Piccalilli with Pears and a Hint of Red Chilli (includes Thermomix method)

The perennial English mustard pickle favourite - punchy, crunchy piccalilli is perfect with pork pie, cheeses and cold meats all year around.

Having a kitchen helper or two will shave lots of preparation time from the recipe (whether they're smaller versions of yourself, or a clever appliance you can plug into the wall!), however it's all worth it for the amount of jars you'll end up with, which you can share around the family and friends (or hoard all for yourself if you're a complete piccalilli fiend!).

You'll end up with around three metric tonnes of piccalilli... no, just kidding, but you will need a pretty mahoosive pot to mix it all together with at the end: e.g. a 5 litre stock pot will do it - or use two large pans - or alternatively you can easily halve the quantities in this recipe. The whole recipe will make 4,800 to 4,900g piccalilli, so have plenty of jars ready to go - and it will easily last a year or more in sterilised jars.

How much it makes - smallest jars 326g

It's your choice whether to make this a chunky piccalilli to have as a side to cheddar, pork pie, ploughman's salad etc., or whether to cut it more finely, so you can have it as a sandwich pickle. I tend to cut mine on the finer side, so that it can be enjoyed as a side, and in lovely doorstep sandwiches. Makes a fabulous gift, and has a much more tasty and refined flavour than the bought jars of piccalilli which can be rather astringent from the vinegars used in them, or packed full of sugar.

Best started the evening before, as the vegetables need to brine for at least 8 hours - or start off in the morning, and finish off that evening.

Ingredients

• 1.7kg vegetables of your choice, see below for mine, in italics (e.g. cauliflower, courgettes / zucchini, green beans, daikon/mooli, turnip, runner beans, carrots etc.)
  [My choice of vegetables: 2 cauliflowers, cut into florets (with as short as stalks as possible - 1kg weight of florets) and 700g courgettes / zucchini (about three large ones)]
• 6 firm pears (e.g. Conference)
• 100g salt
• 1.7 litres cider vinegar
• 2" piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated/finely chopped
• 6 tbsp brown/black mustard seeds
• 2 large red chillies, de-seeded
• 300g golden caster sugar
• 80-90g cornflour (thinner/thicker sauce - use precise scales, e.g. digital)
• 50g English mustard powder
• 2 x 15ml tbsp turmeric
• 400-500g drained weight of pickled silverskin or pearl onions in clear vinegar (go for the little pearl ones, if you want to make this as sandwich pickle - I like the ones in white balsamic vinegar, which are well worth getting if you happen to see any - available in Tesco!) - you could of course buy raw pearl onions and peel them all yourself, and add them to the recipe with the rest of the vegetables, but I find life is far too short for peeling hundreds of little onions for pickling!

Method

(See below for Thermomix method in Italics)

Mix the salt with two litres of cold water in a very large non-metal bowl or dish. Cut all of the vegetables and pears (core them, but don't peel them) into evenly sized pieces - I like to cut mine into around 3/4 centimetre dice, or you can cut them up to, say, 2-3cm dice if you want a really chunky piccalilli - just keep them consistent sizes. Add the vegetables to the bowl as you cut them, and then leave overnight (or do them in the morning and go to the next stage in the evening - just give them at least eight hours).

After they've brined (for at least 8 hours), drain the vegetables, rinse them, and drain again, then put them into a large pan. At this point, you can drain the pickled onions over a measuring jug, and use the vinegar from them to make up the 1.7 litres you'll need, if desired. Add the vinegar, ginger, brown/black mustard seeds, finely chopped de-seeded chillies and sugar to the pan. Bring everything to the boil (this will take a fair few minutes owing to the quantity) and simmer for 2-8 mins depending on the size of your diced vegetables until the veg is just tender but still with a little bite (test after 2 minutes). For the next part, you need to KEEP the liquid you pour off (I'm only warning you first, as I've drained things in the past, then realised I was supposed to reserve the liquid after I've poured it down the sink!). You'll need 2 litres of the liquid (you'll probably have just over 2 litres), so find something large to drain the vegetables over to catch the liquid (a large measuring jug is ideal).

