Recently, my Mum set sail for a month long cruise and I was tasked with the responsibility of keeping her plants alive - a rather risky task given I struggle to keep my own alive. One day I happened to notice many limes on her tree and decided to take them off and give them a better life. Faced with over a dozen limes I set forth to find a recipe to do them justice. Here is the result.
Tangy, tart, sweet, sour and overall, very very moreish. Great on a ham sandwich but particularly nice with a strong vintage cheddar and a cracker.
Lime Pickle
Makes about 5 cups
8 limes, cut into eighths
2 tbls sea salt
400g seedless raisins
2tbs grated fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, crushed
300ml white wine vinegar
500g (2 1/2 cups) firmly packed brown sugar
Place the cut limes in a bowl or jar and sprinkle with salt, covering well. Cover and leave to stand at room temperature for 48 hours, stirring occasionally. Keep any lime juice that forms during this process.
Take the limes and place into the bowl of a food processor. You may need to do this in batches. Add the raisins and blend.
Place the lime and raisin mixture into a large saucepan and stir in the reserved lime liquid with the ginger, garlic, vinegar and brown sugar. Bring it all to the boil, reduce head and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 2-3 hours, or until the mixture is a med-dark brown and thickened.
Pour into preserving jars while still hot and seal. The heat of the mixture will draw the lid down.
Will keep unopened in a cool cupboard for 6 months. Once opened it needs to be kept in the fridge.
