pickle girl

R.I.P. Gourmet

2009-10-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

I really thought I would be spending my Monday morning recapping the wonderfully ridiculous International Pickle Day festivities. Instead, we were called into an emergency meeting to learn of Gourmet's demise.

It is with heavy heart that I share the news of Gourmet's folding--nearly 70 years after its inception. The mission of the magazine has always been to open readers' minds to culture through the lens of food.

Unfortunately, America prefers fast, cheap, and easy. Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee, Top Chef. The latest flashes in the pan are steering us towards instant this and 30-minute that. No style, no substance.

pickle girl is all vinegar on this sad day.

Chef Recipe: Andrea Reusing's Pickled Pumpkin

2009-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Happy October! This fall season brings a pickle worthy of its own theme song. When Gourmet.com reported that One Ring Zero was composing a tune based on these pumpkin pickles by Andrea Reusing, I could barely dial farm-to-fork favorite, Lantern Restaurant, quickly enough.

Special thanks to Andrea Reusing of Lantern Restaurant, for sharing this pickled pumpkin recipe.

Pickled Pumpkin
Use small, organic pumpkins or squashes. Before peeling, taste their skins; if they are tender, they can be left on.

3 pounds pumpkin, cut into thin moons or chunks

Brine:
5 fresh Thai chilies, split in half lengthwise
1 small piece of unpeeled ginger, thinly sliced
6 cloves peeled garlic
10 white peppercorns
2 quarts unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 ½ cups distilled white vinegar
1 ½ cups mirin
2 ½ cups white sugar
½ cup kosher salt

1. Combine the brine ingredients in a non-reactive pan and bring the
mixture to a simmer.
2. When the sugar is dissolved, add pumpkin and cook gently, checking frequently, until the pumpkin is just tender.
3. Cool in liquid and refrigerate.

pickle girl to Join International Pickle Day 2009!

2009-09-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

pickle girl, and my kindred pickle spirit, Pickle Freak, will be in the "Resources" tent at the Ninth Annual International Pickle Day on the LES this Sunday!

Wear a costume and strut your salty stuff with the "big pickle" on the green carpet, then upload your photos to our flickr page!

From Grub Street:

What: Ninth Annual NYC International Pickle Day

When: October 4

Where: Parking lot on Broome Street between Essex and Ludlow

What’s New: “More free pickle samples ranging from India to Haiti, Malaysia to Brooklyn, and kosher dills from our very own LES!” Most exciting: There will be canning demos, pickles from the New York Science Barge, music from accordion trio Main Squeeze, and a parade complete with costume contest, though take note — costumes have to be “family friendly.”

Price: Free. More information here.

2009-09-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

This just in, via today’s Tasting Table: Edible Manhattan will be celebrating its first year with a Fall Harvest Party this Saturday, complete with a dedicated Pickle Tasting Room! Pickle superstars Rick’s Picks, Horman's Pickles, and Brooklyn Brine Co. will be featured among the city’s other artisanal purveyors of the cheese, chocolate, and salumi varieties.

South Street Seaport (Fulton/South Sts.); buy tickets here ($40).

The Pickles Next Door

2009-09-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

A small dose of pop culture to get us through the week. To the serious foodies out there: I'm sorry. I couldn't resist.

End of Summer Garlic Conserve

2009-09-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

An ode to fresh garlic on this last day of summer...

I’ll often pickle scapes, but this is the first time I have pickled bulbs (buying the soy-pickled variety from the Korean market doesn't count).

This adapted Paul Virant recipe for fresh garlic conserve (via StarChefs) is served with roasted marrow bones and wood-grilled bread. I may end up eating this with everything from bread alone to duck confit nachos.

Side note: Chef Virant is a pickle girl favorite.

1/3 cup olive oil or grape seed oil
4 1/3 cups peeled garlic cloves
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
2 heaping tsp. salt

Fresh Garlic Conserve:
1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until caramelized; add the sugar and continue to caramelize.

2. Deglaze with water and cook until the garlic is tender.

3. Deglaze the pan with the Champagne vinegar, add the salt, and remove from the heat.

4. Pack the garlic into sterilized jars and process in a hot water bath.

Pickles in the News: It's a Happy Girl World

2009-09-21T11:21:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to my friends at happy girl kitchen co.! The Guardian voted their spicy heirloom tomato juice one of the 50 Best Foods in the World. Pick yours up at the Ferry Building farmers market or order online.

Pickle Passport: Sardella and Her Fella

2009-09-18T20:56:00.000-07:00

We raced into Crotone with dreams of a three-hour seafood feast as reprieve from Calabria's oppressive heat. Sidelined by fishmongers slinging eel, sardines, and octopi, we talked into the siesta hours until every dining option was closed. Frankly, we could stand to miss a meal at that point.

This happy accident introduced us to sardella—Calabrian caviar—one of the most obscure flavors in Southern Italy. Keeping with the paradigm of simple Italian dishes, this paste is made of very few ingredients: salt, the region’s sun-baked pepperoncini piccante, and baby sardines, which are left to cure for six-seven months.

Actually, make that newly hatched sardines.

It’s a cruel world, but what can I tell you? It’s a delicious one too.

Sardella paste is sold from plastic buckets at weekly markets. My favorite pasta during this trip (this time I really mean it), was al dente spaghetti, finished in olive oil and sardella. It was at once sweet, salty, earthy. Six Euros of humble bliss.

We also ate simple crostini spread with sardella all over Calabria. Its boldness an arm wrestle with the toe's fierce Ciro wine. Sadly, this nuanced, umami flavor was not available in cans or jars for the trip home. What I would give for some right now.

Pickles in the News: Man Defiles Pickle Jar to Make Bomb

2009-09-16T18:22:00.000-07:00

This just in from The Badger Herald: man attempts to create bomb from pickle jar. Police thwart his plans, but the neglected victims of this story are the pickles. A snippet:

The pickle jar was on a bench behind Olson, containing batteries and other unidentified objects. A pile of pickles was sitting on the bench in the park, along with a liquid that was presumably pickle juice, according to the police report.

I hope they give this guy 25 to Life.

Pickle Passport: Alici in Wonderland

2009-09-15T18:54:00.000-07:00

What was once the center of Magna Graecia is now a bankrupted city that’s been brought to its knees by rampant corruption. Like a scene out of Gomorrah, Taranto runs on fumes; in the darkness of a night without electricity, schemers and pickpockets lurk in the cobblestone alleys of the Old City.

It’s a good thing I’m not writing this for the Taranto Tourism Board…

We initially thought Taranto’s only redeeming quality was an outstanding archeological museum, but then we wandered into a fish market and discovered these home-cured alici, or salted anchovies.

The fishmonger eagerly demonstration how the fish are cleaned in one swift move that simultaneously removes the head and pulls out the innards. The anchovies are then rinsed and layered in crocks for one month, weighted down by plaster-filled water bottles.

This being Italy, nothing goes to waste: Colatura di alici is a fish sauce created from the juices in these crocks, and it's a kick-in-the-head addition to a rustic pasta dish with breadcrumbs, garlic, and alici.

It doesn’t get any simpler than this ancient preservation method, and it doesn't get any sketchier in Italy than Taranto.

Pickle Passport: Lampascioni

2009-09-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

(Pickled lampascioni, Il Frantoio masseria, Ostuni)

Another untamed staple of Puglia’s cucina povera: wild hyacinth bulbs, or lampascioni. These rosy rounds make a delectable pickle with a delicate onion flavor.