In a separate bowl, combine the cornflour, mustard powder and turmeric together, then add to the now empty pan and gradually whisk in the reserved two litres of vinegar mixture, going quite slowly at first until it is all combined without lumps. Turn the heat back on, and bring to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly (it will still be runny). Add the vegetables to the sauce, along with the drained onions, and stir everything together until combined. Divide the hot mixture between sterilised jars, and seal. Once cooled, store in a cool dark place, and refrigerate once opened. Will keep for many, many months unopened.

Thermomix Method

Mill the 100g salt to a powder 30 seconds / Speed 10. Add the 2 litres / 2,000g cold water, rinse down the powdered salt 5 seconds / Speed 6, then dissolve by stirring 2 minutes / Speed 3 to make your brine.

Add the brine to a large non-metal bowl / container (or two large containers), and chop the vegetables and pears as follows (I have done them in half batches, so if you only want to make half the quantity of piccalilli, it's easy to halve). This is for a small to medium dice, as in the photo at the top.

Cut the courgettes / zucchini into 2 inch lengths, add 350g to the bowl at a time, and chop 3 seconds / Speed 4, then tip into brine.

Cut the cauliflower florets off the cauliflower, leaving minimal stalks on the florets, then add to the bowl 500g at a time, and chop 4 seconds / Speed 4 and tip into brine.

Top and tail the pears, quarter them, cut out the core and then cut each quarter into 2 or 3 pieces. Add half of the pears at a time to the bowl, and chop 2 seconds / Speed 4.

If you have used other types of vegetables, generally chop up to 500g at a time, on Speed 4, for 2-4 seconds, or until chopped to your liking. Reduce time for smaller quantities of vegetables.

Once you have chopped all of the vegetables and pears and put them in the brine, leave overnight (or do them in the morning and go to the next stage in the evening - just give them at least eight hours).

After they've brined (for at least 8 hours), drain the vegetables (the Varoma is quite useful as a colander - you might need to do in two batches though!), rinse them, and drain again, then put them into a very large pan or stock pot. At this point, you can drain the pickled onions over a large measuring jug, and use the vinegar from them to make up the 1.7 litres of vinegar you'll need, if desired. Add the vinegar, ginger, brown/black mustard seeds, finely chopped de-seeded chillies (drop onto running blades speed 8) and sugar to the pan. Bring everything to the boil (this will take a fair few minutes owing to the quantity) and simmer for 2-8 mins depending on the size of your diced vegetables until the veg is just tender but still with a little bite (test after 2 minutes). For the next part, you need to KEEP the liquid you pour off (I'm only warning you first, as I've drained things in the past, then realised I was supposed to reserve the liquid after I've poured it down the sink!). You'll need 2 litres of the liquid (you'll probably have just over 2 litres), so find something large to drain the vegetables over to catch the liquid (a large measuring jug is ideal), then add the vegetables back to the pan and set aside (not on the same ring on the hob, as it will still be hot!).

In the clean and dry Thermomix bowl, weigh in the 80-90g cornflour, 50g mustard powder and two 15ml tbsp (or one and a half 20ml tbsp) turmeric together, then mix together 5 seconds / Speed 4 / MC on. Add 500g of the reserved vinegar mixture, and mix 30 seconds / Speed 4 / MC on, then scrape down and add the remaining 1,500g of the reserved vinegar, and cook for 8 minutes / 100C / Speed 4 / MC on, until slightly thickened (it will still be runny). Add the mustard sauce back to the pan with the vegetables, along with the drained pickled onions, and stir everything together until combined. Divide the hot mixture between sterilised jars, and seal. Once cooled, store in a cool dark place, and refrigerate once opened. Will keep for many, many months unopened.