowl. Cover with water and stir in 1 ½ tablespoons of salt. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave the vegetables to soak for 1 hour. This process helps to draw out excess moisture and crisp the vegetables. After 1 hour, drain the vegetables thoroughly.
- Cook the pickling mixture: Place the drained vegetables, apple cider vinegar, sugar, turmeric, mustard powder, ground ginger, and nutmeg into a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has reduced slightly.
- Sterilize the jars: While the vegetables are simmering, sterilize the jars you will use to store the piccalilli. Fill a large pan with water, ensuring the jars and lids are fully submerged. Bring the water to a boil and maintain boiling for 10 minutes to sterilize. Keep the jars hot until ready to fill by removing them with tongs and placing them on a clean towel to dry.
- Thicken the sauce: Mix a small amount of water with the flour to create a smooth paste. Stir this paste into the simmering vegetable mixture and continue cooking until the sauce thickens to a relish-like consistency.
- Fill and seal jars: Carefully fill the sterilized jars with the hot piccalilli mixture, leaving about a 1-inch space at the top to accommodate any extra liquid released by the vegetables. Seal the jars tightly.
- Pickle and store: Allow the piccalilli to pickle for 3 to 4 weeks in a cool, dark place to develop its full flavor. Once opened, refrigerate and consume within 1 week. Note that long-term preservation or canning is not recommended due to the flour in the sauce which could turn rancid over time.
Notes
- Piccalilli is a mixed vegetable relish known for its distinct, slightly spicy and tangy mustard sauce, characterized by its vibrant yellow color from turmeric.
- Salting the vegetables beforehand helps maintain their texture during pickling.
- Ensure jars are properly sterilized to maintain food safety.
- Do not attempt long-term canning due to the flour content.
- This relish complements sandwiches, cold meats, cheeses, and even as a condiment with traditional British dishes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 183
- Sugar: 11 grams
- Sodium: 2032 milligrams
- Fat: 1 gram
- Saturated Fat: 0 grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 gram
- Trans Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 39 grams
- Fiber: 7 grams
- Protein: 8 grams
- Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