On one particularly bacchanalian evening, we enjoyed an antipasto of pickled lampascioni, fried, burst open by the heat, and then drizzled with orange blossom honey at Il Frantoio. Side note: this was our FAVORITE masseria on the entire trip. It is heaven, and I could dedicate this entire blog to my musings on the matter.

(Photo courtesy of Parla Food, since mine did not turn out!)

But, back to the pickles… I’m going to thinly slice my lampascioni into rings and cure fresh, Montauk anchovies in their white wine vinegar brine.

Pickle Passport: Cardoncelli Magic Mushrooms

2009-09-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

The wild cardoncello mushroom—so called because they grow under thistle, or cardo—is just the Smurfiest. Although they look like the Japanese mushroom cookies with chocolate tops, cardoncelli are typical of the terra alla tavola (earth to table) cooking found in the Murgia, a fertile strata in mid-Puglia.

Cardoncelli season is fleeting, so it’s no surprise they make for ubiquitous pickles in the region’s daily markets and antipasti offerings. Buy in bulk from plastic barrels or opt for the canned, easy-to-bring-home version (sort of easy--damn you, three-ounce rule).

These rascally cardoncelli are from a two-table market in the tiny town of Bitonto, just outside of Bari, where there is an impressive 11th-century Romanesque cathedral.

Pickle Passport: The Great Pickle Girl Caper

2009-09-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

(Local capers, Locorotondo market, Puglia)

We are back! Albeit it 10 pounds heavier, 30 gallons of olive oil richer, and countless Euros poorer! But life is short, and the pickle adventures must go on.

I am beholding the spoils—jars of capers, anchovies, lampascioni—spread out on my kitchen counter as a kaleidoscopic still life in the trippy fog that is jet lag. (Not to be outdone by the piles of handmade orecchiette and strozzapreti, dried IGP Basilicatan chiles, and ceci nero, Italy's elusive black chick peas.)

pickle girl embarked on some serious recon of all things preserved and pickled in the 1500 miles we drove between Italy’s stiletto heel and the big toe that teases Sicily. I couldn’t wait to share this with you!

This first installment takes us to Puglia, the beginning of our journey. Consider this my homage to the humble caper. "Caper" is really the name for the Capparis spinosa bush that bears a white flower whose bud is harvested and pickled before it opens.

Puglia's capers are small, tight buds preserved in coarse salt or brine. The salt is local too--a specialty of Margherita di Savoia, Europe's largest salt beds at 75 square kilometers.

The behemoth capers with long stems often associated with southern Italy are technically caperberries, the fruit the flower bears if the bud is left on the bush. These can be found in Calabria, but, we'll get to that later, pickle friends.

My favorite use of these pickles was when they were fried in olive oil to garnish the coast's famous grilled fish. Frying capers forces open the bud to make a tiny, salty flower that is a beautiful, crunchy foil to the flaky fish.

Pickle Adventure: Italy Road Trip

2009-08-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

pickle girl readers:

I am setting out on a pickle adventure! Ned and I will be driving from Italy's heel to toe: Puglia>Basilicata>Calabria!

I'll be back on September 8th with loads of pickle recipes and stories from the bottom of the boot. Until then, enjoy the rest of summer.

(Photo courtesy of The Food Section.)

Jen

Pickled Peaches

2009-08-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

This one goes out to Diana and Andrea. Enjoy peach season, ladies! Recipe courtesy of Gourmet, August 2005.

6 1/2 cups cold water
24 firm-ripe small peaches (6 to 7 lb)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
4 tsp pickling spice
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Special equipment: 6 (1-pt) canning jars with lids and screw bands; a boiling-water canner, or a deep 10- to 12-qt pot plus a flat metal rack; an instant-read thermometer

Prepare peaches:
1. Dissolve vitamin C powder in 6 cups water in a large bowl (to acidulate water).

2. Cut a shallow X in bottom of each peach with a sharp paring knife and blanch in 4 batches in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling water 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of ice and cold water and let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel peaches, then halve lengthwise and pit. Add peaches to acidulated water and let stand 10 minutes, then drain well in a colander.

3. Toss peaches with sugar in a 6-quart wide heavy pot and chill, covered, at least 8 and up to 12 hours.

Sterilize jars and lids:
1. Wash jars, lids, and screw bands in hot soapy water, then rinse well. Dry screw bands. Put jars on rack in canner and add enough water to cover jars by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, covered, then boil 10 minutes. Cover lids with water in a small saucepan and heat until thermometer registers 180°F (do not let boil). Keep jars and lids submerged in hot water, covered, until ready to use.

Cook and can peaches:
1. Add vinegar, spice, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup water to peaches (sugar will have dissolved and will have drawn out peach juices) and bring to a boil over moderate heat, skimming off foam. Reduce heat and simmer until peaches are barely tender, about 3 minutes.

2. Remove jars and lids from water, reserving water in canner, and transfer to a clean kitchen towel, then divide peaches among jars using a slotted spoon. Return peach-cooking liquid to a boil, then pour into jars, leaving 1/4 inch of space at top. Run a thin knife between peaches and sides of jars to eliminate air bubbles.

Seal and process jars:
1. Wipe off rims of filled jars with a dampened kitchen towel, then firmly screw on lids with screw bands. Put sealed jars on rack in canner and, if necessary, add enough hot water to cover jars by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, covered. Boil jars 20 minutes, then transfer with tongs to a towel-lined surface to cool. Jars will seal as they cool (if you hear a ping, that signals that the vacuum formed at the top of the jar has made the lid concave).

2. After jars have cooled 12 to 24 hours, press center of each lid to check that it's concave, then remove screw band and try to lift off lid with your fingertips. If you can't, the lid has a good seal. Store in a cool dry place up to 6 months. Promptly put any jars that haven't sealed in the refrigerator and use them first.

The Discerning Pickler: Cultivating the Handcrafted Aesthetic

2009-08-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

My love of quality, handcrafted kitchen items is not limited to pickles (shocking, I know!). The lack of storage space in a NYC apartment requires every functional object to also be beautiful. Here's a round up of my favorites:

• Iris Hantverk wood brushes, made by Sweden's National Society of the Blind
• hemp twine, made in Hungary
• Things for Bread cutting board
• Weck canning jars, from Germany
• Transylvanian Images linen napkins

Where to get the look:
• Selvedge Drygoods
• Rose and Radish, San Francisco, CA
• Tortoise General Store, Venice, CA
• Ancient Industries
• DWR Tools for Living
• Brook Farm General Store
• Moon River Chattel, NYC
• Green Depot

Chef Recipe: Cal Elliott's Pickled Watermelon Rind

2009-08-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

As if the Prohibition-era cocktails weren't enough to lure pickle girl to Rye, Cal Elliott's grown-up menu offers an immensely satisfying slice of Americana in a moody, 19th-century setting.

This talented chef--of Dumont and Dressler fame--garnishes his succulent braised short rib sandwich (with onion jam and creamy, fresh horseradish) with watermelon rind pickles.

Chef Elliott's candy corn-shaped rinds retain just enough pink flesh to recall a half-licked Jolly Rancher. If only I could order these candied bits by the pound.

Special thanks to Cal Elliott for sharing his version of watermelon rind pickles with pickle girl.

