Add 1 teaspoon celery seeds.
Add 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds.
RED CABBAGE KRAUT WITH JUNIPER BERRIES
Add 12 juniper berries. I always add one or two grated apples as well.
Fermentation doesn’t just stop at cabbage, though – you can ferment any vegetable or fruit.
FERMENTED BEETROOT WITH MUSTARD SEEDS AND DILL
FERMENTED BEETROOT
WITH MUSTARD SEEDS AND DILL
While kraut is synonymous with Germany, fermented beetroot with dill encapsulates what I would call ‘German flavour’. This is smashing inside a rye bread and Emmental sandwich, or with smoked salmon. Mix some with a little soured cream to dip crunchy vegetables into as a snack. Layered between thinly sliced potatoes and cream, this makes a delicate pink gratin – good with fish and chicken.
MAKES ABOUT 750ML
You will need a 1 litre preserving jar, and a smaller lidded jar that fits inside
1kg raw beetroot, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon fresh dill fronds, roughly chopped
Follow the same method as for the caraway kraut here. Start tasting the beetroot after 5 days, then continue to test daily over the next week or two until the flavour suits your taste. I like mine at the 1½-week mark.
Note: It is really important that the vegetables are covered completely with brine throughout the fermentation process, otherwise they may grow mould. The brine will evaporate over the course of a few days, usually not enough to warrant topping up, but if you notice the levels of brine dropping so much that the vegetables are starting to peep out of the top, simply make a mixture of 1 tablespoon of salt to 200ml of water and add it to the jar until the vegetables are covered by a clear centimetre.
When taking fermented produce out of its jar it is always important to use really clean utensils, so as not to contaminate the jar.
PICKLED BLACKBERRIES WITH BAY
PICKLED BLACKBERRIES WITH BAY
These can be made with all vinegar and no water if you prefer a sharper finish. I love to eat them just as I would any pickle, alongside cheese and cold meats, but they also go particularly well with fish.
MAKES ABOUT 1 × 500ML JAR
150ml white wine vinegar
75g golden caster sugar (or more, depending on how sweet the blackberries are)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
50ml water
1 fresh bay leaf
200g blackberries, cleaned and patted dry
In a small saucepan, heat the vinegar, sugar, salt, water and bay leaf, stirring occasionally until all the salt and sugar crystals have dissolved. Take off the heat and set aside to cool.
Put the blackberries into a sterilised jar and pour over the cooled vinegar mixture, ensuring that all the fruit is covered. Poke the bay leaf down the side of the jar and seal. They will be ready to eat after 24 hours in the fridge.
These keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. You can remove the bay leaf after 24 hours or leave it in, but the bay will become stronger in flavour over time.
VARIATION:
PICKLED BLUEBERRIES WITH LEMON
Follow the same method as above, but substitute blueberries for the blackberries and a strip or two of unwaxed lemon zest for the bay leaf.
MAGIC VEGETABLE BOUILLON
MAGIC VEGETABLE BOUILLON
This recipe is integral to much of my cooking and, like an heirloom, has been handed down the female generations of my mother’s side of the family. The very thought of this makes me pause each time I make it, knowing that some things will always be – except of course that I am bucking the trend by passing it on to boys.
Grossmutter used parsley roots in her bouillon, which give a wonderful deep, earthy flavour. If you are lucky enough to have parsley growing in your garden I suggest using the roots, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t. It is also a good idea for a third of the ingredients to be alliums of some kind, to get the balance of flavours right. I favour leeks, but white onions, red onions or even spring onions would do instead. The idea really is that this serves as a shortcut to a stock – I use a spoonful when cooking stews, soups and sauces. Have a play around with different vegetables and herbs – like so many recipes, this is a guide only. Fennel, coriander and celery stalks all work, and garlic can also be added but personally I find this too strong a flavour.
MAKES 1.5 LITRES
300g carrots
300g celeriac
300g leeks, washed and trimmed
100g fresh parsley (with roots if possible)
375g fine sea salt
Peel the carrots and the celeriac and chop into large chunks. Cut the leeks into 3 pieces and roughly chop the parsley. Put all the vegetables and the parsley into a food processor and blitz to a grainy consistency. Tip into a bowl and mix in the salt.
Pack the mixture tightly into sterilised jars and seal.
Store in a cool, dark place – it will keep well for up to a year. Once opened, store in the fridge, where it will keep for another 6 months. The vegetable mix will discolour the longer it is kept, but this has no impact on flavour and it is still perfectly fine to use.
NOT JUST A STRUDEL FILLING
NOT JUST A STRUDEL FILLING
The quantities for this recipe fit on to one large baking tray, but often I make two trays full, as I like to have quite a few jars handy on the shelf. This sort of preserve, which may take an hour to make, saves vast amounts of time in the long run. With a jar of this on your shelf, a Strudel is only ever 5 minutes away from going into the oven, and if you don’t even have time for that, simply heat this up in a saucepan and you have a beautiful apple ragout which can be eaten with custard, yogurt or cream.
MAKES ABOUT 1.2 LITRES (ENOUGH FOR 2 STRUDELS)
You will need a high-sided baking tray and a couple of jars
2kg Bramley apples (or a mixture of any apples you have to hand)
50g raisins
275g light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
30ml dark rum
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
Peel and core the apples and chop them into 1cm chunks. Spread them in a high-sided baking tray, strew over the raisins, and scatter the brown sugar, vanilla sugar and spices on top. Pour over the rum and toss everything with your hands so that the apples are all coated