Medieval mixed pickles

2 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 pounds Mixed parsley roots, carrots, radishes and turnips
1 pounds White cabbage
1 pounds Hard eating pears
⅜ cup Salt
1 teaspoon Ground ginger
½ teaspoon Dried saffron strands
2 cups White wine vinegar
2 ounces Currants
2½ cup Fruity white wine
½ cup Clear honey
1 teaspoon French mustard
⅛ teaspoon Each ground cinnamon and black pepper
¼ teaspoon Each anise and fennel seeds
2 ounces White sugar

Directions

Keywrods: pear, saffron, ginger, honey, anise, fennel, mustard (Makes 2.3 kg/5 lbs)

Prepare the root vegetables and slice them thinly. Core and shred the cabbage. Put these vegetables into a large pan of water and bring slowly to the boil. Peel, core and cut up the pears and add them to the pan. Cook until they start to soften. Drain the contents of the pan and spread in a 5-cm/2-inch layer in a shallow non-metallic dish.

Sprinkle with the salt, ginger, saffron and 4 tablespoons of the vinegar. Leave, covered, for 12 hours. Rinse well, then add the currants. Pack into sterilised storage jars, with at least 2½ cm/1-inch headspace.

Put the wine and honey in a pan. Bring to simmering point and skim.

Add the rest of the vinegar and all the remaining spices and sugar.

Reduce the heat and stir without boiling until the sugar dissolves.

Bring back to the boil. Pour over the vegetables, covering them with 1 cm/ ½ inch liquid. Cover with vinegar-proof seals and store.

from The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black Chapter 4, "The Goodman of Paris" posted by Tiffany Hall-Graham

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