I like the idea of Branston Pickle more than the actual product. A cousin of picalilli, Branston Pickle is a condiment based on chopped vegetables like rutabaga, carrot, and cauliflower, that have been cooked in a very dark, very sour liquid that reminds me of bad barbecue sauce (sorry / not sorry).
In putting together a ploughman’s lunch, I wanted a condiment inspired by Branston Pickle, but with a couple important differences. First, instead of hard crunchy vegetables suspended in flowing liquid, I wanted cubes of vegetable bound together by the sauce. In other words I wanted a clean quenelle on the plate, not something that would run. Next, I really find the flavour of original Branston Pickle cloying, and way too acidic, even for a condiment. I wanted to produce something with kick, but that better integrates the savoury veggies, sour vinegar, and sweet sugar.
My basic procedure is to sweat aromatics like onion, garlic, and ginger, then deglaze the pan with vinegar and sugar, then add the cubed veggies. I don’t think it’s a component of the commercial product, but I also added diced apple to bridge the sweet-savoury gap. Procedurally, there’s a tricky balance in reducing the syrup au sec without overcooking the vegetables.
Homemade “Branston Pickle”
Ingredients
- 90 g canola oil
- 310 g yellow onion, small dice
- 450 g rutabaga, small dice
- 450 g green apple, peeled, cored, small dice
- 1/2 tsp quatre epice
- 200 g red currant jelly
- 100 g brown sugar
- 120 g apple cider vinegar
- kosher salt to taste
Procedure
- Heat oil in a medium sauce pan.
- Add onion and sweat until onions are translucent and starting to brown.
- Add red currant jelly, brown sugar. Cook briefly then add cider vinegar. Increase heat and boil mixture, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid has boiled off.
- Add rutabaga and apple. Conitnue to cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bound and vegetables are tender but still slightly crispy.
- Taste and adjust sweetness, acidity, and salt as necessary.
- Transfer to storage container. Label, date, and refrigerate.
Yield: ~1 L Homemade “Branston Pickle”