Cold Turkey
It’s that time of year again. You prize-open the fridge door and there, in all its glory, like a cuckoo that leaves no room for anything else, is a mound of cold meat and an assortment of trimmings. The sighs of adoration, still echoing from Christmas Day, are replaced with groans of exasperation as we start to wonder just how many variations of turkey-a-la- . . . can be concocted.
Our advice is very simple; don’t bother. Forget grainy gratins and stringy curries. Go for cold turkey and spend your time conjouring something interesting to liven already over-stretched palates. Or to put it very simply; relish the relish.
It was whilst searching through the pantry for inspiration that we found a few jars of pickled onions that had been made the previous year. The fusion fuse was lit.
Pickled Onion Relish
Ingredients
Splash olive oil
1 lrg chilli
700g pickled onions in vinegar
400g dark red plums
1 tsp smoked paprika
200g soft brown sugar
1 tbsp black treacle
100g dried cranberries
100g chopped dates
Method
Lightly heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan.
Finely chop the chilli and add to the oil, lightly fry for a minute.
Drain the pickled onions, reserve the vinegar. Dice the pickled onions and add to the chilli in the pan. Lightly fry for a few minutes until the onions start to caramelise.
Stone and chop the plums into chunks, then add to the pan.
Add the smoked paprika and stir-in gently.
Add the sugar, again stirring-in gently and then the treacle.
Add the dried cranberries and chopped dates, stir gently, then slowly add the vinegar.
Slowly simmer for about 30 minutes, then allow to partially cool before spooning into jars.
Let the relish cool completely before placing-on the lids.
Enjoy now with cold meats and strong cheese, or leave to mature.
