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Put the onions in a large saucepan and stir in the malt vinegar. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Tip the cucumber into a colander and rinse under very cold water. Drain well, tossing to remove as much excess water as possible.
Vinegar. I'm using a simple white vinegar for this recipe, though you can use apple cider vinegar for a slightly sweeter, tangier version. It works great. Put the vegetables in a non-metallic mixing bowl, sprinkling with the salt and mix until well combined. Cover with a plate and leave to stand for 24 hours.
How to Make Pickles
For spears: Slice your cucumber in half lengthwise, then slice the halves into quarters. Finally, slice the quarters into eighths so they yield wedge-shaped spears. If you’re using a long cucumber, cut all the slices in half through the middle so they fit into your jar. The salt draws out the excess moisture from the vegetables, which will help keep them crisp, intensify their flavour and improve their preservation by preventing the excess water diluting the vinegar. Other veg that would work a treat are broccoli (including the stalk), celery, French beans, mangetout, artichokes and asparagus. Mix five tablespoons of the white wine vinegar with the mustard powder, turmeric, ginger, chilli flakes and cornflour. Stir the remaining white wine vinegar and the sugar into the malt vinegar and onions until dissolved. Tip the drained vegetables into the same pan, return to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can also include other fragrant ingredients in the mix, such as garlic, fresh chilli or ginger, turmeric or horseradish.
To sterilise your jar, simply boil it with the lid and any utensils you’re going to use to fill the jar, for 15 minutes, making sure not to use any unsterile items until after you’ve sealed the jar. Trim the ends of the cucumbers – there’s no need to peel them unless the skins are tough. Remove the seeds by running a teaspoon down the length of each cucumber half. Slice the cucumber halves into 4–5mm/¼in pieces. Put in a large bowl with the sliced onion and sprinkle with salt, tossing to coat. Cover the surface with baking paper and a large plate and leave in a cool place for at least 2 hours – anything up to 24 hours will be fine.
Ingredients
To sterilise a jar, wash it in very hot water, then put on its side in a cold oven (ideally, sterilise a batch, to make the most of the oven energy). Turn the oven to 150C, then, when it reaches temperature, turn it off. Leave the jars inside until needed. To sterilise the lids, put in a saucepan of water, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and leave in the water until needed.
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