Recipes: Crunchy courgette pickle

Try this fresh, sharp pickle with cold poached salmon, burgers off the barbecue or just buttered bread

Ingredients

• 500g courgettes
• 3 shallots , finely chopped
• 2 tbsp non-iodised salt

FOR THE PICKLING LIQUID

• 500ml cider vinegar
• 140g golden caster sugar
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• ½ dried chilli , crumbled
• 1 tsp ground turmeric

  

  1. Thinly slice the courgettes using a sharp knife, mandolin or slicing blade on a food processor. Put in a bowl with the shallots and sprinkle over the salt. Cover with ice-cold water, stir to dissolve the salt and leave for 1 hr. Drain the courgettes thoroughly and pat dry using kitchen paper or tea towels. If they stay too wet, the water will dilute the pickling solution.
  2. Meanwhile, put the pickling ingredients into a pan and bring to a simmer. Bubble for 3 mins, making sure the sugar has dissolved, then leave to cool until warm but not hot. Add the courgettes and stir.
  3. Scoop the mixture into 2 x 500ml sterilised jars (see below to find out how to sterilise a jar). Seal and leave for a few days in the fridge. Kept chilled, these will keep for a couple of months.

  How to sterilise your jars
  Wash them in hot, soapy water, then dry in an oven heated to 170C/150C fan/gas 3 for at least 10 minutes. Always ladle pickles, jams and chutneys into jars while the jars are still warm.
  

  NUTRITION PER SERVING:

  6 kcalories, protein 0g, carbohydrate 1g, fat 0 g, saturated fat 0g, fibre 0g, sugar 1g, salt 0.25 g 

  
  
  source:bbcgoodfood.com