Pickled Vegetables

Cook Time 20 minutes (+ pickling)

Servings 2 large jars

Ingredients

300g caster sugar
375ml red wine vinegar
1 bunch baby carrots, trimmed, halved
1 bunch radishes, trimmed and cut into wedges
250g punnet baby cucumbers (qukes), halved lengthways (or 3 small Lebanese cucumbers, cut into chunks)
¼ small cauliflower, trimmed, cut into florets
6 Brussels sprouts
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 red birdseye chillies, halved lengthways (or left whole if you don’t want it too spicy)
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
2 stalks of dill, sprigs picked

Method

For the Brussels sprouts, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the Brussel sprouts and a pinch of salt and blanch for 5 minutes. Strain and refresh in cold water.

In a medium saucepan, add sugar, a pinch of salt, vinegar and 1½ cups (375ml) water over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add peppercorns, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, chillies, and garlic, bring to the boil, then simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Divide vegetables between 2 large sterilised pickling jars (approximately 1 litre each), place the dill on top, and pour over vinegar mixture to cover. Seal jars with lids and refrigerate to pickle for a minimum of 4 to 6 hours – obviously the longer you leave the pickles, the more intense the flavour will be.
** check jars are big enough to fit the amount of vegetables in the recipe and that you have enough pickling liquid – if necessary, add more jars and increase the pickling liquid proportionally.