Luciano our neighbor has a new entry in his garden “ the gherkin il cetriolino “ perfect for home made pickles ideal with meat, fish, salad or just like that. Easy to make and nice to have in your pantry.
Ingredients.
- 1kg gherkins for pickling
- 3 to 4 shallots
- 2 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- Some dry chili flakes
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- Some fresh fennel greens
- You can add fresh herbs from your garden and some garlic all to your taste
- 1 l white wine vinegar (this time I used 1/3 of white wine vinegar and 1/3 of Apple vinegar)
- 250 gr sugar
Preparation.
Wash the gherkins very well under cold running water, use a soft toothbrush to remove the spines of the pickles, in a large pan with fresh water and salt ( 75 gr salt per liter of water), let the pickles soak for 36 hours, rinse them well under fresh running water . Heat the vinegar with the sugar and the herbs ( without the shallot and the fresh fennel greens) let cook for 10 minutes. Fill the sterilized jars with as many pickles possible pressing them down and top with the sweet and sour spiced vinegar. Screw the lid on tightly and turn them upside down till they are completely cold. Leave them for at least one month in a cool and dark place.
Done.
Buon appetito !
Zia Tata’s kitchen 