Father's Day Pickles

Father's Day on the food blogging expanse annoys me. That double chocolate Guinness caramel truffle cake can just go away.

Whilst, I would love a slice of that double chocolate Guinness caramel truffle cake, my dad (well, his diabetes) wouldn't. Which can leave you in a mix when it comes to gifts. Cake and whiskey are pretty much blacklisted.

Pickles aren't. Dads love pickles. I've bookmarked that double chocolate Guinness caramel truffle cake for my birthday anyway

Makes 1 x 500ml jar

Ingredients

Vegetables
2 medium sized carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut into long strips.
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1/2 small onion, finely sliced
5 thin asparagus spears, trimmed and cut in half
Small handful of fresh cauliflower florets, separated
Couple of sprigs of parsley and dill (optional)

Pickling Liquid
250ml white wine vinegar
200ml water
3tbsp sugar (I used a sugar replacement)
1/2tsp salt
Small pinch of coriander seeds, caraway seeds, fennel seeds and a few peppercorns.
1/2 bay leaf

Method

1, Sterilise a 500ml preserving jar and set to one side.
2, Prepare all your vegetables fully and rinse well.
3, Simmer the pickling liquid ingredients together for a few minutes and then add in all the prepared vegetables except the fresh herbs. Simmer these gently for a couple of minutes.
4, Strain the ingredients, retaking the pickling liquid and blanch in ice cold wage to retain greenness and crunchiness.
5, Return the pickling liquid back to heat and bring up to the boil.
6, Pack the blanched vegetables into the jar as tightly as you can. Snuggle the fresh herbs down in there too.
7, Pour the hot pickling liquid into the jar and full to the brim. Attach the lid.

These will be ready to eat in a couple of hours but best if kept overnight.

Brunch: Austrian Hash

With colder mornings, my seasonal craving for stodge raises it's ugly head. Anything with carbs is unfortunately quarry. This delicious amalgamation of potatoes and sausage is right up my street.

Original recipe from here

Ingredients
Sunflower oil and a small knob of butter for frying
2 large potatoes, cut in medium sized chunks and parboiled
1/2 a red onion, diced
1/2 smoked pre-cooked sausage (like mathiesons) cut into thin slices
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
Small pinch of good smoked paprika
Very small pinch of dried chillis
Chopped parsley (to taste)
Salt and pepper
Fried eggs (for serving)

Method
1, In a large frying pan, add a couple of tablespoons of oil and the butter and fry off the potatoes, onions and sausage until they are golden. Try not to break up the potatoes too much.
2, Add in the spices and heat through until they start to smell very aromatic. Season to taste and add in the chopped parsley.
3, Top with fried eggs and tuck in!