North African Pickles

Ingredients

• 1/2 cucumber
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt
• 3 carrots, peeled
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1/2 cabbage, chopped
• 5 ounces olives, a mixture of black, violet and green
• 1 lemon
• 2 cups olive oil
• 2 cups white wine vinegar
• 3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
• 1 tablespoon ground caraway seed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon coriander seed
• 2 tablespoons harissa

Directions

1. 1

   Cut the cucumber into rounds, about 1/4in thick, and put in a small non-reactive bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and put in the fridge for 2 hours.

2. 2

   Drain off any water that has leached out, then rinse. Gently pat dry and put at the bottom of a sterilized 4 cup capacity jar.

3. 3

   Cut the carrots into rounds, about the same thickness as the cucumber, and add these to the jar together with all the remaining ingredients.

4. 4

   Mix everything well to make sure you distribute the spices. Cover and leave for a few days at room temperature, shaking the jar from time to time. After that, put your pickles in the fridge.