Preserving the Crop

Autumn is a time of abundance so the perfect time of year to getin a pickle. Emma Galloway gives us a couple of beautiful ideas tomake your bumper crop last a little longer.

RECIPES & IMAGES EMMA GALLOWAY

MAKES 1 X 500ML JAR

Got a couple of eggplants that need using and don’t know what to do with them? Make this antipasti-style olive oil preserved eggplant! It’s the perfect thing to have at hand to add flavour to sandwiches, burgers or platters or stir through cooked pasta for a simple meal. This recipe can easily be halved/doubled/tripled to make as much as you like.

2 medium eggplants, ends trimmed, sliced into 1cm rounds

2 tbsp fine sea salt

1 tbsp honey

4 cloves garlic, crushed

¼–½ tsp dried chilli flakes

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

125ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil + extra to brush

Lay eggplant rounds on a cooling rack, sprinkle with salt and set aside 10 minutes. Quickly rinse the salt off, and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Heat griddle pan or BBQ, brush both sides of each eggplant piece with extra olive oil and grill in batches, for 1–2 minutes each side or until charred and tender. Remove from the pan and repeat until all are cooked. Meanwhile, combine honey, garlic, chilli flakes, vinegar, cumin and black pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Drizzle in olive oil and whisk again. Transfer charred eggplant to the oil mixture and toss well to coat. Pack into a 500ml glass jar. The eggplant needs to be fully covered in olive oil, so top up with a little more if needed. Cool, then eat, or store in the fridge for up to 10 days. Bring back to room temperature before eating.

MAKES 5 X 300ML JARS

This sunshine-coloured chutney is packed with flavour and is the perfect way to use up in-season pumpkins. I love serving it on crackers with a sharp cheese such as vintage Gouda, but it’s also the perfect thing to add to sandwiches or burgers or alongside just about anything that needs a little flavour boost.

1kg pumpkin (approx. ¼ large crown), seeded, peeled & diced finely

2 large onions, finely diced

3 tbsp fine sea salt

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored & finely diced

1½ cups unrefined raw sugar

2 cups apple cider vinegar

½ cup raisins

1/3 cup crystallised ginger, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds

2 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

Combine diced pumpkin, onion and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and store in the fridge overnight. The following day drain well and place into a large pot along with the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring often for 1 hour or until thickened and some of the pumpkin has started to break down. Make sure you stir often in the last 10 minutes to prevent the bottom from catching and burning. Pour into sterilized jars, screw on lids and set aside until cold. The jar tops should have sucked down as the chutney cools within the jar, if some haven’t, store in the fridge and use within a month. Otherwise, this chutney will store in a cool dark place for up to 12 months. Refrigerate once opened and use within a month.

Note: to sterilise jars, clean in hot soapy water, rinse and place into a preheated 120°C oven for 30 minutes. Stand lids in boiling water for 5 minutes to sterilise.

Emma Galloway | mydarlinglemonthyme.com | @mydarlinglemonthyme

Emma Galloway is a former chef, food photographer and creator of the multiaward winning food blog My Darling Lemon Thyme. Emma has published two cookbooks, My Darling Lemon Thyme and A Year in My Real Food Kitchen. She lives in her hometown of Raglan, with her husband and two children.