[Recipe] Bread and Butter Pickle

[decorum]

Expanding from other threads where this pickle was mentioned ...


I claim absolutely no title to this recipe, it's blatantly and wholeheartedly nicked from elsewhere!


There are lots and lots of Bread and Butter Pickle recipes out there, this one's about as simple and straightforward as you'll find

I've included one or two comments or alterations which are based on either personal preference or working round not having 'this / that / the other' to hand at the times I've made a batch up

Bread and Butter Pickle
Degree of Difficulty:	Easy
Cooking Time:	About 15 minutes
Special Equipment:	Non-corrosive preserving pan, Sterilised jars with vinegar-proof sealants
Yield:	About 2kg (4lb)
Shelf Life:	1 year
Serving Suggestions:	Serve with cold meats or spread on bread and butter with cheese (it's also nice just of a good old buttered doorstep too )

Ingredients:

750g (1 1/2lb) pickling cucumbers (I've been using normal salad cucumbers)

625g (1 1/4lb) onions, sliced 5mm (1/4") thick

375g (12oz) red or yellow peppers, sliced 5mm (1/4") thick

3tbsp salt (sea salt, flaked is preferable)

1 Litre (1 1/4 pints) cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or malt vinegar (I use cider vinegar)

500g (1lb) light soft brown or white sugar (I use light soft brown)

2tsp ground turmeric

1tbsp mustard seeds (whole seeds)

2tsp dill seeds (whole seeds ~ but, if you can't initially source them, you can get away with using ground dill. Not quite as good, but if needs must ... )

Directions:

1. Put the cucumbers in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Drain, refresh under cold running water, and drain again. Slice the cucumbers into 5mm (1/4") pieces ~ slices, not cubed or diced.
2. Put the sliced cucumbers, sliced onions, and sliced peppers into a large glass (mine's plastic) bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Mix well, then cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave to stand overnight (or prep in the morning for completion in the evening ).
3. The next day, drain off the liquid in the bowl, Rinse the vegetables under cold running water and drain well. Taste a slice of cucumber; if it is too salty, cover the vegetables with more cold water and leave to stand for about 10 minutes, then drain, rinse and drain again.
4. Put the vinegar, sugar, ground turmeric, mustard seeds, and dill seeds in the preserving pan (I use an all stainless sauce pan ). Bring to the boil, and boil rapidly for 10 minutes. Add the drained vegetables, return to the boil, then remove from the heat.
5. Pack the pickle into the hot sterilised jars, then seal ~ you want lots and lots of veg in there, and this is more easily achieved with a slotted spoon, all topped with the liquor. The pickle is ready to eat immediately ~ but it's probably best to allow it to cool first .

Please note: This has become a firm family favourite . You don't need to be anally retentive on weights and measures, a bit under or over won't cause the recipe to fail and life as we know it to end .

Key:
tsp	teaspoon ~ roughly 5ml
tbsp	tablespoon ~ roughly 3tsp / 15ml
ml	millilitres
g	gram
lb	Imperial (UK) Pound
turmeric	High potential to stain things yellow
boil / boiling	High potential to cause damage when mixed with error
hot / sterilised	High potential to cause damage when mixed with error

What you're looking for ...

It's jammed full ~ to my eye the pic looks like there is space for more veg in there, but there isn't! The colour of this pickle is more vibrant in the flesh too, photography is a Dark Art to me

And from the top ~ again, to my eye, it looks light on contents . It isn't

Simple enough, have a bash


Thanks for reading through. Feel free to ask questions ~ again, I don't promise to be able to answer any of them

 

[bigbear]

My Nanna used to make one like this, absolutely lovely if I recall.........

 

[British Red]

Just one question...is the cucumber sliced or cubed to 1/4"? If theres a chance of a photo of the finished article, that would help

 

[decorum]

My Nanna used to make one like this, absolutely lovely if I recall.........

Oh yes, a love affair your beloved might well forgive you for!

Just one question...is the cucumber sliced or cubed to 1/4"? If theres a chance of a photo of the finished article, that would help

Sliced, I've added a bit of clarification to post #01. Typed it up and then found that my camera's batteries needed charging . I've a single jar left, I'll endeavour to take a pic or two in the next day or so .
Knowing this thread was in the offing I'd intended taking pics when I did the last batch ... and promptly forgot :sad6: , but I'm going to need to do another batch in the next couple of weeks and I'll endeavour to remember then and add them to post #01 .

 

[British Red]

Yes please - pictures help me - I'm a visual thinker!

 

[decorum]

Yeah, I am in most things ~ recipes however buck the system and I prefer books and recipes with with very few or, preferably, none .... I guess it could be that food hits so many of the senses that, for me, a photograph just falls _flat_ . It shall be sorted .

 

[decorum]

A couple of photographs of the end product edited into post #01.

 

[British Red]

You see that makes the slicing obvious! Thank you