Thomasina Miers: Courgette, Jalapeño & Tomatillo Pickle

I often plant out courgettes (zucchini) in the summer and can never believe how many fruit can come from one plant.

Unfortunately, the slugs and snails seem to love them as much as I do, so either we have none or we have too many. This is a pretty good solution to any glut. A pickle of stunning colour, incredible flavour and beautiful texture. A jar of these on the table for a weekend lunch is a fine thing. Better still, pile them into cheese toasties. The recipe is enough for one large jar, but it is so simple that I like to make a big batch and have pickles aplenty. They make fun presents too.

Extracted from Mexican Table by Thomasina Miers (Quadrille, £28), Photography by Matt Russell. Buy here

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American, Mexican and Caribbean

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Method

Combine the courgettes, shallots, tomatillos and chillies in a bowl.

Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of the salt and mix to distribute, then pour over enough water to just cover and leave for 1 hour. Drain the vegetables in a colander, and rinse briefly under the tap. Leave to drain before squeezing out any excess moisture. Place in a sterilised 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cup) jar.

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar and sugar with the remaining 1 tablespoon salt. Add the turmeric, coriander seeds, allspice berries and bay leaves, and place over a medium–high heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan and leave to cool for 5 minutes, then pour the pickling liquid over the veg.

You can crack into this pickle straight away, but the flavours will improve if allowed to steep for several days. Keep refrigerated once opened. The pickle will last for several months stored in the refrigerator.