Day One:
2 gallons rind cut into 1" cubes
1 cup salt
1 tsp. alum

1. Mix the salt and alum in 1 quart of cold water to dissolve the salt
2. Pour mixture over rinds, weigh the rinds down with a plate and cover with with cold water. Let stand for 8 hours
3. Drain and soak and rinse in cold water

Day Two:
6 c white distilled vinegar
4 cinnamon sticks
30 cloves
6 c sugar

1. Bring vinegar to a boil with the spices
2. Add rind and 2 cups of sugar
3. Bring back to a boil
4. Remove from heat to cool
5. When cooled, add 2 more cups of sugar and bring back to a boil
6. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining 2 cups of sugar

Process in sterilized jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes, or refrigerate for up to one month.

The People's Pickle

2009-08-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today's Tasting Table reports Rick Field, pickle superstar, has done it again. Add The People's Pickle to your small-batch artisanal foods shopping list. Now availble at Whole Foods stores nationwide.

Chef Recipe: Stephen Stryjewski's Pickled Watermelon Rind

2009-08-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Everything I adore about the pork-loving city of New Orleans can be summed up in Chef Donald Link and Chef Stephen Stryjewski's menu at Cochon.

The chefs host an in-house boucherie to create their own andouille, smoked bacon, and head cheese, but I am especially fond of their homemade pickle prowess.

The spicy, grilled pork ribs with diced watermelon pickle (pictured) are impetus enough to jump on Kayak.com and buy a ticket to Nola. Right. Now. While you're at it, don't miss Cochon Butcher too. This down-the-block spin-off is inspired by old world meat markets and features a wide range of house-made salumi and sausages. The Cochon muffaletta is always nestled in my purse for the plane ride home--that is, when I don't have time for a glass of wine and charcuterie at the "Swine Bar."

Special thanks to Chef Stryjewski, who graciously shared his pickled watermelon rind recipe with pickle girl:

4 qts prepared watermelon rind
3 T pickling lime
2 qts cold water
8 cups sugar
1 qt white vinegar
1 qt water
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Tie in a spice bag:
1 T whole cloves
1 T whole allspice
1 T whole coriander
¼ t mustard seed
1 large piece of ginger
3 sticks cinnamon

Day One:
1. Prepare the rind by removing the green outer skin and the pink interior and cut into 1” by 1” pieces.
2. Dissolve the lime in 2 gallons of water and add the rind allow to soak for 12 hours.

Day Two:
1. Drain and rinse the rind 3 times or until the water runs clear.
2. Add remaining ingredients to a non reactive pot and bring to a simmer
3. Add the rind and simmer over low to medium heat until the rind takes on a translucent appearance.
4. Can in water bath for 10 minutes.

pickle girl's two cents: the easiest way to prep the rind is to separate it from the flesh the way one would to segment a grapefruit. Using a sharp chef's knife, slice off just enough rind from the top and bottom of the melon to expose the flesh and allow the fruit to stand upright on the cutting board. Next, follow the contour of the fruit to slice away all rind in large pieces. Remove the green skin with a vegetable peeler, then slice into 1"-long batons.

You can use the watermelon flesh to make:
* watermelon gazpacho
* frozen watermelon-lime bars
* watermelon panzanella

Lightly Pickled Red Currants

2009-08-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Judy Rogers, pickle goddess of Zuni Cafe fame. Adapted by pickle girl over the years.

2 pints red currants
2 cups dry white wine
2 cups Champagne or white wine vinegar
1 1/3 cup Muscavado or brown sugar
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1 Balinese long pepper, snapped in half (optional)
1 bay leaf

1. Wash currants, setting aside smashed berries to make jelly or juice.
2. Bring liquids and spices to a boil until sugar is dissolved.
3. Allow brine to cool. Meanwhile, fill two quart jars with currants, stems and all.
4. When brine has cooled, pour over currants, put lids on jars and refrigerate.

Pickles in the News: The Pickle: No Second Fiddle

2009-08-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

In catching up on the past week's pickle news, I came across a post from Adamah, which points to this thoughtful article in The Jewish Daily Forward on the virtues of the humble pickle--and its cultural importance here in NYC.

Leah Koening writes:

...But New York’s pickles were direct descendants of those eaten in Eastern Europe, where pickling was a central part of the diet. (Imagine living through a bitter Lithuanian winter without access to fresh produce, and the pickle’s value skyrockets.) Steeped in saltwater loaded with garlic, dill and spices, these pickles served as a tart connecter between the immigrants’ new home and the land they left behind.

Chef Recipe: Casellula's Miso Pickles with Megan Johnson

2009-07-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

If I could set up an electronic direct deposit to a house account at Casellula, I would. This charming bar on 52nd Street (@9th Ave.) is my newfound haven-one which breaks the perfunctory wine-cheese-bar mold with whimsical, handcrafted dishes.

A pedigreed staff (C.V. includes Blue Hill Stone Barns, Gramercy Tavern, and The Modern) helms an equally pedigreed daily artisanal cheese menu that doesn't take itself too seriously. Irreverent flourishes a la "Pig's Ass Sandwich" and a cheese flight named "Me And Ewe And Everyone We Know" could endear even the most poker-faced foodie.

No detail is overlooked; take for example, the housemade miso pickled vegetables, Moon River Chattel lighting, and a playlist that includes the likes of Phoenix and Franz Ferdinand.

More importantly, they note:
...because not every cheese goes with quince paste we take pains to pair each cheese with it's perfect condiment. We work with over 100 different compliments, including a variety of honeys, nuts, compotes, jams, pickles, nuts, herbs, pastes, candies, cookies and cakes.

Um, you had me at "hello."

Special thanks to Chef Megan Johnson for sharing Casellula's prized miso pickles recipe with pickle girl.

Casellula Miso Pickles (Recipe yields approximately 6-8 quarts)
2 cups rice wine vinegar
4 cups red wine vinegar
6 cups water
4 cups distilled vinegar
2 heaping cups Dijon mustard
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup miso paste
2 cups fresh horseradish, grated
1/4 cup whole black peppercorns
12 fresh bay leaves

1. Bring all ingredients to boil; allow to boil for at 10-15 minutes.
2. Pour brine over fresh, cleaned vegetables of your liking i.e. Asparagus, green beans, cucumbers, radishes, and baby zucchini. If you use carrots, be sure to blanch them before hand.
3. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for up to one week.

Pickles in the News: Guss' on the Move! Pickle Palace to Leave LES After 90 Years!

2009-07-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Eater reported that Guss'--the famed pickle palace on the LES--is moving its digs to Brooklyn. Another sign the handcrafted food revolution has found a home in our own version of the East Bay.

As with numerous independently owned businesses in NYC, Guss' has been priced out by insatiable landlords. The cost of doing business for mom-and-pop shops is higher than ever, while consumer spending in this Recession is at an all-time low. New York City's family-owned restaurants are closing at a record pace, changing the culinary landscape of this foodie town. Let's hope this historic storefront does not morph into a Bank of America or Duane Reade.

Pickles in the News: 12 Pickle Facts Everyone Should Immediately Commit to Memory

2009-07-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kim G. for alerting pickle girl to this mental floss piece of pickle trivia.

