So I am still at the helm of Patrick’s blog but hopefully all the repairs to our house are soon over and we can wake up with a day in hand to do the things we enjoy. Things like make good food and talk about our forays into food-making in this blog. Last week I mentioned a recipe book that was given to Patrick by his friend Janice. Read more about – Once Upon a Chicken Pie.
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| Same Day Vegetable Pickles |
You can tell straight away from the title that it’s not a vegetarian cook book. But I found that 75% of the recipes are vegetarian. It’s written by Johan de Villers and Len Straw who have a French style cafe in the Cape Quarter called – La Petite Tarte
I loved the style and layout of the book. It’s reminiscent of a personal picture album with evocative photos of favourite travel destinations, loved ones and recipes that have fond memories for the two of them. Both Len and Johan love Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. Um, so do we. Think White Bean Pate, Brinjal (Aubergine) Bake, Orange and Fennel Salad, Rose Water Cordial, Cream Cheese Cake, Caramelised Pear in Phyllo Pastry.
I’ve been to their cafe before but I had to go back and this time I got them to sign the recipe book. I spoke a bit to Johan and what a lovely man. He said he initially submitted recipes without realising that he hadn’t included meat recipes. They both prefer light, fresh food and eat a lot of vegetables and beans. I could go all – Julie & Julia – on them and cook all the vegetarian recipes in their book.
I started with their – Same Day Pickles.
Ingredients: –
24 small cucumbers
750g onions
90ml salt
500ml vinegar
500g sugar
3ml turmeric
60ml white mustard seeds
10ml celery seeds
2ml cayenne pepper.
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| The recipe book |
Method: –
Clean and boil glass jars to sterilise. Toss veggies and onion in salt in a colander and allow juices to drain.
Combine vinegar and spices in a pot and bring to boil. Add vegetables and simmer – NOT BOIL – for 2 minutes. Boiling destroys the crispiness of the veggies. Transfer into glass jars and allow to cool. Can be served immediately.
Notes: –
Patrick calls me FTF (Full Throttle Fletcher) and I OD’d on the turmeric and cayenne pepper. You only need a touch of yellow for colour and a sprinkle of heat.
I also OD’d on the Stevia as I don’t eat sugar. Stevia is like 1000 x sweeter and sugar and I gave toooo generous a shake.
I would like to try other veggies such as carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, beetroot, red onion and leeks. I would also like to try aniseed, caraway seed, cracked black pepper and even mustard powder for a change in flavour.
If you would like to try more of their recipes, you can purchase their book through Amazon:
For more recipes, go to the – Recipe Archive Page.
