Our friends Diane and Steve recently brought back many boxes of lovely organic peaches from Willcox, Arizona.

Of course we've had peach cobbler, peaches on ice cream, and a rustic peach tart (above).

But this year I decided to try tershi, or Afghani-style pickled peaches.

With hot-pepper flakes, coriander, mint, garlic, and apple-cider vinegar, the results are puckery indeed—a bit much to just eat from the jar (though Jonathan did, to humorous results).

Last night I made whole wheat fettucini with turkey and sautéed onions, garlic, and celery with dried cranberries and half a jar of chopped pickled peaches and a dollop of the juice. The savory turkey, onions and garlic went very well with the sweet-tart pickles and cranberries—and the colors are really lovely as well.

Pickled Peaches, Afghan Style (tershi)
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Recipe By: Mark Bittman (How to Cook Everything)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. peaches, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 cups white or white wine vinegar
1/8 cup sugar
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 teaspoons dried mint
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions:

Put the salt, the vinegar, sugar, and spices in a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then let cool for about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture over the peaches and let cool to room temperature. (Add more vinegar or water if the cucumbers are not covered.)