Little Veggie Patch February 2014 | Page 10

recipe pickled fennel Pickled Fennel has a mild aniseed flavour and a lovely crunch which goes very well with smoked fish and cheese as part of an antipasto plate. It can also be added to sour cream, mayo and capers for a fancy coleslaw dressing. inely - 3kg fennel ffi sliced inely - 1kg red onion ffi sliced - 2tbsp salt - 1.5 kg white sugar - 1.5 lit white wine vinegar - 1tbsp fennel seed - 1tbsp celery salt in - 3 long red chillies ffi inely ffi sliced Finely slice the fennel and onion and place in a large colander, sprinkling each layer with some of the salt. Leave over a bowl overnight. This salting process not only draws water out of the vegetables, it gives it a lovely crunchiness. To make the pickling mixture, add the remainder of the ingredients and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the fennel and onion and bring to the boil again and simmer for a further 10-20 minute, depending on the desired end texture. Jar. Note: This recipe works well with just onion and it’s quite fun to play around with the spices eg. Coriander seed and black mustard seed or caraway and cloves. 10