British Piccalilli

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British Piccalilli is a classic English pickle that preserves a mix of vegetables in a savory mustard sauce. This recipe is adapted for water bath canning, but they can also be made as refrigerator pickles.

Prep Time1

Cook Time10

Additional Time10

Total Time1 20

Course: pickles

Cuisine: English

Keyword: mustard pickle

Servings: servings, Makes 3 Pints (500ml each)

Author: Ashley Adamant

Equipment

Water Bath Canner

Ingredients

2 ¼ lbs washed and peeled vegetables see notes
3 tbsp fine salt
2 tbsp honey
2 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp crushed cumin seeds
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 ½ tbsp yellow mustard seed
5 tsp English mustard powder
5 tsp ground turmeric
3 tbsp. Clear Jel

Instructions

Cut up your vegetables into small, bite-size pieces. Make sure they're even so they'll cook evenly once they're mixed with the sauce.
Sprinkle some salt on top, combine, and let it sit for 24 hours in a cool place.
After the 24 hours are up, rinse the vegetables with ice-cold water and drain thoroughly.
Blend the Clear Jel, turmeric, mustard powder, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds into a smooth paste with some of the vinegar. In a saucepan, bring the rest of the vinegar, honey, and sugar to a boil.
Add the vegetables to the vinegar mixture, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling,
Pour a bit of the hot vinegar over the blended spice paste and stir well. Add this mixture back into the saucepan and return it to a boil. Stir well to ensure the spice paste (and clear jel) are evenly incorporated into the mixture.
Simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken the pickle, and fully heat the vegetables. Mix well to coat the vegetables in the sauce.
Pack the pickles into sterilized jars, leaving about ½ inch of headspace. Use a clean cloth to remove any food residue from the rim of the jar and put the lids on.
Process pint jars for ten minutes, adjusting for altitude.
Remove the jars from the canner, then let them cool on a clean rag at room temperature for 24 hours. Check the seals, label, and store.

Notes

This recipe is unique because it calls for 2 ¼ lbs of washed and peeled vegetables, but allows you to select which vegetables you'd like to use.

Options include cauliflower or romanesco cauliflower, zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, tomatillos, yellow or green tomatoes, small silver-skinned onions (or shallots), carrots, or nasturtium seed pods. The choice is yours - just stick to that quantity.

Altitude Adjustments

Water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes, so jars need to be processed a bit longer as you go up in elevation. Here are the altitude adjustments for canning British Piccalilli:

For 0 to 1,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pint jars for 10 minutes, and quart jars for 15 minutes.
For 1,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pint jars for 15 minutes, and quart jars for 20 minutes.
Above 6,001 Feet in Elevation - Process pint jars for 20 minutes, and quart jars for 25 minutes.

Nutrition