Did you know that kimchi is considered to be one of the five healthiest foods in the world? Not only that, but it is tasty, versatile and kinda sexy.
In his new book The Pickle Jar Nick Vadasz explains the health benefits, and shows you how to incorporate kimchi and other fermented and pickled veggies into your diet. With surprisingly few puns, Nick lovingly tells his family story of the pickles prepared by his Hungarian dad and grandma and how they were, and still are, eaten with every meal.
What started as a childhood hobby of cooking led to a street food enterprise, where Nick became known as The Picklesman. From there the business grew and grew and now we are increasingly seeing Vadasz products in the fridges of UK supermarkets and delicatessens.
The Pickle Jar is an easy-reading ‘how to’ manual along with 70 really rather innovative recipes. Nick uses pickles and ferments to add flavour and health benefits to everyday meals and snacks. Improvement of digestive health is down to the probiotics contained in fermented vegetables. Far be it from me to get too technical, but let’s just say that is a good basis for things working well in the body and reduces the risk of various ailments and conditions. There is a whole page by Dr Sarah Schenker, who is a registered dietician and nutritionist, explaining these benefits.
Nick Vadasz
Last week Nick hosted a pickle cooking demo and book signing at Divertimenti Cookery School in South Kensington and it was two hours of engaging, educational and tasty entertainment. The audience watched with delight as Nick pickled, brined, jhuzzed and fried his heart away, concurrently amiably answering questions from the enthusiastic crowd. The wine was flowing and had I not been driving, I may have been pickled myself.
Delicious tasters of kimchi, beetroot omelette, soup and salad were passed round. My favourite was an apricot & curried kraut salad with almonds and feta. The recipes though! This man and his pickles can jazz up the most mundane of meals…we’re talking Kimcheese beans on toast, bubble and squeak with sauerkraut, sabich pita, pea and pickle soup. There are recipes for stews, pasta and Shepherd’s Kimchi Pie.
There’s nothing that this man won’t pickle up – even cocktails. Anyone for Beetroot Mary or Pickled Martini?
The Pickle Jar is published by Hamlyn, £20
Cauliflower and lentil soup with curried pineapple sauerkraut
Serves 4–6 • Prep 1 hour
This is the kind of soup that fills the kitchen with welcoming curry aromas on a cold winter’s night. At its heart are the warm, deep tangy flavours that emerge from the pineapple and turmeric sauerkraut, adding a fermented punch to the earthy lentils and cauliflower.
1 small or ½ large cauliflower
olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 small carrot, diced
1 bay leaf
200g (7oz) Vadasz Pineapple & Turmeric Sauerkraut or homemade Curried Kraut (see page 27), plus extra to serve
1 teaspoon brown miso paste
300g (10 ½ oz) dried red split lentils, well rinsed and drained
900ml (1½ pints) water juice of ½ lemon
salt and pepper
FOR THE SPICY OIL
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 red chilli, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger,
scrubbed and grated
a few spring onions, finely sliced
2 teaspoons garam masala
TO SERVE
natural yogurt, or coconut yogurt for a
vegan option
handful of coriander, leaves picked
To prepare your cauliflower, trim the tough base of the stem and remove any tough outer leaves, then cut off the remaining leaves and stem and roughly chop. Hold the cauliflower, stem end down, on a chopping board, and cut into slices 2cm (3/4 inch) thick, reserving any remaining florets.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a wide saucepan over a medium heat. Add the cauliflower slices, along with the chopped stem, leaves and florets, and sear for 6–8 minutes, until well coloured on both sides (the leaves will take less time). You might have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan. Transfer to a dish and set aside. Add more olive oil to the pan and gently fry the onion and carrot with the bay leaf and a pinch of salt for 2–3 minutes. Add the sauerkraut and stir-fry for a few minutes, until the kraut dries out and colours slightly. Stir through the miso.
Add the rinsed lentils and seared cauliflower to the pan, season well with salt and pepper and pour over the measured water (you might have to add more, depending on the size of your cauliflower – you want all the ingredients to be well covered by water to help them cook). Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 20–25 minutes, or until the cauliflower and lentils are tender but not mushy.
While the soup is simmering, prepare the spicy oil. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the chilli, garlic, ginger and spring onions and cook for about 3 minutes, until well coloured, stirring in the garam masala at the end.
When the cauliflower and lentils are ready, remove the bay leaf and take the pan off the heat, then tilt it slightly and use a stick blender to blitz your soup just a little until you have a suitably rustic soup texture – you want to keep the cauliflower chunky.
Mix the spicy oil into the soup, stir through the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into big bowls and top with more of the sauerkraut, a blob of dairy or coconut yogurt and some coriander leaves.
