Polish Brined gherkins [OGΓ“RKI KISZONE]

Click on image for the recipe!

Summer means that my parents have an abundance of cucumbers and gherkins. They eat the cucumbers, the gherkins, well in good Polish tradition, they pickle them or preserve them in brine – a water solution which is flavoured with salt, pepper, garlic, horseradish, mustard seeds, bay leaves and the all important dill, is left to ferment over time. You can add chilli however I am keeping to mums basic traditional recipe.

As the brine ferments they become sour in flavour and take on the spice from the garlic and pepper. Mum sometimes adds fresh horseradish if it is available.

For fresh and crunchy gherkins you can pop open your jars on about the 4th day, if you can’t wait, however for a tangy and more fermented gherkin keep them fermenting around 2 – 4 weeks where their flavour will be bold and tangy, absolutely delish! Your brine will become a little cloudy which is absolutely ok.Β 

After you have popped the lid and are ready to enjoy, these will keep in the fridge for up to a month….not in my house tho! Gone in a matter of days. Gherkins were a staple at my families breakfast, lunch and dinner table on a weekly basis. No Sunday brunch extravaganza would be complete without these making it to the dinning table.Β 

Smacznego!

Β 

Sweet Dill Pickled Pine Mushrooms

Click image for this Sweet Dill Pickled Mushroom recipe

Sweet Dill Pickled Pine Mushrooms… What better way to store your freshly foraged wild mushrooms for a long time than pickling them?

I love a sweet pickle, always have, so I naturally gravitate to this pickling liquid but there are plenty of methods of pickling and flavour combinations that you will develop your very own favourite pickling brine in no time.

Enjoy! Blondie πŸ™‚

Curried Green Tomatoes and Cranberry Relish

Curried Green Tomatoes and Cranberry Relish
Click image for recipe

Curried Green Tomatoes and Cranberry Relish is a small batch recipe using green tomatoes. Yes, these are the very same green tomatoes from Bella’s neighbour… they seriously have lots of tomatoes!

I graciously received a large bowl of tomatoes last week and I chose to make a relish, although I’m not quite sure if I should call it a relish or a chutney? They seem to be the same… anyway, surprisingly, after a discussion with mum about my relish she tells me that it was a favourite recipe of grandpa’s and he made something almost identical whenever his veggie garden was flowing over with tomatoes. It just goes to show that flavour traits can run strong within families.

Bella made a Pickled Green Tomato with her stash and I also wanted something that could be served with nibbles since the Christmas season is fast coming up. It’s also the reason why I added cranberries to the recipe, just makes it a little more festive. Maybe I should call this a Christmas Relish, it certainly deserves a place on the dinner table.

Serve with any roast meat, on a sandwich using leftovers, or on your breakfast eggs… delicious!

Curried Green Tomatoes and Cranberry Relish

Enjoy! Β Blondie