Pleased to Be in a Pickle

I had a nice little challenge this past bank holiday weekend, and that was to cook curry using a recipe. I'm probably what people call an instinctive cook and rarely use a recipe or just have one as a guideline, so when I was offered the chance to try recipes from Tracklements using their chutneys, I was somewhat out of my comfort zone, after all I wanted to make sure I was being faithful to their instructions so I could properly appreciate the end result.

Ok, maybe I deviated a little, after all, the letter from Tracklements Customer Club did say that it was OK to adapt them, if I wanted.
For the prawn curry I stuck to the formula, but the lamb and lentil curry was tailored around what I had, or didn't have in the pantry. No puy lentils, so red lentils instead and I left out the stock cube and bouquet garni, dropping in a preferred bay leaf.

The prawn curry used Green Tomato Chutney and the lamb, Plum Chutney, both tasted great and well spiced. The prawns were quite light and fresh compared to the lamb which was rich with notes of cinnamon which came from the chutney.

I also had the privilege of trying out their new Bengal Pickle, a lovely sticky, garlicky pickle made mostly with grated carrot – not what I was expecting, but it was gorgeous, especially when I got a little citrus burst from the occasional whole coriander seed. The consistency was just right for balancing on a bit of poppadom too, so it made the journey from plate to mouth without any embarrassing drips.

Well, the meal was most enjoyable and I still have enough chutney left to make more or to eat more traditionally with cheese.

For more information about Tracklements, visit their website: tracklements.co.uk

Photos: ©childsdesign 2010

New for June: Green Bean Chutney from Tracklements

I'm pleased to say that I'm a privileged member of the Tracklements club. There's no catch, just sign up on their website and if you're chosen, well that's it, you're in the club, so to speak.
Well, what do I get for being a member? A nice little starter pack was delivered to my door containing three of their products, a booklet, some recipe cards, a quality apron and a rather snazzy jute bag. A lot more than I was expecting.

One of the products was a pre-launch jar from their limited edition Seasonal Range – Green Bean Chutney. The accompanying literature simply asked me to give my feedback and post back to Tracklements – simple. I've done that now, but as June is the month that the chutney goes on sale, I thought it would be nice to share my experience of it with you.

According to Tracklements, Green Bean Chutney is the antecedent of Piccalilli. It looks a lot like it's relation in the jar, a bright rich yellow. I spooned some out on to my plate and the beans were generously dominant – a good inch or so long. It certainly didn't disappoint on the quantity of the star ingredient, as is sometimes the case with other off the shelf pickles. The beans were nice and crunchy and bathed in a sweet, yet piquant sauce (can I call it that?) its luscious golden turmeric hue, dotted with juicy sultanas and pepped up by mustard, was quite moreish and went well with some bread and goats cheese. The literature suggests it goes well with cold meats or pork pies, but the right type of strong cheese really sets it off too.

Although commercially produced, all of Tracklements products are handmade in small batches, utilising fresh ingredients to traditional recipes. I can imagine huge bubbling pots being hand stirred by people wielding giant wooden spoons – whether this is true or not, I quite like that self conjured image in my mind.
Either way, the end result does have a home made quality to it.

For more information on Tracklements products and where to buy, visit their website: www.tracklements.co.uk

Spicy Tomato Chutney

Today the house is filled with an enticing fruity, spicy vinegary smell, as I’m making chutney.

It’s just as well we’re not getting tired of eating the 35 pounds or so of tomatoes from this year’s harvest, but it is rather slow going. Time to preserve them, I think. I’ve already oven dried and bottled some, but this time I want to make something that will keep well and can be brought out at Christmas time.
I’m having to improvise a little, so this recipe, of sorts, can really only serve as guide, but I hope you get the idea.

You will need… Loads of tomatoes, chopped, probably about 3 lb. I filled a large colander.
3 medium sized onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
8 oz sugar
white wine vinegar, approximately 4 fluid oz
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp black mustard seeds
half tsp ground cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp kalonji* seeds
half tsp dried red chilli flakes
1 tsp salt

How to make it… It’s easy really. Just put all the ingredients into a large pan and mix well to combine. Place on the stove and turn on the heat to a gentle setting and slowly bring to a simmer.
Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. You must make sure it doesn’t catch and burn otherwise this will spoil the taste by making it bitter.
I left it on the heat for a very long time until it had reduced by half and took on a glossy jammy consistency.
Afterwards I left it to cool slightly and then ladled it into sterilised jars.

So, how did it turn out?

Well, considering that I made the recipe up as I went along, I don't think it turned out too bad.

The flavour is intense with tomato with an agreeable balance of sweet and sourness. The spices give a good background warmth and the whole fennel and kalonji seeds punctuate the chutney with their respective aniseed and earthy flavours.

Overall, the chutney has a good depth of fruitiness with layers of spicy fragrance.

I reckon it'll be a good partner to a mature cheddar cheese and also great for perking up any leftover cold turkey.

*Kalonji seeds are also known as black onion or nigella seeds.