1. In the Pacific Islands, natives pickle their foods in holes in the ground lined with banana leaves, and use them as food reserves in case of storms. The pickles are so valuable that they’ve become part of the courting process, helping a man prove he’ll be able to provide for a woman. In Fiji, guys can’t get a girl without first showing her parents his pickle pits.

2. Cleopatra claimed pickles made her beautiful. (We guess it had more to do with her genes.)

3. The majority of pickle factories in America ferment their pickles in outdoor vats without lids (leaving them subject to insects and bird droppings)! But there’s a reason. According to food scientists, the sun’s direct rays prevent yeast and molds from growing in the brine.

4. In the Delta region of Mississippi, Kool-Aid pickles have become ridiculously popular with kids. The recipe’s simple: take some dill pickles, cut them in half, and then soak them in super strong Kool-Aid for more than a week. According to the New York Times, the sweet vinegar snacks are known to sell out at fairs and delicatessens, and generally go for $.50 to a $1.

5. Not everyone loves a sweet pickle. In America, dill pickles are twice as popular as the sweet variety.

6. The Department of Agriculture estimates that the average American eats 8.5 lbs of pickles a year. [Image courtesy of Dangerous Intersection.]

7. When the Philadelphia Eagles thrashed the Dallas Cowboys in sweltering heat in September 2000, many of the players attributed their win to one thing: guzzling down immense quantities of ice-cold pickle juice.

8. If it weren’t for pickles, Christopher Columbus might never have “discovered” America. In his famous 1492 voyage, Columbus rationed pickles to his sailors to keep them from getting scurvy. He even grew cucumbers during a pitstop in Haiti to restock for the rest of the voyage.

9. Speaking of people who get credit for discovering America, when he wasn’t drawing maps and trying to steal Columbus’ thunder, Amerigo Vespucci was a well-known pickle-merchant.

10. Napoleon was also a big fan of pickle power. In fact, he put up the equivalent of $250,000 as a prize to whoever could figure out the best way to pickle and preserve foods for his troops.

11. During the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, H. J. Heinz used pick-shaped pins to lure customers to his out of the way booth. By the end of the fair, he’d given out lots of free food, and over 1,000,000 pickle pins.

12. Berrien Springs, Michigan, has dubbed itself the Christmas Pickle Capital of the World. In early December, they host a parade, led by the Grand Dillmeister, who tosses out fresh pickles to parade watchers.

Pickle Passport: Japanese Tsukemono

2009-07-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday night, when Ned and I keep Monday morning at bay with a True Blood drinking game (i.e., when Vampire Bill yells, "SOOKIE!" we sip Hendrick’s martinis), I have to stop myself from yelling: SOOKIEMONO!

What I mean to say is I have tsukemono on my mind, or literally, pickled things, in Japanese.

I wouldn’t be so bold as to tackle the behemoth subject of tsukemono in one blog entry, but I have to at least introduce you to this magical, technicolor world we experienced in Japan.

There are nearly 4,000 varieties of tsukemono and a reported 100 different techniques to make them. Their recorded history dates as far back as 1,500 years ago in the Japanese Alps; all this to say, we have a lot to cover today. Arigatou gozaimasu in advance for reading.

During our three weeks in Japan last summer, we ate tsukemono with every meal, including a traditional breakfast of broiled mackerel, rice with raw egg, and miso soup. In keeping with the other mind-blowing foods we ate (low to high, from street yakitori to ryokan kaiseki), tsukemono were a revelation as tantalizing on the plate as they were on the palate.

The New York Food Museum—host of the annual International Pickle Day and home to a dedicated “pickle wing—“ offers this expert synopsis of fascinating methods (including the use of rice mold and miso paste):

Shiozuke
Shiozuke, or salt pickles, vegetables are salted in an earthenware jar and pressed with a heavy stone for several hours to several days. Today's modern Japanese kitchens use a tsukemonoki or "pickle press."

One-night salt pickles are called ichiyazuke. A long-term variety are umeboshi, tart, salty pickled plums or apricots. They were originally a disinfectant, then a medicine before becoming a favorite pickle.

Suzuke
Suzuke are pickles cured in vinegar, which has a low acidity; these pickles cannot be kept for long.

Nakazuke
In nukazuke pickling, vegetables are covered with nuka, or rice bran, salt and dried chilies, for about three months. In many households, salt bran is kept in a cask or jar on hand. The most popular kind of nukazuke is takuan zuke, pickled daikon radish. Colored yellow with turmeric, the best season for natazuke is winter when the water freezes on the surface of the keg for keeping natazuke. Nukazuke have a pungent aroma, a tangy flavor, and gather vitamins and minerals from the rice bran.

Takuan
Japanese radish preserved in rice bran (crisp, tart, deep yellow in color). The most popular way to prepare daikon radish, legend has it the pickle was named for the resemblance of the heavy stone used in pressing, to the gravestone of pickle inventor and vegetarian Zen Priest Takuan. But it is also said that the name came from "takuwae-zuke" = to preserve.

Kasuzuke
For kasuzoke, a white liquor called sakekasu (made from the rice left from making sake) is combined with sugar and salt to make a pickling medium.

Misozuke
The oldest known variety, misozuke, is made by embedding vegetables such as garlic, pumpkin, in miso paste. Miso pickles take a long time, sometimes years, to mature. To form the pickling base, miso is mixed with sake.

(From pickle girl: these are ubiquitous in the Kyoto markets, where barrels are filled to the brim with layers of eggplants and miso, squash and miso, and even meats in miso.)

Kojizuke
Koji, rice mold, is used as the pickling base (koji is also used in the manufacture of sake, soy sauce, miso and mirin). Bettarazuke, one kind of kojizuke, is daikon pickled in koji. This winter pickle is known for its sweet flavor and alcoholic aroma.

Shoyuzuke
Vegetables can be pickled in shoyu, soy sauce, and mirin, a sweet liquid flavoring. Fukujinzuke is one of the most popular kinds of soy sauce pickles, and is the standard accompaniment to curry and rice. To make fukujinzuke, a mixture of seven thinly sliced vegetables (which could include white radish, eggplant, lotus root, ginger, shiso buds, turnip, shiitake, udo, sword beans, shirouri) is salted and pickled in soy sauce and mirin.

Senmaizuke
The famous pickle of Kyoto is made from turnip, salt-pickled for up to a month with konbu (a seaweed), mirin or sugar, and chili peppers.

Iburi Gakko
Around October in Akita, people dry radishes over the daily cooking hearth. The dried and smoked radishes were then pickled with salt and rice bran for two to three months, making "iburi gakko," or "smoked pickles."

Further reading
Tsukemono: Pickled Japanese Vegetables

Quick & Easy Tsukemono: Japanese Pickling Recipes

Stay tuned for Tsukemono Part II: the recipes!

Peter Hoffman's Pomegranate Molasses Sour Cherries

2009-07-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

It's not summer without Peter Hoffman's preserved sour cherries. I've been making this recipe for years, slightly varying the ratio of sweet to sour each time. With my apologies to Chef Hoffman, this riff on the homemade maraschino cherries he makes at Savoy is my favorite yet.

3 1-quart canning jars with "shoulders"
2 quarts sour cherries with the stems
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 cup pomegranate molasses
2 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. whole allspice
zest of 1/2 lemon

1. Rinse cherries, reserving bruised or split cherries for another use. Leave stems intact.
2. Prepare jars by running through a hot cycle in the dishwasher.
3. Bring sugar, wine, water, molasses, and spices to a brief boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and molasses into a viscous syrup.
4. Allow jars to cool, then pack tightly with cherries, tapping down to fill jars with as many as possible.
5. When syrup is cooled, cover cherries by 1/2 inch and seal jars. Refrigerate for up to one year.

