Recipe Source: Hoffman, Susanna. The Olive and the Caper. Workman Press, New York, 2004 pp. 72-3.
Before I planned my menu for the big camping trip up in Maine I asked for suggestions. Only one person had any requests: she said she liked my salads and my pickled salads. This, while not even vaguely resembling a medieval recipe, looked tasty and like it would travel well. I decided to include it in my meal and people really liked it. It was pretty easy to come up with, it definitely traveled well, and it provided more vegetables for people to choose from. It was a little sweet for my tastes, personally (hence the catchy name), but most people really liked it.
I didn't make a lot of changes to this recipe because there weren't a lot of changes to make. I did add a little bit of cubeb to the mix, as well as a little bit of ground coriander just to make it fit in a little better with some of the other dishes I was serving. I also had to use apple cider vinegar because I was out of white wine vinegar and at 3 AM your options are a little limited. Like I said, this went over pretty well. Be sure to make this the day before you intend to serve it. Hoffman says that it will last up to two months in the refrigerator, but you'd likely eat it well before then.
Sweet Zucchini Pickle (serves about 20; approx. $0.42/serving)
3 pounds zucchini, sliced to ¼" thick
2 onions, quartered and sliced to 1/8" thick
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon (approx.) fresh ground cubeb
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
½ teaspoon whole cloves
1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
Equipment:
- Large seal-able plastic bowl
- Large saucepan
- Colander
- Combine the onions and the zucchini slices in the colander with the salt and let stand ½ hour.
- Combine the cubeb, coriander, mustard powder, mustard seeds, turmeric, cloves, sugar and vinegar in the saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then remove from heat.
- Add the zucchini and onions to the pot and set aside to cool.
- Transfer to the sealable bowl. Cover and seal.
- Refrigerate at least overnight before serving.

