NEW RSS feed! | Sun 03.09.08 |
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The jars have been found! After asking grocers and managers at nearly a dozen stores, I was pointed to Brown's Hardware in Falls Church. Quoth the Whole Foods guy, "I'm sure you'll find some there. That's where my mom gets them." Long story short, I ended up with two dozen wide-mouth Balls.
With that finally taken care of, it's down to business with pickling. The cauliflower I originally bought when I first decided to make pickles had been eaten long ago (a pureed soup with nutmeg and ginger), but I happened to have another in the fridge (I guess I really like cauliflower) as well as some beets and carrots.
Cauliflower has a very mild flavor - some might call it bland - but plays along with stronger flavors really well. It was pickled with the carrots in a pretty intense brine of bay leaves, mustard seed, black pepper, turmeric, cilantro, garlic and red chilies. The brine has a little sugar in it, just enough to balance the acid of the vinegar. These pickles aren't meant to be sweet, though you can do so easily enough by upping the amount of sugar to 3 tablespoons instead of just one.
I pickled the beets with thinly sliced onion in a simple brine of red wine vinegar, water, sugar and salt, unadorned with any extra spices. The beets were roasted first so I figured they should be plenty tasty on their own; anything else would just distract from their beet-iness.
Cauliflower and Carrot Pickles
for the brine
1 1/2 c mild vinegar (white wine, cider, and rice wine vinegars are all good)
1 c water
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
2 small red chilies, thinly sliced
2 peeled whole garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
a few sprigs fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 head cauliflower
2 carrots
Break up the cauliflower into florets. This is faster and easier to do with your hands, though bits of cauliflower do tend to fly around this way. Cut the carrots into thin sticks. (If you can do this with your hands too, go for it).
Toast the mustard seed and black pepper in a dry skillet for about a minute, then add the rest of the ingredients for the brine. Bring this to a rapid boil, then add the cauliflower and carrots. Continue cooking just until the cauliflower has barely softened, about 1 minute, then ladle the vegetables into jars, where they should stay for about a week in order for the flavors to develop and meld. It will keep this way in the refrigerator for at least a month.
If you want to preserve your pickles, ladle the vegetables into sterilized mason jars and process in a deep pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes. Check the seals, and store them in a cool dark place for anywhere up to a couple of years.
Pickled Beets
for the brine
1 c red wine vinegar
1 1/4 c water
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bunch (3 to 4) beets
1 small onion, thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 450. Trim the beets and then wrap them in aluminum foil. Roast these in the oven for about 40 minutes, until they are easily pierced with a knife. Let them cool enough for you to handle them, then rub off the skin with a paper towel. Now would be a good time to scare your housemates by pretending your hands are bleeding profusely. When you're done, slice the beets.
In a clean jar (sterilized in boiling water if preserving) alternate layers of beet slices with onion. Combine the ingredients for the brine and bring this to a boil. Fill the jars with the hot brine, put their lids on, and store in the refrigerator for up to a few months or process in boiling water for 15 minutes to store for up to a couple of years. Like any pickles, you should wait a bit (at least a week) before eating them to let the flavors develop.
for the brine
1 1/2 c mild vinegar (white wine, cider, and rice wine vinegars are all good)
1 c water
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
2 small red chilies, thinly sliced
2 peeled whole garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
a few sprigs fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 head cauliflower
2 carrots
Break up the cauliflower into florets. This is faster and easier to do with your hands, though bits of cauliflower do tend to fly around this way. Cut the carrots into thin sticks. (If you can do this with your hands too, go for it).
Toast the mustard seed and black pepper in a dry skillet for about a minute, then add the rest of the ingredients for the brine. Bring this to a rapid boil, then add the cauliflower and carrots. Continue cooking just until the cauliflower has barely softened, about 1 minute, then ladle the vegetables into jars, where they should stay for about a week in order for the flavors to develop and meld. It will keep this way in the refrigerator for at least a month.
If you want to preserve your pickles, ladle the vegetables into sterilized mason jars and process in a deep pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes. Check the seals, and store them in a cool dark place for anywhere up to a couple of years.
Pickled Beets
for the brine
1 c red wine vinegar
1 1/4 c water
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bunch (3 to 4) beets
1 small onion, thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 450. Trim the beets and then wrap them in aluminum foil. Roast these in the oven for about 40 minutes, until they are easily pierced with a knife. Let them cool enough for you to handle them, then rub off the skin with a paper towel. Now would be a good time to scare your housemates by pretending your hands are bleeding profusely. When you're done, slice the beets.
In a clean jar (sterilized in boiling water if preserving) alternate layers of beet slices with onion. Combine the ingredients for the brine and bring this to a boil. Fill the jars with the hot brine, put their lids on, and store in the refrigerator for up to a few months or process in boiling water for 15 minutes to store for up to a couple of years. Like any pickles, you should wait a bit (at least a week) before eating them to let the flavors develop.
