Dinner: Pickled Baby Squash

Recipe by Ruth Cousineau The piquancy of little sweet-and-sour squash helps balance the lavishness of the creamed corn and okra stew. The surprise ingredient here is maple syrup: It adds a more rounded flavor to the pickles than sugar. A mixture of tiny

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds baby summer squash
1 medium onion, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (preferably dark amber)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
8 whole allspice, slightly crushed
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Instructions

Blanch squash and onion in a medium pot of well-salted boiling water 2 minutes. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking. Let stand until cool, then drain and transfer vegetables to a large glass or ceramic bowl.
Bring remaining ingredients with 4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a nonreactive medium saucepan, then pour over vegetables. Put a plate with a 3-pound weight (such as 2 large cans) on top to keep vegetables submerged.
Cool, then chill (with weight) at least 3 days for flavors to develop.

Add a review for Pickled Baby Squash