Pickled Red & White Chicory Leaves

Ingredients

• 1 medium white chicory, thoroughly washed
• 2 medium red chicory, thoroughly washed
• 700g malt pickling vinegar
• 1tbsp coriander seeds
• 2tsp black mustard seed
• 2tsp yellow mustard seed
• 1tsp black peppercorns
• 100g caster sugar
• 15g fine sea salt

Method

1. Divide all the chicory in to individual leaves by cutting off the root at the base and separating them all. Gently pack them into a sterilized Kilner jar.
2. Add the vinegar, sugar & salt to a saucepan & place on a medium heat.
3. In a separate frying pan, add all the spices and put on a medium flame. Keep heating the spices until the oils are released and there’s a lovely scent of warm spices. A good indicator that this is happening is when the mustard seeds start to jump out of the pan!
4. Add the spices to the vinegar pan and bring to a simmer (if it’s not already there). Stir through, remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Cover the chicory in the vinegar, seal and leave for a minimum of 7 days before serving.