Bread and Butter Persian Pickles

This tangy but slightly sweet pickle is delicious and is made with Persian (also known as Lebanese) cucumbers,which have a slightly thicker skin than hothouse ones, and few if any seeds.

Photo by Manja Wachsmuth, Spice Health Heroes

Makes 3 Medium-Sized Jars

Ingredients

900g (2lb.) Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
450g (1lb.) white onions, thinly sliced into half moons
2 large (bell) peppers (red and yellow), seeded and cut into thin strips
2 tbsp sea salt
140g (5oz./1 cup unpacked) brown sugar
140g (5oz./¾ cup) granulated sugar
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tsp black peppercorns, toasted
1 tsp each yellow and black mustard seeds
1 tsp each celery, fennel and ajwain seeds, toasted
¼ tsp whole cloves
1 litre (4 ¼ cups) white vinegar

Directions

Layer the vegetables into a strainer and gently toss with the salt. Cover with a clean cloth and leave for 3 hours.Drain the vegetables, rinse thoroughly and drain again.

Put the sugars, spices and vinegar in a large stainless-steel or enamel pan (remember that turmeric stains!) and bring to the boil. Add the vegetables and return to the boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and spoon the vegetables into sterilized jars, then pour the liquid over all. Seal the jars, rinse under running water and cool on the work surface.

Store in a dark pantry and keep refrigerated once opened.

Country Onion Mushroom Soup

This is a quick and simple, thick, potage-style soup that I created as executive chef of Bridge Street restaurant in Bigfork, Montana, owned by the award-winning Chateau Montelena Winery in Napa, California. The restaurant was surrounded by a lovely herb and veggie garden, where I grew the horseradish used in this dish. When the time came to make it, the entire kitchen crew would back away as this fresh spice is odourless when uprooted, but once you break the skin, the smell is pungent! The volatile oil it contains is a powerful natural antibiotic but it can make you swoon and your eyes fill with tears!

Photo by Manja Wachsmuth, Spice Health Heroes

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1 head garlic   
1 tbsp olive oil   
1 tbsp grapeseed oil   
250g (9oz.) mushrooms   
1/8 tsp (large pinch) nutmeg   
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves   
125g (4 ½oz./ ½ cup) Turmeric Melted Onions (see below) 
garlic bread, to serve (optional)
50ml (scant ¼ cup) port
475ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
200g (7oz./1 cup) mashed potato
1–2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp pure horseradish, fresh or from a jar, to taste
⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, to garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4). Cut the top off the garlic head to expose the cloves, then peel away just the outer layers of the garlic-bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves. Wrap loosely in foil and drizzle a tablespoon of oil over the garlic. Close the foil at the top, place on a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 30–35 minutes until soft and golden brown.

While the garlic is roasting, make the Turmeric Melted Onions (see below.)

Heat the grapeseed oil and sauté the mushrooms with the nutmeg and thyme leaves in a 2-litre (2-quart) pot until almost dry over medium heat, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, add the Turmeric Melted Onions and half the roasted garlic (keep the other half for other use; it will keep for about 2 weeks refrigerated) and mix well. Add the port and reduce for 2 minutes or so. Add the stock and simmer for 3–5 minutes.

Stir in the mashed potato, lemon juice and horseradish and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve warmed in big bowls, topped with a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg, accompanied by your favourite garlic bread, if wished.

Turmeric Melted Onions

Ingredients

Makes 2 Cups

50g (1 ¾oz./½ stick) butter
60ml (¼ cup) grapeseed or vegetable oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
4 medium brown onions (450g/1 lb.), halved and thinly sliced
10 grinds black pepper (optional)

Directions

Heat the oil and melt the butter in a pan over medium–high heat, stir in the turmeric and cook for 1 minute. (Adding turmeric to the sizzling oil intensifies the flavour and nutrients; the pepper adds even more goodness.)

Add the onions and when they begin to let off steam, turn the heat down to medium–low and cook for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent, melted and light-yellow-brown in colour.

Add the pepper and stir for a few minutes.

Remove from heat, cool, then cover and chill until needed.