Spicy Crunchy Courgette Pickle

My best friend only found out about my slight mustard addiction two months ago after nearly 11 years of friendship. 

I haven’t let on to her about my obsession with pickled things.  Anything that has been sitting in vinegar for over 6 hours is at risk of being eaten if it is in my eye line. 

The happiness of stumbling upon the recipe here was immense.  The two week wait for this Spicy Courgette Pickle to mature was hard.  Often I heard Jim’s voice saying “Put the jar down… Now…”  I’ve just finished another batch and have a jar left for the next two week wait.  I’m prepared this time.

Ingredients

500gr courgettes

2 shallots

2tbsp salt

500ml cider vinegar

140gr golden caster sugar

1tsp mustard powder

1tsp mustard seeds

1tsp celery seeds (I used celery salt)

½ tsp dried chilli flakes, more if you’re brave

1tsp ground turmeric

Method

1, Slice the courgettes and shallots thinly.  I used my mandolin for this.  Put them in a large bowl and cover with the salt.  Give it a gentle mix so not as to break the courgettes and then pour over ice cold water and chuck in some ice cubes.  Stir again to dissolve the salt and leave to one side for an hour.

2, After the hour is up, drain the courgettes and shallots and spread evenly over some kitchen towels or a clean tea towel to soak up the excess water. 

3, Make the pickling liquid but adding everything to a large pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Simmer for 3 minutes and then remove from the heat to cool slightly.

4, When the pickling liquid has cooled a little, pop in the courgettes and transfer into two sterilised 500ml jars.  Leave to mature for a couple of weeks before eating.  Totally worth the wait.