It’s time to get creative in the kitchen! I wanted to do a vegan recipe not because I am vegan, but because we are actively trying to reduce our meat intake and therefore our effect on the environment. Jackfruit is the latest meat alternative to hit the headlines and the kitchens. I saw it first on TV in a vegan restaurant and lots of people couldn’t tell it wasn’t pork. I think it’s mainly because of the texture, and the way it takes on flavour. So I wanted to give it a try – I now have the perfect excuse, because Opies wanted me to create a recipe to include their pickled walnuts.
Pickled walnuts have been around a long time, but were made famous by Len Goodman in strictly come dancing when he used to say “Pickle my walnuts, that dance was fantastic!” It certainly got them to our attention though, and my husband was keen to try them out a few years back. They’ve since become a Christmas family favourite and are a great accompaniment to the cheese board. But how else can we use them? I came up with the idea of combining them with the barbecue Jackfruit and voila, this recipe was born. The pickled walnuts add a piquancy to the flavour and work really well. You can buy Opies pickled walnuts in all major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Asda and Waitrose. They come in jars and have a long shelf life.
I’ve kept it quite simple, because we’re busy parents and don’t need to spend ages in the kitchen.
Here’s the recipe, it feeds a family of four:
Ingredients
2 tins of Jackfruit in water
3-4 pickled walnuts, drained and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tsp ground cumin, ideally from Organic Cumin Seeds
2-3 tbsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
2tbsp olive oil
Iceberg lettuce to serve
Fresh coriander (optional)
Method
Open the tins of Jackfruit, drain and pull apart the fruit so it is shredded to look like pulled pork and place in a large bowl. Add the cumin, smoked paprika, olive oil, pickled walnuts and salt and pepper. Leave to marinate. Heat a medium sized frying pan with a little oil, then add the chopped onion over a low heat. Let them cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent. Add the crushed garlic and stir for another 2 minutes. Add the marinated Jackfruit and stir to combine. Whilst the mixture is warming through, prepare your wraps by heating them in the microwave for a minute so they are soft and pliable.
To serve: Serve the Jackfruit on a serving plate or bowl with the wraps, lettuce and fresh coriander leaves if you like. We had ours with coleslaw. It’s very filling, you don’t need much more. You can build your own wraps to taste. Enjoy!
