In my life one of the worst places you could ever place me would be in the kitchen. I didn’t want to be there and it didn’t want me there.
But after moving to a foreign country where you don’t know as many people I have found myself doing what my grandmother always used to do and that is gathering people around food and showing appreciation with food.
Dinner parties has now become my favourite thing to host and I feel the spirit of grandmother wash through me, and I know that I am right where I am suppose to be.
But I also love to impress so I love making things from scratch and here are some things that always seem to do the trick.
Picked red onions
Ingredients:
Red onions
White malt vinegar
Sugar
Spices of your choice
Method
· Prepare an airtight jar by cleaning and scalding it.
· Cut as many red onions as the jar can hold.
· Heat up a white vinegar of your choice and sugar (I use white malt vinegar, but have heard of people using white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar as well).
· Equal parts vinegar and sugar, about a cup each depending on the amount you’re making.
· Add the onions to the pot for 2-3 minutes.
· Remove onions and put them into the jar.
· When all the sugar has dissolved, pour it over the red onions and let it cool in the fridge.
· And there you go, easy and delicious pickled red onions.
· You can also add whatever kind of whole spices you prefer. I added fennel seeds and peppercornsto mine because I had them lying around. Bay leaves, fresh thyme or even a cinnamon stick can also be used.)
Red pickled onions is a great little extra touch to put on almost anything.
I like to put it in my salad, in sandwiches, or really just on anything that might be a bit bland and needs a bit of a pickled kick.
Jam
Ingredients:
Red onions
White malt vinegar
Sugar
Spices of your choice
Method:
· Get the berry or plums you prefer; I used Mirabelle plums for my jam this year (tasted amazing, but pitting all the plums was a nightmare).
· Put it in a pot and add sugar, a lot of sugar, and some lemon juice.
· Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for 30 minutes or until it has the desired consistency.
Salt pickled lemons
Ingredients:
Red onions
White malt vinegar
Sugar
Spices of your choice
Method:
· Cut an X halfway into the lemons
· When pouring a spoonful of salt into the cuts and putting it into a clean, scalded jar
· Do this with as many lemons as you can fit, and then pour some more salt over the lemons.
· Then you start mashing the lemons to get as much juice out of them as possible but without breaking the lemons.
· The juice should almost cover the lemons; if not, use the juice of other lemons to get it completely covered.
· Then close your airtight jar and leave it in a cool dark place for a month.
Salt pickled lemons are a great addition to moroccan meals, in chicken or fish dishes, and you can also blend the lemons skins and use it for salad dressings or in soups.
IMPORTANT
As you can see on the picture some of the lemons come above the surface so it is a good idea to shake the jar semi reguarly as the lemon juice makes it harder for mold to build.
It is also a good idea to add some more lemon juice weekly because the salt can absorb some of the liquid.
It is also important to open the lid once a week to relieve some of the pressure that comes with pickling.
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