In a Pickle at Christmas

House Doctor Food Factory Jars filled with Italian Pickles in Oil

One of the things I love about modern life is that we get inspiration from all over the globe, but at Christmas this equates to having your cake, everyone else's cake and eating it all after a huge turkey dinner. As if Christmas cake, pudding, yule log, trifle and mincepies aren't enough, we then make sure we have panetonne, stollen and fortune cookies in the house. Lovely .... but there are limits.

So this year I have been making some changes and concentrating on the savoury bits. After all, everyone in my family professes to prefer the Boxing Day cold cuts to any other part of Christmas feast. The gravalax, the turkey and stuffing sandwich (with hamisha gherkins, cranberry and mayonnaise or it just isn't the real deal), the Christmas ham...

So to keep the multiculturalism alive and well, I decided to resurrect a recipe an Italian chef of ours used to make to accompany cold platter lunches in one of the restaurants we had when I was growing up. In my book, far better than a pickled onion, she used to make pickled vegetables by blanching them in hot wine vinegar and then keeping them covered in olive oil with herbs and garlic. As long as you keep them below the oil, they keep for a good long time, but frankly I am not expecting ours to last much longer than boxing day. They are good made a week in advance but a few days will do so you still have time!

Ingredients

Orla Kiely Extras for the Ultimate Allotment Chic

1 litre white wine vinegar
1 litre water
2 tablespoons sea salt
500ml extra virgin olive oil - perhaps a little more to cover your veg
5 or 6 cloves of garlic finely sliced
Sprigs of woody herbs such as thyme, sage, rosemary and / or bay for flavour
1kg vegetables

The vegetables can be whatever you fancy - the Italians do this with all sorts of veg from char grilled aubergines to peppers or wild mushrooms. I've gone with a mix of courgettes, red peppers for Christmas colour, fennel bulb because I love it, romesco Cauliflower because I though little florets would look like mini Christmas trees and carrots. Shallots might be good too.

Prepare your vegetables in bite size pieces and have some sterilized jars (put them through the dishwasher on a hot wash if you can) to hand. Alternatively if they are for your own use and you are planning to eat them all up soon, you can do them in and covered container and keep them in the fridge. Place the olive oil, herbs and garlic in a mixing bowl. You can add chilli too if you fancy.

Bring the water, vinegar and salt to the boil on the hob. Add your vegetables and simmer for 3 minutes. Then strain with a slotted spoon or through a colander, shaking off the excess vinegar. Mix into the bowl with the oil and herbs whilst hot and they will absorb some of the oil and flavour immediately. Finally, jar the up, making sure all the vegetables are kept below the oil and tapping the sides of the jar to release any trapped air.It is the fact that the oil keeps the vegetables away from the air which really preserves them, so put a little less in the jar and a little more oil if needs be. Seal and label the jars. Keep in a cool, dark place for a week or up to three months.

If you keep the vinegar / water mix you can top it up to make a couple more batches but you can't keep it for ever. The olive oil, however, ends up flavoured with all the herbs so is great for dressings after you have eaten the veg.

Addendum

I have given some of these jars as gifts to hosts who have invited us over the Christmas party season. I also like potting up some pansies and cyclamen in a simple pot as a small gift as it adds some nice autumn colour to the garden. I was going to write another post about this, but the life of a retailer at Christmas can be hectic, so here is a quick picture instead! Have a great Christmas!

That's a Wrap, Folks! Anyone for a Double?

Paper Angels by Jurianne Matter

They say that presentation is everything. Mind you, they say all sorts of things. Still, I'm rolling with this

Gnome Candles by Rice, Wine Glass by House Doctor

particular phrase this Christmas and getting the wrapping done early so that rather than throwing paper and tape at gifts on Christmas Eve, distracted by the smell of wine mulling, urchins singing carols and the gentle sound of snow falling (obviously, we live in a novel by Dickens), I am instead, wrapping a few presents as and when I can of an evening. Besides - it gets you in the mood.

My secret weapon in the quest for beautiful presents this year is some double sided wrap by House Doctor. I've found that folding back one or two edges over to reveal the pattern on the other side, and sometimes wrapping at a jaunty angle, is a great alternative to using ribbon. It takes a little practice and experimentation to get going, but I am really pleased with the results. People who are getting two small parcels get to have one wrapped one way and one the other.

I like small gifts at Christmas - things that friends can use and consume - and making them look special from the outside just shows that extra little thought and attention.
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House Doctor Wrap, House Doctor Star Candle Holders

Paper Stars Made from Strips by Rice, Copper Lidded Box  by House Doctor

Christmas Tree Lights by Think Gadgets

Owl Decoration and Mercury White Glass Bauble by House Doctor

Here Today, Scone Tomorrow

There's snow hope, apparently, we are due for a white washing. I don't mind at all as I have a fondness for

knitwear and snowball fights, but to me, snow days are baking days too. We grew up in the countryside with one of the best snowing slopes in the south west on our land. Kids from all over the valley would come to play on that slope, which turned into a lethal near-vertical ice sheet from over use.

But the best thing was when twilight began to descend and the bulk of my friends would start wandering home, mum would have baked scones for those of us left over. With these thoughts and the upcoming Christmas season in mind, I've put together a fruit scone swirl recipe, with a little cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed peel in the recipe to give it an extra seasonal kick. Now I just need it to snow so I can bake it again and take some to my niece's friends when they are sledging in our local park.

Ingredients:

For the basic scone mix:
400g self raising flour
100g butter
40g sugar
120ml milk approximately

For the fruity filling
80g butter
80g soft brown sugar
180g dried fruit e.g. sultanas, raisins, mixed peel
1 grated desert apple
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg grated

Preheat the oven to 210 degrees centigrade
Makes about 15 scones

Put the butter, flour and sugar in a mixing bowl and crumb together. Using the finger tips of one hand, gather the crumbs into a soft dough as you add the milk slowly. Don't add it all at once. The dough should be workable so don't add all the milk if it feels too wet to roll out!

Roll the dough out into a square approximately 35x35cm on a well floured surface so that it is easy to roll later when needed.

In a small pan, heat the butter and sugar for the filling gently. Keep stirring it so the sugar dissolves in but doesn't burn. Bring it to a gentle simmer for 1 minute. Add all the fruit and spices, then spread this mix over the scone base. Roll the whole lot into a sausage. Firm down the "seam" when you reach the end, then cut the sausage into 2cm slices, each one being one of the scones.

Place on a buttered baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. You may need to turn the tray for the last 5 minutes to make sure they cook evenly.

Picture credits
Vintage by Hemmingway Carnival Cake Tins
Rice DK Tray