The Discerning Pickler: Weck Canning Jars

2009-07-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

pickle girl has been in hot pursuit of a design-savvy canning jar for nearly five years; shame on me for not knowing about these wonderfully simple Weck clamp jars from Germany. I picked up a case on a visit to the new Heath Ceramics store in L.A. You can order them through Heath's site. Thanks to Remodelista—my daily read—for the tip!

Pickles in the News: Salon Jumps on the Trend!

2009-07-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Today's Salon.com highlights the expense of artisanal ingredients embraced by the current pickling trend (if you can call a process that has been around for thousands of years a "trend").

Has pickling evolved from a necessity to an indulgence a la cucina povera? I'll ponder that over a martini with pickled sea beans ($14 for 1/4 pound, raw at Whole Foods). More to come tomorrow.

Pickles in the News: Produce Preservation Is Hot

2009-07-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Trend Central, a self-described, "marketing Consultancy focused on Gen X, Gen Y and Tweens," has declared that canning is hot--not 212 degrees, boiling-water hot--cha-ching, marketable hot.

But you already knew that because you read pickle girl.

Still, it's exciting to see what started as an urban locavore movement gain recognition as a more mass-market trend.

Out of economic necessity, a commitment to a greener lifestyle, and a growing interest in the "throwback" comforts of yesteryear, chefs and home cooks are passionately delving into what is becoming a handcrafted food revolution. Their new approach to old-fashioned methods is yielding something altogether new.

As the current "stay-home economy" dovetails with a generation's growing commitment to sustainability and interest in handcrafted food, modern “foodies” are looking for fresh ways to sate their sophisticated palates.

After all, pickles are among the most democratic of edibles. Power to the pickle!

Pickle Passport: Torshi in Tehrangeles

2009-06-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

I don't think I realized exactly how blissful my Southern California childhood was until I embarked on a more chaotic, far less idyllic lifestyle in New York City. Aside from riding my bike to the beach and hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, the additional benefit to being raised in L.A. was growing up with kids who had emigrated from Iran.

Sleepover parties meant homemade Persian dinners of pomegranate chicken, tah dig, strained yogurt, and torshi--tangy, vinegar-cured pickles. My open-minded parents even let me play hooky to spend Persian New Year with my Iranian classmates. It never occurred to me that Iran was anything other than a place of rich history, spectacular beauty, and complex, regional cuisines. (At that age, I didn't fully understand why my friends were forced to flee from Iran, leaving behind everything they owned.)

I have been trying to get to this closed country for the past two years. This week, as Iran is especially top of mind, I am hopeful it will return to the peaceful country it once was for my friends' parents--and that my Iranian adventure will soon become a reality.

In the meantime, I have just returned home with a round-up of my favorite Persian markets in Tehrangeles. I encourage you to explore this side of L.A. and invest $10 in culinary souvenirs that may be new to you: Pickled sour grapes, chickpea cookies, and cardamom tea are all easy to slip into luggage.

Star Market (nan-e nokhodchi, cardamom chickpea cookies)
12146 Santa Monica Blvd
West L.A.
310.820.6064

Mashti Malone's Ice Cream (rosewater saffron-pistachio sorbet)
1525 North La Brea Avenue
West Hollywood
866.767.3423

Rose Market (wall of pickles)
1387 Westwood Boulevard (this stretch is the main artery for Persian culture in L.A.)
West L.A.
310.477.5533

Q Market and Produce
17261 Vanowen Street
Van Nuys
818.345.4251

Photo courtesy of flickr.

Pickles in the News: pickle girl in the News!

2009-06-20T09:56:00.001-07:00

Thank you, Mother Earth News!

A huge, briney THANKS from pickle girl to "Mother Earth News" for publishing the pickled rhubarb recipe!

Chef Recipe: Johnny Iuzzini's Rhubarb Pickles

2009-06-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

While I am on my pickled rhubarb high (thank you, Mother Earth News), I thought I would share another variation of this soon-to-be-classic condiment. New York magazine's seasonal recipes are always intriguing. I am not a competitive pickler; Testing as many recipes as I can only makes me a better pickle girl. Pickling takes practice, people--and apparently an abuse of alliteration.

1 lb. ripe rhubarb
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 cup plus 1 tbs. honey
3 tbs. grenadine
1 tbs. coarse salt
2 star anise

*Note: if you can find persimmon vinegar at a Korean market, use it: Add 1/2 cup to the recipe, and reduce the amount of the sherry and rice vinegars to 1/4 cup each.

Trim the rhubarb stalks, discarding the coarse inch or so at each end. Discard any leaves.

(1) Peel the rhubarb, and (2) cut the stalks into neat batons about 1 1/2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. Place in flat-bottomed casserole. Put the vinegars, honey, grenadine, salt, and star anise in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn off the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. (3) Pour over the rhubarb and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool to room temperature. Taste the pickles for texture. If they’re too crisp for your taste, drain the liquid into a clean saucepan, bring back to a simmer, let it cool for a few minutes, then pour it over the rhubarb again, with the star anise. Store in the refrigerator in the liquid. Serve cold. Note: Iuzzini serves with panna cotta, but the pickles are also a nice accompaniment to cheese. (Adapted from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets From a Four-Star Pastry Chef, by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore; Clarkson Potter, 2008.)

Recipe courtesy of New York magazine.

Good for What Ales You

2009-02-22T14:06:00.000-08:00

Probiotic products are outgrowing their shelves at places like Whole Foods and Wild Oats. But why pay upwards of $10 for kefir when there is free pickle juice in the fridge? For thousands of years, lacto-fermented foods have aided digestion, helping to break down carbohydrates and fat to create symbiotic bacteria in the digestive tract. Lacto-fermented pickle juice does just that.

Perhaps this explains why pickles are part of the daily regimen around the world: kimchi cuts the fat in Korean bulgogi; tsukemono are served in between the nearly 14 courses of a traditional Japanese kaiseki dinner; and sauerkraut helps us digest the endless platters of bratwurst and knockwurst at beer halls in Germany.

Stay tuned as I explore lacto-fermented foods and beverages in greater depth over the coming weeks! (For now, I will eat my pickles.)

Swooning for Crispy Pork Belly with Baby Kirby Pickles

2008-07-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

Photos: Nina Bachinsky-Gimmel

While on the hunt for an 18th-century farmhouse in Columbia County, Ned and I had the good fortune of stopping in Hudson for what is now our favorite dish EVER.

Special thanks to Jeffrey Gimmel and Nina Bachinsky-Gimmel, chefs and proprietors of Swoon--a charmer that turns out impeccably flavorful, handcrafted dishes showcasing Hudson Valley fare. Jeff and Nina have graciously shared their recipe for this outstanding new menu item.

