food.is.a.Good.thing
Pickling is up there on the list of “new adventures” for me this year, next to canning. While canning later this summer will provide more long term (aka winter time) benefits, pickling, at least the kind done so far, has reaped wonderfully delicious immediate gratification.
A recent trip to the farmers market yielded several pounds of Kerby cucumbers – perfect for pickling. The great thing about these pickles is the fairly instant gratification. Mere hours later these pickles are ready to eat. Delicious, crisp, sweet, tangy.
Bread & Butter Pickles* - Compliments of Smitten Kitchen
1 pound Kirby cucumbers
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds (if ground, use 1 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
Combine the cucumbers, onion and salt in a medium bowl. Top with several handfuls of ice and let sit at room temp for at least 2 hours. In a small sauce pan, bring vinegar, sugar and spices to a boil. Drain the cucumbers and onions and add them to the simmering liquid. Bring the mixture back to a boil then remove from the heat and cool. Scoop mixture into a quart size jar, and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
*in my recreation of this I did not have mustard seeds and instead used ground mustard. If you also find yourself in this situation I would suggest either using just a dash of ground mustard, or forgoing it all together, lest your pickles taste a bit too mustardy. I also added some celery salt since I was also did not have celery seed. This seemed to work pretty well.
A trip to the international market yielded jalapenos - $1 per pound to be exact. Cant beat that with a stick! Lots of fresh salsa in our future (now that tomato season is kicking into gear!!!) but for now, delicious pickle jalapenos.
(todays jalapenos, last weeks remaining pickles)
Pickled Jalapenos – adapted from David Lebovitz who adapted it from Michael Symon and Michael Ruhlman
¾ pound fresh jalapeno peppers
¼ cup diced carrots
2.5 cups water
2.5 cups white distilled vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
3 Tbsp kosher salt
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp whole coriander seeds
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp black peppercorns
Cut jalapenos into ½ inch pieces. Place carrots and jalapenos in quart sized canning jar. In a small sauce pan, bring all other ingredients to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over jalapenos and carrots. Place lid on the jar and let cool before refrigerating. Allow approx. 1 week to achieve best flavor, will last roughly 1 month in the fridge.
