A Year in Preserving - Pickled Shallots

The ploughman's lunch has almost become a cliche and its history will be argued about every time people sit down to a hunk of bread, a slab of cheese and a pickled onion. There is little doubt that this is the sort of lunch that a farm labourer would have taken with him into the fields to satisfy his hunger as his horses rested. However, during the 1970's it became standard fare in pubs across the country. It requires very little skill or time to prepare, thus not requiring a chef. It was made up of relatively cheap ingredients (at least compared to cold meats). It was also cold so did not require a full kitchen in which to prepare it.
I love the simple combination of bread, cheese and something acidic and strong flavoured. The powerful sharp kick of a well made pickled onion cuts through the fattiness of the cheese and seasons the whole meal. The only thing missing is a pint of foaming English ale!
We have pickled food in brine or vinegar for many centuries. As a method of preserving it is very effective. The acidity or salinity prohibits bacterial growth and as they are liquids, oxygen is excluded minimising spoilage.
My paternal grandmother produced wonderful pickled onions. Strictly speaking she pickled shallots, but she wasn't a woman one corrected. It is a shame that she passed away long before I was interested in food and so I was never able to steal her recipe but over the past few years I have developed a method of pickling onions/shallots which has never failed me.
At this time of year I purchase a couple of kilos of shallots and start pickling with one eye on the Festive period of midwinter.
Sarsons have been making vinegar since the 18th century and I always have one of their large jars of pickling vinegar in stock. These large bottles are also perfect for making your pickled onions in as they have a nice wide neck and the labels are placed on the jars with water soluble glue (I wish all producers would do this as it would make re-using much easier and cut down on the amount energy involved in recycling glass.)
On the subject of pickling vinegar, you an add any robust spices to the manufacturers product and despite what people say, left over vinegar can be filtered (I use muslin) and used again, though you will need to add some more fresh vinegar. I kid myself that I'm building up some kind of Solera system over years with this, much like the method used with some Sherries, but I suspect it is more about my imagination than any culinary truth.

Pickled shallots (will also work for onions)

Shallots (I used about 2.5 kg)
Pickling vinegar
Salt
Spics (Dried Chillies, Black peppercorns, Bay leaves, or whatever you fancy)

Place the shallots in a large colander and pour over boiling water. Leave them for 3 or 4 minutes and then peel them.

Blanched and ready to peel

Place them in a bowl adding a good handful of salt for every layer of shallots.
Leave this bowl in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours. (I tend to go for about 16 hours)

Ready for pickling

Wash the shallots and dry them on a tea towel.
Pop them in jars with your spices and pour on the vinegar. Make sure that your onions are covered and that your spices are forced down if they float or trapped if they sink. Be careful with chillies, if you add too many you may render the onions inedible, I know this from bitter, or rather burning experience. 

Ready for storage

They will be perfectly good after about 5 weeks but will continue to improve for many months. I recommend you taste regularly to make sure!
Note - The salting process is vital. The reason why a lot of commercial pickled onions are soft and lack crunch is because they have been brined and not salted. This means that they maintain weight but loose firmness. A pickled onion without firmness is not very appealing.
I began this piece focusing on the Ploughman's lunch. Generally I tend to serve pickled onions and shallots with a cheeseboard or a supper board made up of dried meats and cheese, or I simply place them alongside the feast of leftovers that is, Boxing Day Lunch.

Preserving for Boxing Day

This weekend, I was left to my own devices as the Beautiful Wife was on a residential course. My usual default position under such circumstances is to by a vast quantity of mussels and cock them with shallots. garlic. white wine and cream. This Friday was no exception and they were quite delicious.
There are, however, much more important things that you need to do before Christmas. Primarily you need to do an audit of all your preserves. You may make your own chutneys, jams and such or you may have been given many jars that have found their way to the back of the cupboard. Now is the time to bring them into the light in preparation for the cold cuts that will inevitably grace your table from Boxing day onward.
My audit revealed several jars that I had forgotten about (much of my marmalade can now wear the tag "Vintage" with pride) several of these jars were chutneys and pickles.

The preserve audit.

It was noticeable that there was one glaring absence - The king of the condiments: Piccalilli.
Having sensed earlier that this may be the case I ordered a "kit" from the team at Abel and Cole. Along with my delivery on Friday there was a second box with all the ingredients necessary to produce this lurid wonder.
On Sunday and set to. The recipe that came with the box was simple and straightforward and all the ingredients were of the usual quality one would expect from such an organisation. In short, everything about this product was first class.
The style of piccalilli was quite rustic with whole cumin and coriander grated ginger and finely chopped garlic. This was coupled with turmeric and mustard to give the shocking colour. One of the aspects of pickling any veg (and this is something that a lot of commercial pickled onion makers get wrong) is that the veg themselves must be salted for a considerable length of time (obviously depending on size) in order to ensure that they maintain their crispness.
When finished. I was left with jars of wonderfully fragrant chutney which will keep for 6 months or more - not that it will last that long. Full marks to Abel and Cole for a great product.

Piccalilli for Boxing day

Don't make me ask about whether you have bought your chestnuts yet, you have been warned!
 

The Kitchen Audit - Christmas 5

I did it today and you must too. I did a kitchen audit! This is not a spring clean this is a check on what you have in. This is important in order to save you from the dreaded double purchase through the festive season.
Remember that jar of chutney that Auntie Doris gave you at the end of September? You don't need to buy a commercial jar to go with your cold cuts on Boxing day.
Remember all that dried fruit you bought for that Birthday cake? That's your mince pie filling sorted.
Check the pickles you bought in the summer for picnics, if they're still fine then don't buy any more for cold turkey.
Mustard, salt, pepper, stock cubes, flour, and many more things are in need of checking.
Please remember that the shops are only closed for a few days, its not a 6 month siege!