Name: Pickled green beans
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1kg green beans; 140g coarse crystal sea salt; 1 tbsp black peppercorns; 1 tbsp coriander seeds; 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds; 10 cloves; few pieces of mace blades; pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional); 2 bay leaves; 700ml white wine vinegar plus 3.5 tbsp; 100g white sugar; 1 finely chopped red onion

Use up a glut of green beans by preserving them in a spiced pickling vinegar - serve with a slice of terrine, pâté or in a salad

Ingredients

1kg green beans

140g coarse crystal sea salt

1 tbsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds

10 cloves

few pieces of mace blades

pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)

2 bay leaves

700ml white wine vinegar plus 3.5 tbsp

100g white sugar

1 finely chopped red onion

Instructions

1 Trim the stems from the green beans. In a large bowl, mix the coarse crystal sea salt with 300ml boiling water and let it dissolve to make a brining solution. Add 1.2 litres cold water, then the beans. Cover and leave to soak overnight, then rinse and drain.

2 To make the pickling vinegar, put the whole spices in a medium saucepan. Toast over a low heat until they begin to smell aromatic. Add the dried chilli flakes last, as these can easily catch. Add the bay, pour in all of the vinegar, the sugar and the red onion, let the sugar dissolve, and bring to a simmer.

3 Pack the beans into sterilised jars (see tip below), then pour over the hot vinegar and seal. Ready to eat in 2 weeks, or longer, if you like.