Pickled peaches elevate any meal, let alone a picnic. This sweet delicacy is lovely sliced on top of a green salad, served with cheese (especially burrata) or eaten just as it is straight out of the jar. The sweet vinegar solution is just as incredible, and should be treasured for its remarkable flavour: use it instead of vinegar and/or sweetening agent in everything from salad dressings to pouring over ice-cream. Pickling recipes are usually designed to preserve huge gluts of fruit or vegetables, which is great if you’re lucky enough to have your own crop, spot a bargain or are gifted a box, but what if we find ourselves with only a smaller surplus of, say, a peach or two that we might want to preserve or transform? I’ve devised this recipe to preserve just two peaches, so scale up as necessary.
Quick pickled peaches
This simple and speedy recipe transforms even a small amount of spare fruit into a rich and flavoursome delicacy. It’s also extremely versatile – enjoy your pickled peaches as tapas with manchego, a salty cheddar or a creamy burrata, or serve them with a Sunday roast, alongside parsnips or pork, for example, or even on top of ice-cream.
It’s common practice to peel peaches, but I like the skin – it adds both nutrition and colour. As a root-to-fruit, zero-waste cook, I rarely peel anything anyway. Besides, leaving it on saves on preparation time and it can be easily removed by whomever is eating it, if they prefer. You will need a 500ml sterilised jar.
Makes 1 500ml jar (net weight 250g)
170ml cider, white-wine or rice vinegar
85g honey, maple syrup and/or sugar
2 peaches (about 250g)
Optional flavourings
1 shard of cinnamon quill, or ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
1 thin slice fresh ginger, or ¼ tsp ginger powder
1 small chilli
6 black peppercorns
¼ tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch ground nutmeg
In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, honey, maple syrup or/and sugar, and your choice of optional aromatics. Set the pan over a medium heat and stir until it begins to steam and any sugar dissolves.
Cut the peaches in half, remove the stones and cut into thick wedges. Put in a sterilised 500ml pickling jar and pour the hot liquid slowly over the top to cover. Screw on the lid, leave to cool, then refrigerate for at least two days and up to three weeks.
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