Pickled courgettes

Home-made pickled courgettes

After using up some of our home-grown courgettes in a loaf cake, the plants are producing yet more. Pickled courgettes are a good thing to make, so we can enjoy the mid-summer bonanza all year round.

Courgette with stainless steel mandolin Courgette sliced using a mandolin

I found a simple ‘pickled zucchini’ recipe on the Bon Appetit website to which I made just a couple of little tweaks. I couldn’t find any dill seeds or saffron threads in the supermarket, so I used fennel seeds in place of the former, and omitted the latter completely.

Instead of simply slicing the courgettes with a knife, I used our mandoline which gave the slices attractive grooves.

Pickled courgette spice seeds, fresh chillis, garlic and sprigs of dill

We’re really looking forward to trying the pickle – served on the side or incorporated into the dishes themselves. We’re thinking burgers, sandwiches, salads and stir fries.

Large jar of pickled courgettes

They need to steep for at least a week, but we’ll probably wait till the autumn before tasting ours.

Click here or on the image below to save the recipe to Pinterest Pickled courgette recipe

Home-made pickled courgettes

Pickled courgettes

Bon Appétit
Course Condiment
Cuisine British

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg/2lb small courgettes preferably about 4 or 8 inches long, trimmed
  • 4 tbsp coarse sea salt or pickling salt divided
  • 12 sprigs fresh dill
  • 2 tsp yellow or brown mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp dill seeds
  • ¼ tsp saffron threads
  • 4 cloves garlic halved
  • 4 red chillis split lengthwise
  • 600 ml/21fl oz white wine vinegar
  • 50 g/1¾oz sugar

Instructions
 

  • If you're using 10cm/4-inch courgettes, halve lengthwise. If using 20cm/8-inch courgettes, halve crosswise, then quarter lengthwise
  • Put them into in a large bowl. Add 2 tbsp of the salt and 4 cups of ice. Add cold water to cover. Top with a plate to keep the courgettes submerged. Allow to sit for 2 hours. Drain and rinse
  • Divide the dill sprigs and next 6 ingredients between 2 clean, hot 1-litre glass jars and set aside
  • Bring the vinegar, sugar, remaining 2 tbsp of salt and 300ml/10½fl oz water to a boil in a large saucepan
  • Working in batches, add courgettes and cook, stirring occasionally, until khaki in colour and slightly pliable, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the courgettes to jars
  • Divide the hot syrup between the jars to cover courgettes, leaving a 1cm/½-inch space on top
  • Wipe the rims, seal and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes
Pickled courgettes ingredients
Allow at least a week to pickle before eating
Keyword courgette, pickle, preserves, zucchini

Home-made piccalilli

Home-made piccalilli with pork pie and watercress | H is for Home

This month, I’ve been making a lot of my usual preserves – raspberry jelly, elderflower cordial and the like. One I’ve not made before is piccalilli.

Chopped vegetables, sea salt and water | H is for Home

Growing up, a jar of piccalilli was always prominent on the Christmas dinner table. It used to be a staple accompaniment to the roast ham  – and the cold meat sandwiches, cheese and pies in the following days.

Piccalilli pickling spices | H is for Home

I found numerous recipes in my collection of cook books; all much the same, with slight variations on the ratios of spices. I’ve made the recipe my own by adding mustard seeds and a couple of chillies for bite and colour.

Piccalilli veg and liquid | H is for Home

The preparation takes place over two days – the veg needs to be soaked in salted water (the brine) for 24 hours.

Ladling piccalilli into jars | H is for Home Filling jars with piccalilli | H is for Home

Once that’s done, cooking is a quick 20-minute affair before decanting into jars.

Jars of home-made piccalilli | H is for Home

The piccalilli is best left for at least 3 months before using to allow the flavours to develop. That leaves plenty of time before Christmas!

Save my recipe to Pinterest here.

Home-made piccalilli
Ingredients
  1. 1.4kg/3lbs vegetables (I used 800g cauliflower, 300g courgettes, 160g onions, 125g fine beans, 15g red chillies)
  2. 2l/3½pts water
  3. 200g/7oz salt
  4. 1l/1¾pt distilled white vinegar or malt vinegar for pickling
  5. 140g/5oz Demerara sugar
  6. 1tbsp mustard seeds
  7. 1tbsp mustard powder
  8. 2tsp turmeric
  9. 1tsp ground ginger
  10. 1tsp mixed spice
  11. 1tbsp plain flourHome-made piccalilli ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Dissolve the salt into the water
  2. Into a large mixing bowl, cut all the vegetables into even sized pieces
  3. Pour the salted water (brine) over the vegetables making sure they're all submerged. Weigh them down with a plate and cover the bowl over with a tea towel. Leave to stand for 24 hours
  4. Drain and put the vegetables into a large pan with the vinegar, sugar and spices. Simmer for 10-20 minutes depending on how soft or crunchy you like your veg
  5. Using a slotted spoon or ladle, decant the vegetables into hot, sterilised jars (I needed 5 mayonnaise-sized jars)
  6. Mix the flour into the spiced vinegar and boil for 1 minute before pouring into the jars of vegetables
  7. Seal the lids tightly on to the jars
  8. Store in a cool, dry cupboard for at least 3 months before using
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Gimme Five! Preserving tools

'Gimme Five' blog post banner

selection of preserving tools

On our dog walk yesterday, we picked elderflowers. Today I made our first batch of elderflower cordial of the year.

Elderflower cordial always marks the start of my preserving season. Good kit always makes the jam, jelly, pickling or chutney-making process more successful. Here are a few preserving tools that I recommend!

  1. Swift stainless steel preserving pan: £59.96, Divertimenti
  2. KitchenCraft home made blister carded cooking thermometer: £5.99, Wayfair
  3. 24 assorted Kilner fruit jam labels: £2.50, John Lewis
  4. Preserves: River Cottage Handbook No.2: from £7.26, Amazon
  5. Ball® preserving starter pack: £19.99, Lakeland

Spiced redcurrant & red onion relish

'Spiced redcurrant & red onion relish' blog post banner

Spiced redcurrant & red onion relish jar and label

Last week we brought you a sweet, baked redcurrant recipe. This week, some more of our redcurrants are being used in a savoury preserve – spiced redcurrant & red onion relish. We’ve slightly altered a recipe we found on the BBC Good Food website.

We’ve not tried out our relish yet – we’re giving the flavours some time to steep and develop. It’s meant to be really good teamed with a creamy goat’s cheese or charcuterie.

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how you get on.

Spiced redcurrant & red onion relish

Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 450 ml

Ingredients
  

  • 2 medium red onions peeled & sliced into ½cm square pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp dried crushed chillies
  • 2 large garlic cloves chopped finely
  • 1 small knob of fresh ginger grated
  • 200 ml red wine vinegar I used some of our home-made blackberry vinegar
  • 140 g muscovado sugar
  • 1 tsp Chinese five spice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 200 g redcurrants de-stalked
  •  

Instructions
 

  • In a heavy bottomed frying pan, cook the onions and dried crushed chillies in the olive oil over a medium heat until softened
  • Remove from the pan and set aside
  • Without washing out the pan, add the garlic and ginger with half the vinegar, bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes
  • Add the cooked onion & chilli mix, sugar, Chinese five spice, salt and the remainder of the vinegar
  • Bring back up to the boil then simmer for about 5 minutes until thickened
  • Add the redcurrants and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until some of them have burst and the liquid has become syrupy
  • Remove and pour into a sterilised, 450ml heatproof jar
  • Screw the lid on tightly while still hot. Once opened, it keeps in the fridge for up to 3 weeks