Pickles and Condiments » The Recipe Gallery

Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe

Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe

I enjoy Sauerkraut and I almost always have a jar in the fridge to use on Sausages, or alongside a Pork Roast, and even on Sandwiches. Unfortunately, most recipes for the home cook usually suggest you begin with 5 or 10 pounds of cabbage and then ferment the stuff in a large bucket. Unfortunately, much as I like the pickle, that sort of amount is far more than I could consume in any reasonable period.

This Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe produces a batch just small enough to fill a medium-sized Mason Jar. It requires just two ingredients, and produces a nice, crispy, and tangy pickle in only a matter of days.

Cumberland Sauce Recipe

In: Pickles & Condiments

Cumberland Sauce Recipe

When I first created this version of this classic sauce, I originally called it ‘Cumberland Sound Sauce’ as I was living on Baffin Island in Northern Canada at the time, and not very far from the actual Cumberland Sound. The English classic is commonly used with Game meats and I anticipated using it with Caribou (aka Reindeer), which abounds up in those parts as the local Venison.

Finally, I also planned to redevelop the sauce using local berries but, alas, that plan did not come to (ahem) fruition, and so what I the condiment you see pictured above is basically a classic Cumberland Sauce. Still, it is very rich and sharply fruity, and it works beautifully with lots of Game, Poultry, and other meat dishes, both hot and cold.

Pickled Shallots Recipe

In: Pickles & Condiments

A Pickled Shallots Recipe

For a long time, I found it impossible to buy the sort of largish English Pub-style Pickled Onions I used to enjoy, or even the proper size of Onions required to make them myself. In most places I have lived in Canada, the very small, Silver Skin types of Pickled Onions are about the only sort commonly available, and, while I like these, I prefer the larger sort. Because of this, I created the Pickles you see above using Shallots instead.

Scallion Garlic Pesto Recipe

In: Pickles & Condiments

Scallion Garlic Pesto Recipe

Some years ago, a blogger friend posted a recipe for a Pesto she made using Ramps. I was dying to try it but, to this day, I have yet to see this interesting sounding ingredient in any markets close to me. I was inspired, however, to try something similar using Scallion, buttressed with lots of garlic, and the Pesto you see above was subsequently born. It is a pleasing alternative to the popular Genoese style Pesto made with Basil, and it is every bit as versatile.

Pesto Piccante Pasta Sauce

In: Pickles & Condiments

Pesto Piccante Pasta Sauce

After having made variations on this recipe for quite a while, I discovered that the name I came up with, Pesto Piccante, has, already been used before, chiefly, as far as I can see, for commercial tomato-based productions looking a bit like an Italian Salsa. Well, screw it … I am going to use the name anyway.

I originally put together this Pesto with a view to doing something a little different than the usual Genoese style with garlic and pine-nuts, and I decided to use green olives and green Jalapeno for a tangier, spicier result. As with the typical Pesto alla Genovese, this sauce is quite versatile and can have many used beyond being a pasta (as a Bruschetta topping, or a condiment for grilled meat, for instance), but it definitely shines on freshly cooked pasta and, if you follow along, I will show you an example of a very nice spaghetti dish using it that way.

Chimichurri Sauce

In: Pickles & Condiments

Chimichurri is an Argentinian preparation used with grilled meats. Though essentially a sauce, it is also used as a marinade and a basting mix as well as being served alongside, or on top of meat at the table. Essentially, it consists of parsley and garlic in oil and wine vinegar but there are many other additions with oregano being widely added, as well as cilantro, chili, onion, cumin, paprika and lemon juice. In my version here, I am cleaving fairly closely to the basic theme except that I am entirely replacing the oregano with thyme and reducing the usual vinegar quotient a bit as I find that too much acidity overwhelms the more delicate flavors of the parsley. Naturally, you can experiment with the ingredients however you like.

Spicy Pickled Bell Peppers

In: Pickles & Condiments

Spicy Pickled Bell Peppers

I often have a jar of commercially pickled Banana Peppers in my fridge as I like to have them on hand to add to Sandwiches, Burgers, Nachos, and many other things where a little spicy tang is needed. Still, while the commercial brands are nice to have, I also like making my own stuff. Unfortunately, most mild peppers available in supermarkets are green (Jalapeño, or Anaheim, for example), and they tend to turn an unattractive greyish color after they have been pickling for a while, while the red types available are mostly WAY too hot for my needs. Anyway, I hit upon the idea of using tiny red and orange bell peppers (which are increasingly common these days), and adding smaller, very hot chillies to the pickling mix to provide the right ‘bite’.

Mint Sauce Recipe

In: Pickles & Condiments

Daikon Water Kimchi

In: Pickles & Condiments

Daikon Water Kimchi

Most people are familiar with the Korean Kimchi composed of cabbage, fermented in huge pots, and colored a brilliant, vivid red from lashings of Gochujang, or Chili Powder. There are thousands of types of Kimchi however, and many of these involve vegetables other than cabbage being fermented in brine, without a lot of other ingredients. These sorts of simple pickle are referred to generally, as varieties of ‘Water Kimchi’, in Korea, and radishes, especially those known by the Japanese name ‘Daikon’ are probably the most popular. The process is not complicated, and crisp, tangy pickles can be prepared, and ready for the table, in as little as two, or three days.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

In: Pickles & Condiments

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

This sauce enhances the lovely sweet and smoky flavors of Roasted Red Bell Peppers with the mellowed bite of lightly fried garlic. Other than a little optional salt and sugar, no other flavorings are added, which makes the result very extendable. It can be used as a sauce, dip, or condiment in its own right, but is largely designed to be an ingredient in other dishes, or a starting point for other condiments and sauces.