You'll fall in love with this turmeric cauliflower piccalilli. Serve with buttermilk biscuits – the traditional American biscuit is similar to our scone, but it's generally used in a savoury way and makes the perfect partner to ham and pickles. Start the piccalilli at least two days ahead.
Cauliflower piccalilli with ham and buttermilk biscuits
You'll fall in love with this turmeric cauliflower piccalilli. They're a perfect match with sliced ham and buttermilk biscuits, the savoury American cousin to scones.
- 40 mins preparation
- 20 mins cooking plus standing, pickling
- Serves 4
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Ingredients
- 50 gm lard
- 200 gm thickly sliced leg ham
- To serve: mint
Buttermilk biscuits
- 300 gm (2 cups) plain flour
- 1½ tsp white sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 55 gm (¼ cup) softened butter, plus extra melted, for brushing
- 50 gm (¼ cup) lard
- 185 ml (3/4 cup) buttermilk, shaken well
Cauliflower piccalilli
- 1 kg cauliflower
- 50 gm fine sea salt
- 30 gm cornflour
- 10 gm each turmeric and mustard powder
- 15 gm brown mustard seeds
- 1 tsp each dried chilli flakes, cumin seeds and coriander seeds
- 600 ml cider vinegar
- 150 gm white sugar
- 50 gm honey
Method
Main
- 1For cauliflower piccalilli, cut cauliflower into small florets and mix well with salt in a large bowl. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 24 hours to draw out moisture. Rinse under cold running water and drain. Mix cornflour and spices with 2 tbsp vinegar in a bowl to a smooth paste. Bring remaining vinegar, sugar and honey to the boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp hot vinegar mixture to the cornflour mixture and stir until smooth, then return to pan. Bring to the boil and stir continuously until thickened (4-5 minutes). Remove from heat, add cauliflower, mix well, then spoon into a warm sterilised 1 litre jar and seal. Refrigerate for at least a day or up to a year.
- 2For buttermilk biscuits, preheat oven to 200C and line a baking oven tray with baking paper. Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and 1 tsp sea salt in a food processor, add butter and lard, and pulse to fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl, add buttermilk and stir to combine, then turn out on a lightly floured surface and gently knead to bring dough together. Roll out to 3cm thick, then cut out eight 7cm rounds with a biscuit cutter and place on prepared tray. Brush tops with melted butter and bake until golden (8-10 minutes). Set aside to cool. Makes 8.
- 3Cook ham in lard in a large frying pan over high heat until caramelised (1-2 minutes each side). Serve scattered with cauliflower piccalilli and mint, with buttermilk biscuits, warm or at room temperature, for sandwiching.
Notes
Drink Suggestion: Refreshing cold pilsner. Drink suggestion by Max Allen