Ned and I are now adding "within a short drive from Swoon" to our weekend house wishlist.

pickled baby Kirby cucumbers
1. Cut baby Kirby cucumbers lengthwise into quarters
2. Slice and soak cukes in salted ice water for 30 minutes
3. Steep in a 3-2-1-1 brine: water, white vin, salt, and sugar

how to assemble the dish
1. Braise pork belly for four hours in red wine.
2. When the meat is cooled, reduce the braising liquid with 2 Tbs. soy sauce, 2 Tbs. rice wine and a dash of sambal.
3. Cut the pork belly into one-inch wide strips, dust with cornstarch and deep fry until crispy.
4. Toss in the reduction with scallions, peanuts, beans sprouts, cilantro, and pickles.

Ode to the Chuckle Patch (Or, How to Pickle Rhubarb for 100 Wedding Guests)

2008-06-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, in a loft perched high above downtown Manhattan, there grew a chuckle patch.

This patch was the daytime home to three of the giggliest (and dare I say, hardest-working) girls, who made the office the most fun place ever.

For years, the chuckle patch was abuzz with creativity and laughter, but one day, the chuckles disappeared ....

Located across from the World Trade Center, the patch fell upon hard, chuckle-less times. Countless drinks, lots of desk yoga, and an acquisition later, the chuckles slowly returned.

Though we now spend our days in separate patches, the chuckles abound--even if we are covered in sticky syrup when pickling 25 pounds of locally grown rhubarb for Rachel’s wedding.

piles of rhubarb + 96 canning jars + six cab rides (including one that nearly sacrificed said jars to the taxi-hood gods) + a bride with a cold + a former-TV art director-turned-Sayulita-luxury-home-builder + a little alchemy = endless chuckles

pickled rhubarb
1 lb. rhubarb
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cups sugar
1 Tb. Kosher salt
1 ½-inch knob ginger, thinly sliced
Small handful dried chili peppers
1 tsp. cloves
2 whole allspice

1. Boil vinegar, sugar, salt, ginger and spices until sugar and salt dissolve (approximately 5 minutes after coming to a boil).
2. Wash and cut rhubarb into batons – long enough to fill the jar (we used half pint jars and cut stalks into 4” pieces)
3. Pack rhubarb into sterilized jars with a slice of ginger, one small dried chili, a few cloves, and an allspice berry.
4. Pour hot liquid over jars, screw on lids, and allow to cool.
5. Refrigerate for up to one month.

Note: It’s best to treat rhubarb as a refrigerator pickle, as the canning process will soften the fruit to mush.

Serve with:
• Hard cheeses, such as English farmhouse varieties
• Prosciutto and Marcona almonds
• Foie gras or pate
• Arugula and feta, tossed with olive oil and sherry vinegar

Finocchio Piccolo: Piccolo Pickle-Ohs

2007-08-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Paul Virant--the pickle guy?--and borrowing the use of star anise and citrus peel from a Martha Stewart recipe, these pickled baby fennel are going to make squisiti antipasti, come fall.

3 small bunches baby fennel
1 qt. white vinegar
1 cup water
6 Tbs. kosher salt
peel of one lemon
2 whole star anise

1. Wash fennel well, making sure to pry open stalks to release dirt.

2. Trim fennel tops and pack baby fennel, lemon peel and star anise into one sterilized quart-size jar.

3. Boil vinegar, liquid and salt until salt is dissolved (five minutes).

4. Pour hot liquid over fennel, close lid and process in a hot water canner for 10 minutes.

Salt-n-Pepa Here

2007-08-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

The following was adapted from the pickled hot chiles in Gourmet, 2002.

These pickles ain't for everybody.
Only the sexy people.

1 Qt. white vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
6 Tbs. kosher salt
1 lb small hot chiles (5 cups)
5 garlic cloves
1 tsp. dill seed
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. black mustard seed
1 tsp. Wynad peppercorns
1 strip lemon peel

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit

2007-07-20T17:42:00.000-07:00

These Dragon's Tongue, purple and flat bean pickles were inspired by Ruth Reichl, who featured the Wynad peppercorns used in this recipe in last week's Gourmet newsletter. In Ruth's words, "everything else is just dust." This $23-a-bag spice is fragrant enough to sew into sachets and store with your unmentionables--if you're into that kind of thing.

I spent days wandering the thousand-year old spice market in Kerala last year, but never encountered these rare peppercorns.wild Balinese long peppers, which I've used instead of bay leaves (per Big Tree's rec). It's an experiment, so don't go cursing Pickle Girl come fall. Have fun with your pickles, people.

1 lb. unusual beans
1 Qt. white vinegar
1 c. water
6 Tb. kosher salt
1 clove garlic
1/2 jalapeno
1 long pepper, snapped in two
1/2 tsp. Wynad peppercorns
1/4 tsp. dill seed
1/4 tsp. black mustard seed
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

You know the drill.

'Scape from New York

2007-07-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

In this New York City heat, I've been dreaming of stowing away to the country on a farm truck at the Union Square Greenmarket, like some lucky little Pixar character. Instead, I spent an evening standing over a boiling canner while my husband tried to pickle me with mojitos.

Dangle these pickled garlic scapes in cocktails, chop them up in lieu of capers in salsa verde, or serve them alongside grilled meats.

1 qt. white vinegar
1 cup water
6 Tbs. kosher salt
2 bunches garlic scapes
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. peppercorns
1 bay leaf

1. Wash scapes and trim ends. Line up a handful of scapes and wrap around your wrist, knotting the tops through the opening. This should yield two or three knotted groups of scapes, which will help you wrangle them into a sterilized quart jar.

2. Boil vinegar, water and salt for five minutes, then keep warm.

3. Add scape bundles and spices to the jar, then pour hot liquid over to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe rim clean and seal with a new lid.

4. Process in a hot water canner for 10 minutes, or refrigerate for a few months. Scapes will be perfectly pickled within three weeks.

Will the Real pickle girl Please Stand up?

2007-05-17T18:06:00.001-07:00

In what, admittedly, was pure narcissism, I Googled "pickle girl" with the hope that maybe--just maybe--somebody besides Ned reads this blog. I was gobsmacked to learn pickle girl (ahem... the real pickle girl), has an evil twin--one Maury has the chutzpah to call Pickle Girl.

If you want a good laugh, check out what is either heinous acting or an honest-to-goodness phobia of pickles.

Pickles in the News: The Electric Kool-Aid Pickle Test

2007-05-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

I've decided it's high time pickle girl shared news from the world of pickles beyond the pantry. Yesterday's NY Times article on Kool-Aid dill pickles in towns along the Mississippi Delta inspired me to get on my Mason jar box and say it loud... power to the pickle.

Here's a telling snippet from the article:

But she did eat dill pickles impaled on peppermint sticks, and she remembers how friends sucked the juice from cut lemons through peppermint sticks repurposed as straws. “That’s the same kind of taste,” she said. “Same as how they used to dip pickle spears in dry Kool-Aid mix for that pucker.”

Ramping up

2007-05-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

Pickled ramps seem to be ubiquitous in foodie cirles these days, so it's no surprise these wild, fledgling leeks are easier to find with every passing spring. If you live in NYC, you'll find ramps at your local Greenmarket through May. They can also be found at Whole Foods, Chelsea Produce, and Garden of Eden.

The following recipe for sweet pickled ramps is adapted from Tom Colicchio's Think Like a Chef:

1 pound ramps, cleaned and trimmed
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. coriander seed
1 tsp. fennel seed
1 tsp. red peppercorns
1 bay leaf

1. Combine the vinegar and sugar with 1 cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the mustard, coriander, fennel seeds, peppercorns and bay leaf. Keep warm over low heat.

