Dyeing (and cooking) with sunshine...

I spent most of last week in the gorgeous sunshine with my dyepots creating a range of new summer shades from plant dyes in my ‘stash’

Among the precious cargo in my battered tin trunk (aka my dye safe!) was a bag of turmeric I had brought back from Morocco, freshly ground by Abderrahim in his tiny spice shop in the medina of Essaouira, the smell and colour transported me back to happy times and I mixed up a batch to dye some 4 ply Blue Faced Leicester (grab some while it’s still here)

I love the idea of ‘cooking with colour’ and apply my zero-waste ethos to the kitchen as well when preparing food. I have been reading Retreat - The Joy of Conscious Eating by Daniel Jardim, a South African chef and food writer and came across his recipe for Parsnip Marmelade. This inspired my interpretation of a ‘sunshine chutney’ using a few straggly looking veg left in the drawer of the fridge (HALF A PARSNIP, HALF A SWEDE AND HALF A SWEET POTATO WITH A THUMB OF GINGER) that needed to be used up before my next visit to my local greengrocers. So here is the recipe, slightly adapted from the original.

ZERO-WASTE SUNSHINE CHUTNEY

Heat a small amount of vegetable oil then add:
1 Tblsp pickling spice mix (coriander seeds, mustard seeds, crushed red chillies, ginger, bay leaves, allspice, black peppercorns, cassia )
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 star anise

Stir on medium heat until spices begin to brown then add:
1 cup of grated sweet potato
1/2 cup of grated parsnip
1/2 cup of grated swede
finely sliced rind of 1 orange (save juice for later)
1 tsp turmeric
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated

stir for one minute
combine juice of 1 orange with water to make up to 1 cup of liquid and add to mixture with:
30ml apple cider vinegar
2 cups brown sugar
salt & pepper to taste

SImmer uncovered for 40 minutes until thick and glossy

Pour into pre-sterilised jars and enjoy with your next curry or some cheese and crackers!

Enjoy!