Pickles

 

Food market - prices

120 nis - 16:00

Shuk Open Market - prices - September

3 boxes 20 nis (incl. corn) (or 2 boxes/15 20 nis)

Fridge items 2 for 10 nis:

4 x cucumbers -  2 for 10 nis
2 x Lettuces  - 2 for 10 nis
Celery + radishes both for 10 nis  (2 items = 10 nis)

Total 120 nis

• Cucumbers baby will go straight for pickling
• Cherry Tomatoes either for a tomato salad or in the oven-dried tomatoes to be used as flavourful a topping.
• Peaches, nectarines are at their peak. To be used for seasonal Tarte tatins or fruit cobblers. Any leftovers can be utilized for Summer fruits. NOTHING is wasted.

Is this possible? Here's the proof in the above photo! (Had to revisit my photos - love this logging)

I bought  4 packs of cucumbers, pickled five jars on Saturday. (One jar is okras)
It's Thursday today. We are mid-way through the last jar!

Granted one went as a gift to a friend's birthday.
Tip: Always count that at least one jar will be given away. I never know who will turn up in my kitchen next. But they always do! Don't misunderstand me. I LOVE it. I am a compulsive sharer :)
Open house.
Good food
Good company
Good conversation 

Preserved lemons

 Tiny lemons season.
Wash lemons and jar

 Cut in halves. Rub/dip in salt and pack into jar.

No water necessary. Just let time do it's work. Slowly the lemon juices will ooze out and dilute the whole mixture. The jar will soon be steeped in it's own syrup ready for consumption.

I usually discard the "flesh" inside and with sissors just snip the wonderfully pungent, spiky lemon zest into small splinters, straight on to sandwiches, salads, any foods that need an extra oomph to give it life. Enjoy

Cured FIsh - Palamyda

Cover filleted fresh raw fish with home-made curing mix

I added thin slices of lemons because
a) I had plenty of lemons
b) This second fish seem a bit dry so I wanted to cover it. The original recipe called for sliced oranges but its not orange season. Anyways I had lots of lemons in the kitchen🍋

 Cover in cling film to prevent drying

 After a day in the fridge I cut this in the middle to check if ready

 Make sure you tilt the plate so the juices run down and drains away.

 Glorious home cured palamyda! After only 24 hours ready - Yum!
Notice how the juice runs down because the plates are tilted at an angle.

 No space on the counter top or fridge!
Don't worry the lemons did not give the fish an overpowering citrus taste. I DID remove the lemons after an overnight soak. I was afraid it would make a cerviche before I was ready.

Served with thinly sliced onions, chopped coriander and salt

I was quite surprised how red the flesh was, I was expecting it to be more white.
Nevertheless, the taste was amazing. Not fishy, not salty, just a smooth, silky fragrant softness.

Perfect!  Not too salty, subtly flavoured with the cloves and anise adding an aromatic enigma to the silky, translucent delight.

Seriously good! Seriously easy to make. Time is your good friend here.



Curing Mix
Carraway seeds,
Anise star
Sugar,
Salt coarse
Corriander seeds
Lemongrass
Cloves
Bay leaf



So freakin good here!
So a small tub costs 20 nis at the open food market (Avi's - Shuk Ha Carmel)
I bought from Yaffo 3kg / 100 nis (3 large fishes)
which roughly makes about 18 tubs (18  x 20 = 360 nis)!!!

Note: I did not like the mix with sugar that I use for curing salmon. The pure salt mix worked better for Palamyda.



Beautifully translucent with a shiny silkiness,  slippery, glides  effortlessly down your palate. The aroma of cloves and anise is wonderfully divine here.
Served on thinly chopped onions and coriander mixed with salt. Perfection! 

Pickles!! Okra

Nothing beats the crunchy spicy bite of a homemade pickle okra

Just use what you already have in the kitchen.  I had chili flakes (I always have chili flakes)
black mustard seeds, coriander seeds, all spice, sliced or crushed fresh garlic, bay leaves and super hot Thai chilis.

1.  Place fresh  okras in jar, tightly packed.  They loosen up as they start to pickle.
2.  Add spices you have in hand ie: mustard seeds, black pepper seeds, lemon zest,  

     black mustard  

     seeds, coriander seeds, allspice, sliced or crushed fresh garlic, bay leaves, chilis

3.  Dissolve 1tsp of salt in 1/2 cup of hot water.  Leave to dissolve.
     Then fill with cold water to top of cup.
4.  Pour cold salty water in to the okra jar till 3/4 full.
5.  Top with vinegar to make a ratio of 3/4 salty water and 1/4 vinegar.
6.  Close tightly lid and leave to pickle.

The water will start to get cloudy and the okras will change from a bright green to a dull khaki colour.
They should be ready to eat after a week (depending on the climate)
If you want to slow the process.  Often I open a jar and want to eat the other jars for later, I just put them in the fridge for later. Easy peasy.

• Benefits:
  Potassium, vitamin B, C, folic acid, calcium
  Low in calories, high in fibre. 
• Contains beneficial antioxidants. Okra packs many antioxidants that benefit your health. ...
• May lower heart disease risk. ...
• May have anticancer properties. ...
• May lower blood sugar. ...
• Beneficial for pregnant women. ...

Okras, and baby cucumbers are being pickled simultaneously.

Pickle party!

Crunchy heaven!