2. Meanwhile, blanch the ramps in a large pot of boiling salted water until the leaves turn bright green, about 2-3 minutes. Drain, then shock the ramps under cold water. Dry, and arrange in a clean jar.

3. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the ramps and set aside to cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 days before serving.

Pickled ramps will keep in the refrigerator for several months.

Preserved Meyer Lemons

2006-12-11T08:19:00.000-08:00

On a recent business trip to San Francisco, I picked up 2 lbs. of California's sweet Meyer lemons at the Ferry Plaza farmers market, so I could preserve them in Mason jars as Christmas presents. Preserved lemons are commonplace throughout the Middle East, and are especially integral to the cuisines of North Africa, where they perfume tagines and add a piquant zing to meze.

When I first started making these years ago, I loved the look of them on my shelves, but only used them once or twice a year. With more daring experimentation, I've come to rely on preserved lemons in my Bloody Marys, a quinoa salad with pine nuts, feta, and mint, and in this no-brainer preserved lemon dip when guests drop by unexpectedly.

1. Use as many lemons as you like--Meyer lemons are preferable, as their skin is thin and somewhat sweet.
2. Cut each lemon 3/4 of the way, horizontally. Now make another cut, perpendicular to the first one, also only cutting 3/4 of the way through the lemon. The fruit should now open like a flower that's held together at the base.
3. Pack the lemons with kosher salt (be sure to fill both cuts), and layer snugly into a clean Mason jar.
4. Cover with freshly squeezed lemon juice and store in the refrigerator.

Preserved lemons will be ready after one month and can be stored for up to one year in the fridge.

The Dog Ate My Pickle

2006-12-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

It seems that I have committed the Cardinal Sin of blogging: it's been months since my last post. However, I have a good excuse, as I've been traveling for work and pleasure since August.

I have returned home to NYC inspired by the pickles and preserved foods I encountered in Peru, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and San Francisco. Though not technically a pickle, ceviche is one of the most fascinating cured foods in the world. For starters, it's a pickled protein, not a fruit or vegetable, and it's "cooked" with lemon or lime juice, then mixed with slivers of red onions, enormous Peruvian corn kernels, and slices of sweet potato, which absorb the tangy marinade.

If you're heading to Peru, be sure to spend a few days in Lima--everyone will tell you to skip it, but it's home to some of the best ceviche in the entire country. Nobu Matsuhisa learned to master ceviche and sushi at Toshiro's, where the Japanese-Peruvian fusion is clean and vibrant (try the ceviched scallops on artichoke hearts). Gaston Acurio, gets adventurous with bold combinations, such as the black scallops with yellow pepper sauce, at La Mar, a sophisticated al fresco cevicheria with cement floors, Bossa y Stones tunes, and palm trees. Pescados Capitales, a clever play on the Spanish phrase, pecados capitales--the seven deadly sins--is another urbane spot with impeccably fresh tiraditos and cebiches. Buen provecho!

Au Courant: Pickled Red Currants

2006-08-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

The ban on growing black and red currants is officially over! Actually, it’s been over since 1966, but I suppose being out of sight, out of mind for nearly a century makes for a slow resurgence. At $4 per ½ pint in the NYC Greenmarkets, they’re clearly back in vogue.

Cluster branches of vivid berries on a charcuterie board; toss them with a salad of wild greens, toasted hazelnuts, and Maytag blue cheese; or test their gleam alongside a glistening roasted chicken.

1 pint red currants
1 cup dry white wine (I used Lillet because that's what I had in the fridge)
1 cup Champagne vinegar or white vinegar
3/4 cup muscovado sugar or brown sugar
1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
A few allspice berries
1 bay leaf

1. Combine all ingredients except currants and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Allow brine to cool, and pour over cleaned currants into a pint jar. Cover and refrigerate.

Yes, it really is that easy. Refrigerated pickles last for one year.

A Peck of Pickled Peppers

2006-08-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

There’s nothing modern about these heirloom hot peppers, but I had to post them as an ode to our pickle heritage. These garlicky, tangy pickles will be ready just in time for football season’s Bloody Marys, pulled pork sandwiches, and duck confit nachos.

1 lb. hot peppers--any kind you can find (Bulgarian carrot, Bacio di Satana, Serrano, Tabasco, jalapeno, habanero, etc...)
1 Qt. white vinegar
1 cup water
6 Tbs. kosher salt
8 garlic cloves
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. Tellicherry peppercorns
3 dill heads

1. Wash peppers and cut an inch-long slit in each one.
2. Simmer vinegar, water, salt, and spices for 5 minutes.
3. Pour hot brine over pickles in a sterilized quart jar. Process for 10 minutes in a hot water canner.

Pickled Scuppernong Muscadines

2006-08-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

When I came across these oversized, green and bronze grapes in Chinatown (for $2.50/lb.) I thought them to be newfangled plum-grape hybrids from China. Not so: Scuppernong muscadines were first discovered by the early colonists along the Georgia and North Carolina coasts. They've been used to make wine and jams since the 17th century, but today, I'm going to make them pickles.
At a recent James Beard House dinner, chef Joseph Truex (of Georgia's Château Élan Winery & Resort) served these with smoked foie gras roulade with vidalia onion relish and cane sugar gastrique--the inspiration for the sugar cane vinegar, which can be purchased from DeanandDeluca.com.

1 lb. Scuppernong muscadines
1 cup sugar cane vinegar (or Champagne vinegar)
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 muscovado sugar (or brown sugar)
8 allspice berries
1 Turkish bay leaf

Simmer all ingredients and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Fill a quart jar with washed muscadines and cover with hot pickling liquid. Allow to cool to room temperature, screw on lid, and refrigerate for at least two weeks (and up to one year).

Chef Profile: Peter Hoffman's Preserved Sour Cherries

2006-08-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

I love to deglaze a pan of seared pork chops with these addictive pickles. Sometimes I stand in front of the fridge and eat them straight from the jar after work. Sour cherries are in season now in the NYC greenmarkets, so go ahead and double the batch to give as gifts during the holidays.

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 cup white wine
8 allspice berries
2 tsp. black peppercorns
1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 quarts sour cherries (leave the stems on)

1. Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat and boil until slightly thickened--about 5 minutes.
2. Reduce heat and wine, spices, pomegranate molasses, and lemon zest. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add cherries to liquid, turn off heat, and allow mixture to cool. Transfer cherries and their syrup to a container. Refrigerate two weeks before using (keeps for up to 6 months).

Recipe courtesy of Saveur magazine, NO. 31.

Tutu's Watermelon Rind Pickles

2006-08-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

(Recipe adapted from Rowene Erman's family recipe.)

True, these are Southern classics, and this blog is supposed to be about unusual, modern pickles. By updating the recipe and offering atypical serving suggestions, I'm going to let this one slide.

Don't be intimidated by the three-day process; these pickles require minimal effort overall. The spices are merely suggestions--feel free to omit all but the cinnamon and ginger, which really make these pickles sing.

Chef Mark Spangenthal incorporates watermelon rind pickles into a dish of seared foie gras with sauteed peaches. Park Kitchen in Portland, Oregon serves an appetizer of pickled watermelon, roasted beets, and goat cheese, drizzled with good olive oil.

