Dill Pickles

This week I tried a very easy pickled gherkin recipe from one of my favourite food mags, Delicious…and so easy! Now it’s suddenly fashionable and good for you to eat a lot of fermented foods – pickling and preserving were absolutely essential pre-modern fridges and freezers and well, if you have European roots like I have, you’ve probably grown up with them, sauerkraut (homemade, of course) and the like. Here it is:

Dill pickles

(Makes 1 L jar)

Ingredients

600g small pickling cucumbers (or enough to fill jar)
4 dill sprigs
4 bay leaves
2 tbsp mixed peppercorns
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
100ml white vinegar

Method

Wash cucumbers and pat dry, trimming any stalks.

Place in bowl and cover with iced water.

Chill for 4 hours.

Drain cucumber and pack closely into sterilised jar with dill, bay leaves and spices.

Place vinegar, ¼ cup sea salt and 1 ½ cups water in saucepan over medium high heat.  Bring to the boil and cook, stirring until salt dissolves.

Remove from heat and fill sterilised jar with hot brine.  Tap the jar gently to remove any air bubbles and seal tightly.  Invert jar to create a sterile seal.  Cool completely then chill for 1 week before opening.

To sterilise jar, wash metal lid and jar, dry, then place on baking tray in a 120 deg, C oven for 20 mins.  Remove and fill jar while still hot. Delicious with cold meats or in a potato salad.

Speaking of potato salad, I’ve got a quick one that I make all the time, I'll post that next time. I usually have it with my home smoked trout – recipe for that will follow later.