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Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 14 March 2020

• Preserves
• Gluten Free
• Lacto Fermented

When we had a Cauliflower in the fridge 4 weeks ago which was looking a bit past it Sue decided to have a play with my strange Lacto-fermenting gig. A bold step for a qualified Chef who knows if we were still in the trade the EHO would go nuts!

But Cauliflower Chilli Pickle is pretty cool. So as we have eaten the last batch – version #2 with whole Black Peppercorns and Red Chilli Pods…..

Ingredients:-

½ a Cauliflower head, chopped into lumps.
2 tbsp Salt
Whole Black Peppercorns
2 Red Chilli Pods
Chilli flakes
450ml Water

Method:-

(1) Add the Salt to the Water and heat to dissolve.
(2) Allow to cool to room temperature.
(3) Cram all the other bits & bobs in to a clip top jar. Allow a bit of heat room so you can get everything under the brine.
(4) Pour the brine over everything, making sure all the raw bits are submerged.
(5) Close the lid and forget about it for 3 weeks!

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 14 March 2020

• Preserves
• Gluten Free
• Lacto Fermented
• Asian Recipes
• Sauces

I went to Liverpool a few months ago working and invaded the “Chinese Quarter” I bought a bottle of Tianjin with not the slightest idea what it was. So……. Google is our friend & we like Lacto Fermenting….

Give it 3 weeks in a warmish dark place… This is probably so far from a traditional recipe and  it’s possibly very un-cool. But I’ll bet it works. This is a sweet brine, which is a bit different for me. Also the Tomato Puree has Citric Acid added so I used Bicarb to kill it.

Ingredients:-

1 Swede, cut into thin strips
1 Tub of Tomato Puree
1 tsp of Sodium Bicarbonate
1 Onion, quartered
2 tbsp Chilli Flakes
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Salt
450ml Water

The water and salt need to be pretty rigid, as you want a 2% brine (Or over). Everything else can be cobbled!

Method:-

(1) Heat the Water, Salt and Sugar in a pan until both Salt & Sugar have dissolved.
(2) Set aside to cool to room temperature.
(3) Mix your Tomato Puree and Bicarb in a bowl and allow 20 minutes for the Bicarb to kill the Citric Acid.
(4) add everything to a Kilner type clip top jar and give it a good shake.
(5) After a day open to check it’s bubbling. If so it’s alive and working!
(5) Hide it at the back of a cupboard for 3 to 4 weeks.
(6) Enjoy!

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 12 March 2020

• Sides
• Vegetarian
• Gluten Free

The humble spud is one of the regular low cost Carbohydrate sources we use. Pasta and Rice are regulars too. But eventually you can get a bit fed up with Roasted, boiled, chipped, mashed etc. So which not mix it up a bit? Hassleback Potatoes with Cheese melted over them?

According to Taste Magazine - “ Hasselbacking is a cooking method in which potatoes or other items are sliced not-quite-all-the-way through in thin, even layers, which can be stuffed or topped with additional flavourings. It’s a way of creating more surface area for flavours and creating additional texture. As a technique, it’s nothing new. The most widely circulated origin story is that hasselbackspotatis were first served in the 1950s at the Hasselbacken Restaurant and Hotel in Stockholm “ - I’m not sure if this is true or not, but it’s a nice story….

Our version:-

Ingredients:-

1 large Potato each
Salt & Pepper
1 generous slice of Cheddar Cheese each
Oil

Method:-

(1) With a sharp knife cut the Potato through about 90% of it’s depth, leaving enough uncut so that it will still hold together.
(2) Rub well with Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper.
(3) Drizzle with Oil.
(4) Place in a preheated oven at 180c with a roast if that’s what they are to accompany for 30 minutes.
(5) After 30 minutes lay the Cheese over the Potato and put back in the oven for a further 30 minutes or so. You want the Cheese to have melted into the cuts, bubbled and browned slightly on the skin.

We like to have 3 vegetables when we’re having a “Dinner” dinner, so a bit of flash fried Kale and some herb glazed Carrots did the trick.

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 11 March 2020

• Takes a bit of time
• Preserves
• Lacto Fermented
• Asian Recipes

There are probably a million Kimchi recipes and most will be family versions which are not written down as such. There is a tale behind this one. We bought a bag of Bean Sprouts for a stir-fry three weeks ago and as usual there were far too many for the two of us. So in a jar they went!

There’s a lot of “Witchcraft” spouted about the health benefits of Lacto-fermented vegetables. I’m sure it’s probably better for us than industrially made pickles. But we make it more because it’s fun, it tastes good and it’s a way of preserving bits and bobs which would otherwise die in the bottom of the fridge….

Ingredients:-

¾ of a bag of Bean Sprouts
2 small Onions
1/8 of a Red Cabbage
4 dried red Chilli pods
2 tsp Chilli Powder
Salt for brine
2 500ml Kilner type clip top jars

Method:-

(1) Make a 2% brine. That’s about 4 heaped table spoons of Salt to 1 litre of water. Allow this to cool to room temperature.
(2) Slice the larger items.
(3) Add the mixed ingredients to the jars and allow 1cm space at the top.
(4) Pour the brine over the veg and make sure everything is covered.
(5) Clip the lids and pop in a cupboard for 3+ weeks.
(6) Give the jams a swirl once in a while.

Once the fermentation has finished the gas production will settle down and your Kimchi will last for Months. Well not here it wont!