Are you in a pickle?

From my Petaluma Post column:

Did you know that the third week of May is national Pickle Week?  In past articles I have mentioned

pickles on my Gastro Pub station, they pair well with so many things.  I love pickles; as a kid I loved the bread and butter pickles that my grandmother would make, there is nothing like a good kosher pickle on a cheese sandwich, and cornichons are a must on a charcuterie platter.

Pickling is defined as the preserving of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar.  The way this works is by the use of salts and vinegars to lower the pH of food to below 4.6 which will not allow bacteria to grow.  I have been experimenting with a number of different icebox pickles.  Icebox pickles as opposed to heat pasteurized pickles which are more shelf stable but have a different texture.  I am lucky that we have a large enough walk-in refrigerator that I can keep a couple of large buckets of my pickles around.

The first thing that I looked at is what to pickle. Cucumbers seem to be the first thought, yes I like those.  Then other vegetables, when searching the web I found a recipe for almost anything that you can imagine from carrots to cherry tomatoes.  You will want to keep in mind that the salt and vinegar can pull the color out of the vegetables making them a bit drab.  I have had great luck with cauliflower, carrots, onions and red bell peppers.  You might ask what about fruits?  Do you realize that sugar is an acid? So in a way making jam is doing the same change in pH.  I have had fun with Apples and Persimmons, but people do tend to think of veggies as pickles.

The big question is are you doing a sweet or sour pickle.  Although it is not an entirely fair question since my sweet pickles are still tangy.  All of the pickles that I have made so far are quick pickles meaning they are ready to eat within 24 hours.  These are prepared vegetables (washed and cut) that a boiling liquid is poured over then allowed to cool.  When cool (if you can wait) they are ready to eat or store in the refrigerator.

One of the first places I started experimenting was with Vietnamese food.  Bahn Mi sandwiches are a street food staple that pairs Asian tastes with French cuisine.  A crusty baguette, sliced pork loin, pate, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, chili mayonnaise topped with a pickled vegetable combination of carrots and daikon radish.  The pickled vegetables add a bright clean finish to the rich sandwich - try them on a burger some time.

Bahn Mi Pickled Slaw

4 oz julienne carrots

4 oz julienne daikon

½ cup white vinegar

¼ cup water

¼ cup white sugar

Bring the sugar, vinegar and water to a boil, then pour over the vegetables.  Allow to cool, then drain when ready to use.  A great addition to any sandwich for a tangy crunch.

The next direction that I went in was doing my own pickled cucumbers and at the same time carrots.  There is one major difference, I use the same brine (sugar, salt, vinegar combination) but with the cucumbers I salted them for 2 hours to help draw out moisture so the bine could be absorbed

Pickled Cucumber or Carrots

The veggies

2 pound Persian cucumbers – cut into ¼” slices, toss with 1 cup salt, rest for 2 hours, rinse well

OR 2 pounds carrots sticks

1 red bell pepper - cut into strips

1 red onion, small - cut into strops

Place in a food safe plastic bucket, glass jar or crock with lid.

The Brine

6 oz white sugar

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup water

1 oz salt

½ tsp mustard seed

¼ tsp celery seed

Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil, and then pour over the vegetables.  If the brine does not cover the vegetables, place a weighted plate into container to press them; they will shrink.  Allow to cool, then refrigerate.  Ready within 12 to 24 hours. Stores well for up to 30 days.

After you have tried the first recipe try other vegetable and think about adding different spices; one of my favorites was cauliflower with a bit of curry powder.

Moving on from there I tried changing out the water with beer to create our Hop Stoopid Pickled Cauliflower.  Hops often have a bitter after taste, but the combination in this pickle was just perfect for a rich beer flavor with no bitterness.

Hop Stoopid Pickled Cauliflower

2 heads cauliflower – broken into florets

1 – 20 oz bottle Lagunitas Hop Stoopid

1 cup water

3 cup vinegar

1 pound sugar

2 oz salt

1 tsp pepper corns

½ tsp mustard seed

1 Tbl chopped garlic

Clean and prep the cauliflower, then place in a food safe plastic bucket, glass jar or crock.  Bring the remaining ingredients just to a boil.  Careful, hoppy beer is a bit delicate, you don’t want a heavy boil.  Add the cauliflower in to the brine, bring to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Place in a food safe plastic bucket, glass jar or crock.

From carrots to cauliflower you’ll always be in a pickle (in a good way).