Bread & Butter Cucumbers

I was on the phone earlier to a friend, and told her I was about to make bread and butter cucumbers. She said, “What are they?” So I explained they were sliced pickled cucumbers. You can have them in sandwiches, with hamburgers, on toast with cheese, with cold meats, chopped up in coleslaw — all sorts. Or just eat them straight from the jar. So then she asked me for the recipe. So here’s mine — you can vary it a bit — add in some herbs, use different spices  or whatever. (In my photo the little square jar holds dried chilli flakes) It’s a very forgiving recipe.

Makes three medium jars, so start by sterilizing them. (If you’re not sure how to do this, google it.)

INGREDIENTS
5 medium Lebanese cucumbers (aka Persian cucumbers)
2 small onions (shallots, or half a red onion)
2 tablespoons cooking salt
One and a half cups of cider vinegar
just under half a cup of sugar
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons coriander (cilantro) seeds
large pinch turmeric

METHOD
1)  Slice cucumbers thinly
2) Halve onions and slice thinly
3) Place cucumbers and onions in a large bowl, sprinkling with salt as you go. Cover bowl and leave in the fridge overnight.
4) Next day, rinse well then pat dry.
5) Put vinegar, sugar and spices in a large saucepan, cook for three minutes, stirring to dissolve sugar, then add cucumbers etc. Bring to a simmer, take off heat, bottle in sterilized  jars, let cool, then store in fridge. Wait at least a day before eating. Then enjoy.

These are mine, but for a more detailed description, go here.  It’s similar, but a slightly different approach and in the video she includes three varieties of pickling liquid.

Do you enjoy pickles? Do you make your own? What’s your favorite sort?