Pulling a jar of Sweet and Sour Pickled Vegetables could be a start to a Meatless Monday dinner.
You won't be able to serve this Sweet and Sour Pickled Vegetables Recipe from Jam, Jelly, Relish (Kyle Books, Spring 2011) this evening of course. There are many Mondays left in the year.
It is part of the Autumn section of the book anyway.
Sweet and Sour Pickled Vegetables
A jar of these pickled vegetables makes a great present. The radishes do bleed their color into the vinegar so, if you prefer, leave them out and use a whole cucumber. I recommend baby carrots for this as their small size looks more attractive in the jar, but thickly sliced regular carrots do the job just as well.
Makes about 13/4 quarts (1.8 liters)
Keeps for at least a year
12/3 cups white wine vinegar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 heaping tablespoon kosher salt
5oz (150g) shallots, plunged into boiling water then peeled
1 small cauliflower, broken into smallish florets
1/2lb (250g) baby carrots, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
or 1/2lb regular carrots, cut into thick, diagonal slices
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced
1/2 cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced thickly
6oz (175g) radishes
Pour the vinegars into a large pan with 1 cup water and add the sugar, bay
leaves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and salt. Bring slowly to a boil and when
the liquid is boiling rapidly, add the shallots. Cook for 2 minutes, then add
the cauliflower and carrots. Stir into the liquid and cook for 11/2 minutes, then
stir in the fennel and cucumber. Cook for another 11/2 minutes, then remove
from the heat.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables into warm sterilized jars,
interspersing them with the raw radishes. Pour in the hot liquid to cover
the vegetables completely. Seal the jars and store for 2 weeks before eating.
(* Recipe reproduced courtesy of the publisher, all rights reserved, Photograph by Laura Hynd)