Piccalilli
Makes 5 pints
Piccalilli originated in the 18th century as an English interpretation of Indian pickles. It made its way to the United States in numerous regional variations. It’s a sweet and colorful relish that is equally welcome alongside the Christmas roast or on a hot dog.
Ingredients #
- 5 lbs. pickling cucumbers, washed, ends sliced off, and chopped
- 2/3 lb. red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
- 2/3 lb. green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup pickling salt
- 4 cups cider vinegar
- 4 cups sugar
- 3 tbsp. pickling spice, tied in a cheesecloth bag.
- 1 ½ tsp. celery seeds
- 1 ½ tsp yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions #
In a large bowl, combine the chopped cucumbers, red peppers and green peppers.
In a large bowl, mix the pickling salt with 10 cups of cool water until the salt is mostly dissolved. Add this brine to the chopped vegetables. Put a plate on top of the vegetables to keep them submerged. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
Drain the vegetables well, but do not rinse.
Combine the vinegar and sugar in a pot and bring just to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the satchel with the pickling spice, the celery seeds and the mustard seeds. Simmer for a few minutes.
Add the drained vegetables and return to a boil. Stir in the crushed red pepper.
Fish out the spice bag and discard. Pack the hot vegetables into pint jars and then add the hot liquid, leaving 1/2” headspace. Process for 15 minutes using water bath method.