Pile it on

I found a new blog and I have been glued to it for days; Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks. The premise behind Heidi’s blog could not be better suited to me; a girl who has bought a ton of cookbooks and suddenly realizes it is time to stop buying and start cooking.

I love cook books. Taking a pile to the couch with a cup of tea and flipping for inspiration, in my opinion, is an ideal Saturday morning. Last week’s CSA included fresh zucchini. Last summer zucchini became one of my favourite things to cooks with. It is so versatile; sweet or savory, crispy or smooth, raw or cooked any way you slice it: simply delicious.

When I stumbled upon Heidi’s blog and found this recipe I hadn’t intended on writing a post but after I tried them, I just had to share.

I toasted an english muffin, spread some goat's cheese and topped with the zucchini pickles - so good!

Heidi Swanson’s Zucchini Pickles

3 medium zucchini (1 pound / 16 oz / 450 g), thinly sliced

1 medium white onion, thinly sliced

3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup (small handful) fresh dill sprigs
1 small fresh red chile pepper, very thinly sliced – I substituted some dried red chillie peppers
1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
3/4 cup / 180 ml cider vinegar

3/4 cup / 180 ml white wine vinegar

1/3 cup / 1.75 oz / 50g natural cane sugar – I used double regular sugar


Toss the zucchini, onion, shallots, and salt together in a colander and place over a bowl to catch the liquids. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least a couple hours. Toss once or twice along the way. You're aiming to get as much liquid out of the zucchini as possible.
When you're finished draining the zucchini, shake off any water. At this point you want the zucchini as dry as possible. Place in a 1 liter / 1quart jar along with the dill, chile pepper, and mustard seeds.
Combine the ciders and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, and continue to boil for a few minutes. Pour the liquid over the zucchini and seal the jar. Let cool, then refrigerate. The pickles are good for a week or so.