Found an old jar of drying chutney or half-eaten pickle at the back of the fridge or worse – the cupboard?
As long as it’s still safe to eat, there are quite a few ways you could use this up…
Curry paste
Use onion chutney, mango, lime, chilli, aubergine pickle and similar as a base for a curry, which is itself a great vehicle for making something of odd scraps of vegetables and miscellaneous pulses. Simply pop it in a small blender if you have one, or a mixing bowl if you don’t, and mix well with an array of spices.
I’d always recommend the triumvirate of turmeric, garam masala and cumin, if you have them, along with garlic and ginger, but find a curry paste recipe online that fits with what you have available to you and work from there.
The chutney/pickle will give it a sweet-sour base, much like tamarind sauce in less complex times.
Soup
Enrich a simple onion soup with almost any pickle you can think of; Branston, Picallili, Beetroot pickle, pickled cabbage – just add a dollop or two to taste as the onions start to soften in the pan, and one or two more to finish.
Stews
Especially good with meat stews, but also a decent livener for a hearty lentil or bean stew. I especially like the dark brown pickles for this, but sweeter chutneys, like apple or pear or quince, also work well.
Dressing and marinades
Simply blitz up to smooth with oil and vinegar, and pop back in the fridge to use within two weeks. Use it as a marinade for meats or vegetables for roasting, or as a dressing for simple bean or green salads.
Pie fillings
Sling a tablespoon or two of Branston in a meat or mushroom pie, or add sweet chutneys to a chicken or white bean one. Sometimes I don’t even bother making it into a pie; I just serve the filling hot with a side of mash, chips or other stodgy carb. It’s not quite as good as having a flaky, hot pie, but it almost is.
Potato salad
Potatoes and pickles go together like peas and carrots; I love finely chopped pickled beetroot mixed with mayo and slathered all over, or tiny chopped gherkins, or a generous dollop of picallili….
Try chilli pickle for a hot equivalent, or a sweet chutney for something comforting that’s equally delicious hot or cold.
Mac n cheese
Mac n cheese with dill pickles is one of my new favourite things – especially topped with crispy breadcrumbs and sesame seeds (oh, those halcyon days of being able to pop to the shops and pick up sesame seeds!) Kind of like a cheeseburger, with all the homely gratification of a gooey hot mac.
MORE: Things to make with your sourdough starter beyond a loaf of bread
source https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/31/jack-monroes-lockdown-larder-jar-chutney-cupboard-12481436/?ITO=squid
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