Christmas Zucchinis

I often hear that Rockpool Bar and Grill have the best burger in Sydney.  Some Sydney food bloggers have critiqued the burger's elements, and they claim that each part is perfect.

I've eaten this wonder burger and I have to say it's pretty good.  One element of the burger I particularly like is the pickle! What sets the pickle apart is that Neil Perry uses a 'Zuni Pickle' on the burger, rather than the standard gherkin.  These pickles are made from zucchini rather than cucumber and are based on the pickles at the Zuni Cafe in San Francisco.

A few months ago I thought I'd try to make some of these pickles myself, to see what they were like.  The first batch I made turned out exceptionally well.  They were juicy and had a good sweet/sour balance.  The turmeric and mustard seeds in the recipe also provided some interesting spicy notes. They were so good in fact, that I decided that for Christmas this year I'd make a whole load of the zucchini pickles to give to friends and colleagues.  The pickles are excellent with a sharp cheddar cheese, or of course, on burgers!

Vinnie's Zucchini Pickle Recipe

Ingredients

• 1kg of zucchinis;
• 1 large onion;
• 1/2 cup of rock salt; 
• 750ml of white vinegar/apple cider vinegar;
• 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds;
• 1 teaspoon of peppercorns;
• 1 tablespoon of mustard powder;
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder;
• 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 1 cup of white sugar;
• 2 tablespoons of chili flakes;
• 5 birdseye chillies.

Method

1. Slice the zucchinis so they are around 1 cm thick.  You can either slice them into circles or into long strips. 
2. Place the sliced zucchinis in a bowl and add the rock salt and then fill the bowl with water until all of the zucchinis are submerged.  Stir the zucchinis around so the salt dissolves slightly.  Place a plate on top of the zucchinis to keep them submerged. Leave the zucchinis soaking overnight.
3. The next day, drain the zucchinis, ensuring that the brine is removed and the zucchinis are relatively dry.
4. Then combine all of the other ingredients into a pot to make the spiced vinegar.  Bring this vinegar mixture to the boil to dissolve all of the sugar.
5. Once the sugar has dissolved, place the drained zucchinis into the pot with the spiced vinegar, and then bring to the boil again.
6. Once the zucchinis and the vinegar have reached the boil, take off the heat.
7. Sterilise your jars and then pack them with the zucchinis.  Fill each jar to the brim with the vinegar.  Make sure there's at least one chili and bay leaf in each of the jars.

Note:  Alternatively, you can leave out the mustard, turmeric and curry flavours and simply oregano and chili to flavour them.  Haven't tasted these yet but should be tasty!