I plan to serve them with crispy, fried pancetta slices and manchego cheese in the fall. Or maybe I'll wrap slices of Oscar's bacon around them and bake like a Spanish tapa until the sugars caramelize the bacon. Spears may even end up in a gin martini or two...

4 lb. watermelon
1 Qt. water
2 Tbs. kosher salt
2 cups cider or Champagne vinegar
2 cups sugar
3-inch piece of ginger, peeled
3 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick (use Ceylon if you can find it)
4 whole cloves
1/2 star anise
1/2 nutmeg pod
1/4 tsp. fennel seeds
1/4 tsp. black or pink peppercorns

Day One
1. Cut watermelon into quarters and scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4 inch of red flesh for color. Cut into 2 inch x 1/2 inch batons and peel off green skin with a paring knife or vegetable peeler.
2. Combine water and salt and submerge watermelon batons with a plate and refrigerate overnight.

Day Two
1. Strain rinds and rinse with cold water.
2. Bring vinegar, sugar, spices, and ginger to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add rinds to syrup and return to a boil. Simmer rinds in syrup for 30 minutes, then allow rinds to steep in syrup, submerged with a plate, in the refrigerator overnight.

Day Three
1. With a slotted spoon, transfer rind to sterilized canning jars (# of jars will depend on how much rind you yield).
2. Bring syrup to a boil, and pour over rinds, leaving 1/2 inch space.
3. Process in a boiler for 10 minutes. Pickles can also be refrigerated for two weeks before eating.

Chef Profile: Peter Hoffman's Pickled Okra

2006-07-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

(Recipe courtesy of The Complete Organic Pregnancy, by Alexandra Zissu--to be released September 2006.)
Peter Hoffman is the owner and chef of Savoy Restaurant in New York City

"Caribbean folklore is that okra helps the baby come on and starts labor. My wife decided that she had had enough of being pregnant the second time around, so she ate a big jar of pickled okra (also took some castor oil, which certainly didn’t hurt) and she started her labor fast and furious,” recalls Peter. “One hour to be exact. And I delivered the baby on the front steps of our apartment.”

1 lb. small okra pods - cut off any darkened stems, but leave whole
½ tsp. dried red pepper flakes
2 tsp. mustard seeds
3 cloves garlic, halved
1 tsp. dill seeds
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup rice vinegar
1 cup water
3 Tbs. kosher salt

1. Pack three 1-pint canning jars with the okra standing vertically, and alternating stems and tips. Put a halved garlic clove in each jar as well.

2. In a metal, non-reactive pot bring liquids to a boil. Add salt and spices. Allow to steep 20 minutes. Fill jars with the liquid to within ½ inch of the rim. Wipe rims and put on lids.

3. Put the glass jars on a rack in a deep kettle canner and cover with hot water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, cover and boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars from the bath and leave to cool. Let pickles mellow for two weeks minimum before tasting. Best at 1 month.

Makes 3 pints

Pickled Glassworts and All

2006-07-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is perhaps the easiest pickle to make--you simply fill a mason jar with glasswort and cover with white vinegar. The glasswort is so alkaline, there's no need to add salt. Let them pickle for one week in the refrigerator before eating; they last indefinitely in the fridge.

The only hard part can be finding glasswort. In late spring through early summer, glasswort--or sea beans--are harvested in the Pacific Northwest and shipped to specialty markets across the U.S. (Whole Foods and Garden of Eden carry them in NYC).

With their salty, ocean taste and crisp, cucumber-like texture, pickled sea beans are a whimsical substitute for olives in dirty martinis. They're also lovely served alongside Alice Waters' slow-poached wild King salmon.

Pickled Habanero Garlic Scapes

2006-07-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Garlic scapes are the buds of the garlic plant (just as capers are pickled flower buds). Be sure to include both the bud and the stem, which lend a mellow garlic flavor to Bloody Marys, fingerling potato salads, and charcuterie boards.

1 lb. fresh garlic scapes
3 habaneros (or jalapenos, for a subtler kick)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. dill seeds
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 recipe basic pickling brine

Instructions
1. Wash and dry scapes, then wind them into bundles that comfortably stack into a quart-size canning jar.
2. Bring basic brine recipe to a boil, add habaneros, garlic, and whole spices, and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Pour hot brine mixture over scapes and seal jar tightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 week before using, and keep for up to one month. (See canning entry for long-term preservation method; process for 10 minutes.)

Basic pickling brine
Building on the basic pickling brine, you can create myriad varieties of pickles by adding whole spices and aromatics, such as hot peppers, citrus peels, and garlic.

1 Qt. white vinegar
1 cup water
6 Tbs. kosher or pickling salt (I use kosher because I prefer the flavor)

Gingered Red Campaign Gooseberries

2006-07-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

See below for Zuni Cafe recipe; add 4 or 5 slices of ginger.
Two pints of fruit = two pints of pickles.

(Incidentally, pickled gooseberries were popular during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, but are making a comeback at NYC Greenmarkets.)

Spiced White Currants

2006-07-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

See below for Zuni Cafe recipe.
Two pints of fruit = two pints of pickles.

Spiced Zante Grapes

2006-07-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

(Recipe adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers.)

1 lb. Zante grapes (or other ripe, tiny grapes)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 cup dry white wine
A few allspice berries
1 bay leaf (Turkish, not Californian, which tastes medicinal)

1. Wash and dry the grapes, then cut into small clusters. Leave naturally "raisined" fruit on the stem, as they will take the brine well and further raisin. Place fruit in wide jars with shoulders to keep the clusters in the brine.
2. Combine the sugar, vinegar, wine, allspice, and bayleaf in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring for about 1 minute.
3. Allow the brine to cool, then pour over the grapes. Seal and store in the refrigerator at least 1 week before using (keeps indefinitely).

This recipe makes 2 pints

Note: For the best quality pickles, use a fine Champagne vinegar and Muscovado sugar, which is a higher-quality version of brown sugar (the cane is grown in volcanic ash on Mauritius): http://www.savorypantry.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TPS&Product_Code=IT-10327

Power to the Pickle

2006-07-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

Lately I’ve noticed that scores of urbanites with seemingly better things to do in their spare time are spending hours over boiling canners in crammed, apartment kitchens--all in the name of pickling. Ok, so maybe they’re not out there in droves, but this 30-year old Manhattanite is not above admitting that I’d rather pickle than party.

I'm downright obsessed with unusual pickles, and my hope for this blog is to cull as many offbeat recipes as possible. Sure, we all love the classics like bread-and-butters and dilled kirbies, but I want to find those quirky recipes that take a bloody mary to the next level or introduce finds, such as pickled sea beans (AKA glasswort) or Jean-Georges' wasabi-pickled cauliflower, to a dinner party.

For example, last summer I made Judy Rogers’ (of San Francisco’s Zuni Café) spiced Zante grapes, and at a fall harvest party, served them alongside ribbons of smoked duck breast from Blue Ribbon Bakery’s latest outpost. They were stupendous--at once tangy and sweet--and this summer, I’ve adapted the recipe to pickle the red campaign gooseberries and white currants that have been abundant in the NYC Greenmarkets.

I’ll be posting photos and commentary on this recipe and other pickle progress as often as possible (with a focus on seasonality and a distinction between refrigerator pickles and ones that require canning). I welcome you to do the same!

I wholly admit that this is a dorky endeavor, but secretly, you know your inner-pickler is dying to come unsealed.