Get back to basics with this quick and easy recipe for pickled cucumbers. Great for your gut health, this little side dish will be a winner at dinner time.
We used to eat a lot more pickled veges in the old days before refrigeration. It was a great way to preserve them but it was also widely known that eating a little fermented food with your meals aided digestion. We now know that fermented foods are great for our gut microbiome. So popping a bit of sauerkraut or pickle on the side of your plate is not just about taste but health as well.
This is a lovely, quick recipe that makes a wonderful pickle to go with fish and meat.
Ingredients
1 telegraph cucumber or two small cucumbers, unpeeled and sliced very thinly 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
11⁄2 cups water
1⁄2 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 bay leaf
2 allspice berries or 1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice
Method
- Place the cucumber in a colander, sprinkle over the salt and let it stand for 30 minutes.
- In a saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf and allspice, and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- Rinse the salt off the cucumbers and, using your hands, squeeze as much moisture out of them as you can.
- Place the cucumbers in a large jar and pour the pickling liquid over them.
- Cover with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for at least three hours before using.
