Pickles to tickle your taste buds and tickled they will be! Who knew that a few very humble vegetables can taste so fresh and amazing!

Pickles are so time consuming to make and then to still deal with sterilizing the bottles ……. I do not have time in a day for that! Or so I thought! Please do not get me wrong, I have such admiration for  people who have mastered the art of making pickles. The virtues of a woman was measured on the amount of canned and bottled jams and pickles she had in her pantry way back then! I am sure, after watching Kokkedoor there are so many people who still pride themselves in preserving the bounty of each season! Sadly, whenever I  need a pickle for a recipe or a salad, I buy a jar only to throw away more then half of it, because no one eats it….. to sour! Today I had my own master-class in making quick sticks pickles to enjoy on pizzas, meat, boeries or a delicious antipasto sandwich!

My pickle saviour came in the form of Hein van Tonder, blogger and Gourmet Hunter over at Heinstirred! Hein only recently surfaced on the blogging scene  and what a refreshing breath of fresh air he brought to the scene. It was about time that  a man comes to stir the pots! Hein is so talented, and he is from what I can see a bit of a perfectionist so his images are so gorgeous! Don’t you just want to eat these Guinoa Fritters with Avo Salsa or Chicken wraps with Tomato and Chipotle relish? Any man who can make this Rooibos Panna Cotta with Poached Grapefruit for me, deserves an apron in my kitchen…. Hein, come and fetch yours!

Hein and I made a whole array of pickles this morning, He made his Two hour Cucumber pickles and a killer tomato relish and I made a red onion relish and a curry relish. We enjoyed in on a good old South African Boerie, but it will be perfect on pizzas, sandwiches, cured meats or crackers and cheese!

Two-hour cucumber pickles

Makes 600 ml

Ingredients

1 English cucumber

125 ml white wine vinegar

125 ml water

10-15 ml sugar

1 small bunch parsley roughly chopped

1/2 red onion – thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

Method

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Cut each half into three strips and cut each 3rd into thin batons. Place the cucumber and all other ingredients in a sealable container and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Tomato relish

makes about 500 ml

Ingredients

400 g baby tomatoes – cut in half

15 ml olive oil

4 chipotle chillies – or use normal chillies

a good pinch of salt

15 ml sugar

Method

Place the all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer. Allow the relish to simmer until it has thickened. Stir often to prevent burning. Season if necessary and enjoy on pizza, pasta, sandwiches, boeries or mieliepap!

Tomorrow morning just after the 9 o’clock news, I will be  back in my seat at RSG studios, sharing this easy recipe with you! Get ready to be amazed! I will also in weeks to come take you into the kitchens of other bloggers, chefs and interesting South Africans this year. So buckle up, it is going to be an awesome ride. Tune in 100-104FM or listen online here!

Hein can be contacted at:

Contact:

TWITTER @heinstirred
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FACEBOOK heinstirred
EMAIL heinstirred at gmail dot com