Pickled Cucumber with Chardonnay White Wine Vinegar
Gherkins and other kinds of pickled cucumbers are popular for a reason, they offer a substantial crunch and can be used in sandwiches, wraps, salads, or eaten straight from the jars. Chardonnay White Wine Vinegar gives them a sharpness that makes them perfect for cutting through heavier sandwich ingredients like cheese or ham. While we used peppercorns, garlic and coriander seeds you can try different combinations of dried spices that will impart their flavours onto the cucumbers.
Ingredients
130g Chardonnay White Wine Vinegar
335g Water
60g Granulated or caster sugar
16g Fine sea salt
2 Small or 1 large clove garlic, peeled and thickly sliced
1tsp Black peppercorns
1tsp Coriander seeds
1 long Cucumber (approx. 300g) or 2 or 3 smaller crooked cucumbers
2tbsp Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil – optional
Instructions
- You will need 2 or 3 large jam jars for this recipe as cucumber is quite bulky. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, garlic, coriander seeds and peppercorns in a pan. Bring up to the boil then turn off and allow to cool to room temp.
- While the pickle is cooling, clean the jars in hot soapy water then rinse. Sterilise them by pouring boiling water over and allowing to air-dry or place in and oven at 120C fan/140C non-fan until dry, then allow to cool.
- Wash and dry the cucumbers then slice into ½ cm rounds and pack into the jam jars. When the pickling liquid is cool pour over pickle, making sure cucumbers are completely covered and that each jar gets some of the spices. If using, cover with a thin layer or olive oil then seal with a lid and place in the fridge. They are ready to eat in around 6 hours but are best left for 24 to allow the flavour to develop and will last in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
Included in this Recipe
White Wine Vinegar
Chardonnay wine balanced with grape must to create a light sweetness and gentle acidity.
Early Harvest Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Single varietal, stone crushed, cold extracted, Extra Virgin Olive Oil made from the first Arbequina olives of the season.