Let's get Pickled!

I love a good cheese platter. But for me what makes a good cheese platter is the sight of some sort of pickled veggie or a caramelised fruit (think fig). Not only do they add some fun colour to the platter but they are a perfect accompaniment to your classic cheese combo's.

Ive been making these sweet pickled peppers for many years. The recipe came from a friend who gave me a jar as a Christmas gift. I fell instantly in love with them. So sweet and sticky and so incredibly moreish. My Dad is also a huge fan and often very subtly drops hints that his supply needs replenishing.

The time to make these is obviously when you spy cheap red capsicums. Last week I found some for $2 a kilo, so I stocked up and came home to pickle away.

The bread and butter cucumbers are a fairly recent find (despite being around for a very long time). On each visit, our good friend Stacey always brings up her latest batch of home made jam (which are delicious!!) but also a jar of her Mum's bread and butter cucumbers. Anne makes the best ever bread & butter cucumbers. They never last long in our house so I decided to sift through every CWA cookbook I have looking for a classic recipe. Oddily enough I didnt find what I was looking for. So, I turned to google and was drawn to this recipe.

Sweet Pickled Peppers

6 capsicums

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

1 tablespoon finely grated garlic

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

salt

Cut capsicums into half then de-seed. Then slice into thin pieces. Put in a large bowl and sprinkle with about 3 tablespoons of salt. Mix through and leave overnight. The salt helps to draw out the water from the capsicum.

The next day, rinse capsicums well. Put all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to boil, then turn down heat and allow to simmer for at least an hour. Spoon capsicum and syrup into sterilised bottles.

Serve with your favourite cheese. Goes particularly well with brie, camembert or cheddar.

Bread & Butter Cucumber-  Recipe from Lizzie Moult and her blog Strayed from the Table
5 large lebanese cucumbers, trimmed and sliced into 5mm thick slices
1 medium brown onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons salt
375ml apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon tumeric powder
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Place the cucumber, onion and salt into a bowl stirring the salt to coat the vegetables. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Rinse the cucumber mix in a colander and pat dry with paper towel to remove all excess water.
In a medium to large pot, place the remaining ingredients and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add the cucumber mix and bring to boil.
Transfer the mixture into steralised bottles or jars and seal. Set aside for a week to allow flavours to develop. Keep jars in a cool dark place. They will last up to a year (unless in our house where they disappear rather quickly!). Refrigerate once opened. Goes perfectly with a mature and crumbly cheddar. Oh, and dont forget the wine!

So, are you a fan of the pickled veggie?