(With apologies to Cliff Richard; I think my lyrics are better!)
It’s that time of year again, when I get my (this year, lurgified!) self geared up to make pickles out of anything and everything. Also baking, but baked goods don’t need two months to mature, so I can do the baking at my leisure. I also have some new Swedish recipes to try out, thanks to a recipe book I bought at Skansen: Simply Swedish, by Margareta Schildt Langren. I’ve already made up my first batch of jästkål och morot (fermented cabbage and carrot), and am getting another lot on the go this weekend, as people have been requesting it for the simple reason that it’s a Swedish recipe, and not something they’ve ever heard of or tried before.
Jästkål och morot
I’ve also made my Mum’s usual piccalilli, and need to crack on with the spiced chilli courgettes and red onion and rosemary confiturra.
The enormous jar is Mum’s!
I also need to prep some jams and jellies, if I can, and there’s a gravadlax recipe that looks fun too. I’ve got to get all of this ready for when we have friends over for the Scandinavian Jul (we all loved the lead up to Jul while we were in Sweden last year, and I’m exploring my Viking ancestry with food and traditions.)
How do the rest of you prepare for the festive season? Do you need to start baking or any other preparation in advance? For me, that is half the fun, and keeps me entertained!
An Accident In Space And Time 
That cabbage-and-carrot pickle looks interesting! I’d love to try it.
I’m guessing that the fermentation is similar to that which is used for sauerkraut, which I like in small to moderate quantities. I well remember spending two months in Munich in the summer of 1970, and, each Thursday, eating an evening meal of sausages and sauerkraut (‘zwei Paar Pfaelzer (oder Wiener) mit Kraut’) while chatting and drinking with the local radio amateurs at their reserved table (‘Stammtisch’) in the Hofbraeukeller in the city centre.
I’m very much looking forward to having some more confiturra! I’ve got lots of jars, and I can bring them over before the end of the month, no problem.
For the end-of-year holiday, I usually just get in some eats and drinks that I wouln’t otherwise buy. This year, I may well order some more ham and bacon from Emmett’s of Peasenhall. The ham will go down very well with a generous libation of your confiturra, and the bacon, with plenty of eggs and lots of mushrooms, will make a great brunch (I doubt that I’ll be up in time for a breakfast!).
For a festive dinner, I expect we’ll have a nice big piece of slow-roasted beef topside or silverside, or perhaps loin of pork, with big baked Rooster potatoes with garlic butter, lots of brussels sprouts, and plenty of gravy.
I’m not a fan of Christmas pudding, so I may do Heinz steamed treacle pudding (from a tin, but I love it) with loads of custard – and perhaps ice cream with it too!
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If you’re able to make it to my birthday bash, I’ll be sure to bring a jar of the jastkal och morot with me to give to you. Unfortunately Fran won’t be there, but it’ll be good to catch up with you!
This weekend I’m making more jastkal, and also teaching my friend Alex how to make sweet chilli courgettes and a sourdough culture. These things are always so much more fun with a friend 🙂
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Yes; I’m looking forward to coming to your birthday meal, and to catching up with you and with Dom.
Thank you too for the jar of jastkal och morot; I’ll have to gwgl it and see what it goes best with.
Courgettes aren’t my thing, but I did once, many years ago, know a supplier of mushrooms in oil with garlic cloves and chili (the chili not being too hot, so OK for my taste). They were excellent as a small side dish with roast, grilled, or cold meats.
I’ve heard of sourdough but I’ll have to look it up to see what it’s used for.
If you’d like to have some jars before your birthday do, I’ll be very happy to bring them over one weekend between then and now, if it’s convenient; just let me know, and I’ll load up one of the vehicles and point her nose east.
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