Grill/Barbecue
Sweet and Sour Zucchini - a quick summer pickle
- Makes 1 x 500ml jar or 2 x 250ml jars
Author Notes
A gorgeous pickle to have with cold cuts and cheese al fresco!
The turmeric gives the courgettes a glowing golden hue and the fennel and the coriander seeds contribute a warm herbal note. The courgettes retain their crunch whilst the onions mellow in the brine
The sweet and sour pickle juice is delicious too - use in salad dressings and marinades; douse hot potatoes with it and then add a little mayo and chopped up pickles for a delicious salad. And the sweet and sour pickle juice fantastic in a Bloody Mary! There is a wonderful article here on Food52 about the uses of pickle juice. Pickleback shot anyone?
USES
Cheese plate
Roast beef or tuna or cheese sandwiches
Chopped up in a potato salad also using the brine to douse the hot potatoes before adding mayonnaise
In an egg salad
With cold cuts
In burgers
Serve as a condiment at a barbecue/picnic —Selma | Selma's Table
Ingredients
- The Vegetables...
-
500 g
Zucchini or Courgettes
-
1
medium red onion
-
2tbsp
Kosher or pickling salt
- Sweet Brine
-
400 milliliters
white wine or cider vinegar
-
200 g
white sugar
-
1/4 tsp
turmeric
-
1/2 tsp
red chilli flakes - add more if you like it hot
-
1tsp
fennel seeds
-
1 tsp
*dry roasted coriander seeds
Directions
- Trim the ends then slice the courgettes into 1/2cm coins.
- Peel and slice the red onion into thin rings
- Layer in a bowl and sprinkling with salt as you go
- Cover and place in the fridge for about an hour or cover with ice for the same time. Keeping them cold helps to keep the courgettes firm.
- In the meantime, place all the sweet brine ingredients into a (non-reactive) saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let the brine cool to room temperature. You might want to open all your windows and turn on all extractor fans when you make the brine - the smell of boiling vinegar is quite pungent to say the least.
- Layer the courgettes and onions (do not rinse off the salt) into a sterilised jar, pour over the sweet brine, cover and refrigerate. Ready after a 24 hour steep and still tastes delicious 6 weeks later.
- *To dry roast seeds like cumin and coriander, pop them into a non-stick pan on medium high heat for about 5-8 minutes, stirring or shaking the pan from time to time to ensure that all sides are being roasted. You can smell them as they begin to toast - but do keep as eye on them as they can burn easily. I usually do a small jar full at a time as they keep for a long time. Dry roasting really intensifies the flavour and adds more depth to the finished dish.
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