Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes for storing summer fruits and vegetables

Pickling, salting, fermenting and curing are just a few of the many ways mankind has learned to extend the shelf life of a food. I'm not one to say goodbye at the best of times, so luckily that means I never really have to part with my favorite fruits and vegetables; instead, I can enjoy them in a different form. While fresh produce requires very little work, the art of preservation lends itself to bigger, stronger, and funkier flavors. The ingredients get to know each other in whatever controlled environment we place them in, and somehow they turn into dollops of wonderfully intense deliciousness. And that, I would say, is a definite win.

Pepper Chicken and Marinated Watermelon Salad (top photo)

This dish delivers on multiple fronts : the salt and spice of chicken pepper and the sweet and tangy of marinated watermelon. Store any excess pickle in a sterilized jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and use as a spoonful on salads or grilled meat.

Prep 25 minPickle 12 hrCook 15 minServs 2 as a light meal

For the watermelon 1.3 kg peeled watermelon, flesh cut into 2 cm cubes (850 g) 1 jalapeño pepper (10 g ) cut into 3mm thick rounds (if you prefer less heat, remove and discard the pith and seeds) 170g caster sugar 125ml red wine vinegar 2 chamomile tea bags 2 tbsp mint leaf soup Fine sea salt and black pepper

For the chicken2 teaspoons peppercorns – green, white, red and black, ideally coarsely crushed in a mortar ⅛ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, coarsely crushed in a mortar (optional) 2 tbsp plain flour 1 tbsp vegetable oil 3 boneless boneless chicken thighs skin1 banana shallot, peeled and thinly sliced ​​(40g)45g watercress1 lime, halved

Place the diced watermelon, jalapeño and sugar in a large jar sterilized, give it a light shake to coat, then leave to macerate for 20 minutes. Add the vinegar, tea bags, mint, a teaspoon of salt and 175 ml of water and cover with a piece of parchment paper. Close the jar and refrigerate overnight.

Now on to the chicken. Combine all the ground peppercorns in a medium bowl and reserve a quarter teaspoon of the mixture. Add the flour and half a teaspoon of salt to the remaining ground peppercorns.

Place the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Wrap each chicken leg between two sheets of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to flatten it to ½ cm thickness. Coat the chicken with the pepper-flour mixture, then place them one by one in the very hot pan and brown for three minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a board, sprinkle with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and leave to rest.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and add 200 ml watermelon pickling liquid; drain 175 g pickle solids and set aside. Reduce the marinade liquid for five minutes, until it turns orange and syrupy and has reduced by four-fifths, then remove from the heat.

Meanwhile , combine the shallot, watercress and drained watermelon pickle, then transfer to a large plate with a rim. Cut each chicken leg diagonally into four slices and arrange on top. Pour over the reduced syrup, sprinkle the reserved 1/4 teaspoon ground peppercorns and serve with the lime halves to squeeze on top.

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