If you listened to Chancellor Healey’s budget this week and struggled to understand how it was going to help with the cost of living, you might have missed this gem of a saving. Under this Labour Government, you will be thrilled to know that we will be paying less for gherkins due to the suspension of import tariffs on 100 supermarket products. So, I thought I’d do you all a solid, consult my vast recipe collection, and share how you too can make the most of the humble gherkin.
Some of you may discard the slice of gherkin that MacDonalds put on a burger but I just love them! A jar of Baxters crisp dill pickles is a permanent fixture in my cupboard.
Making the most of gherkins!
- Crisp gherkins are a natural choice for a Ploughman’s cold table with a chunk of mature Cheddar or a chunky country-style pate.
- If I don’t have fresh cucumber for a tuna mayo sandwich, I add sliced gherkin instead. Delicious.
- Nigella serves them with capers as a garnish with a marinated side of salmon or chopped and stirred through a green salad.
- Rick Stein suggests serving them with steamed new potatoes to dunk into a baked Vacherin Mont d’Or.
- Claudia Roden chops them into tiny pieces and stirs through some salty cream cheese and a pinch of caraway seeds to spread on rye bread or sourdough.
- John Torode serves them in a sandwich with mustard mayo and thick slices of salt beef.
Most chefs and cookery experts from Jane Grigson and Jeremy Lee to Tom Kerridge acknowledge that you can’t beat a decent sauce tartare to serve with fish. This is how to make a real beauty.
Sauce tartare
Ingredients
- 3 hard boiled eggs, yolks only
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 200ml groundnut oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 20g onion, finely chopped, blanched, refreshed and drained
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp snipped chives
- 1 tbsp each of chopped capers and gherkins
To make…
- Put the egg yolks into a mortar and pound to make a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, then incorporate the groundnut oil in a thin stream, stirring continuously with the pestle.
- Next, add the wine vinegar or lemon juice, then the onion and mayonnaise.
- Stir to combine, add the chives, capers and gherkin. It should be thick and speckled evenly with these ingredients.
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