Farmhouse Recipes » Sauces/Preserves

Pickled Onions

TopVeg — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:41:10 +0000

The main thing you need to pickle onions is plenty of time, otherwise it is quite straightforward!

pickled-onions-pink

most people use shallots for pickled onions
make a brine solution by dissolving 8oz of salt in 4 pints of water
skin the onions – using a stainless steel or silver knife – as they will discolour
cover the onions in a cold brine solution for at least 24 hours. Place a dish over the top of the onions to make sure they are covered with brine. The brine draws the water out of the onions & makes them crispy.
drain the onions from the brine
fill a clean, sterilised jar with onions & cover with spiced pickling vinegar

pickled-onion-jars

The spiced pickling vinegar can be of any flavour & it is worth trying a few different ones.

It is possible to buy spiced pickling vinegar, or you can make your own using a different vinegar (cider, wine, raspberry vinegar etc) & add your own combination of spices. Pre-mixed pickling spices can be found in supermarkets, or you can add your own combination of chillies, ginger, pepper, mustard seeds etc..

Topper-pickled-onions

It is very easy to pickle onions, just time consuming! But a jar of home-made pickled onions is a treat – or an excellent gift or Christmas present.

Green tomato chutney

TopVeg — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:11:44 +0000

This Green tomato chutney recipe is a great combination of apples, shallots and green tomatoes. It is cheap & easy to make if you grow your own apples, shallots and green tomatoes. It is also a way of using up the damaged, pecked or wind blown apples.

green-tomatoes

Ingredients for 5 or 6 500kg jars

1.5kg green tomatoes
1 kg cooking apple
450g shallots
450g sultanas
450g demerara sugar
juice of 2 lemons
50g root ginger
50g salt
25g mustard seeds
1.75litres wine vinegar
2 red chillies

chutney-green-tomato

Method

cut up the tomatoes
peel, core and chop the apples
peel and slice the shallots
crush the ginger with a rolling pin
halve the chillies
place the ginger & chillies in a muslin bag, tie it securely & place in the preserving pan, & add all the other ingredients
put the pan on a gentle heat & stir until the sugar has dissolved
then simmer for about two hours without the lid on the pan
when there is no more runny liquid, and the chutney is creamy and thick, remove the muslin bag
pour into warm, sterilised jars, cover, seal and label
keep for 2 months to allow the flavour to develop

This recipe for green tomato chutney will make a good Christmas gift.