Thursday, September 29, 2011

The Wonderful World of Pickling

To those of you out there who don't particularly care for foods of the pickled variety, hopefully the following post will change your opinions of vinegary treats. For those of you that do care for everything that is "pickle" then I have a few suggestions for you and a little bit of information.

First of all, who really knows the origin of the pickle? Well, I can tell you that, amazingly, the pickle is estimated to be over 4,000 years old! The first known pickle eating was in 2030 B.C. when cucumbers were preserved and eaten in the Tigris Valley. Cleopatra even believed that part of her beauty was thanks to, you guessed it, pickles! Even Thomas Jefferson was an avid lover of pickles and often stated how much he liked them. In fact, pickles are so popular that all over the world there are pickle festivals, celebrating the glory of pickled foods.

Pickles dont just have to be your average run of the mill, dill pickle that you get on the side with a burger at a cafe or the kind you get from a jar in your local supermarket. The truth of the matter is, ANYTHING can be pickled and 9 times out of 10 it is quite delicious. I have been doing my fair share of pickling lately, things that I have pickled recently include beets (which I just made yesterday), spicy dill cucumber pickles, garlic dill cucumber pickles, asparagus, green beans, carrots and a vietnamese pickle dish of julienned daikon radish and carrots.

 Every one of these pickled items I just rambled off are absolutely delicious and serve a number of uses. The pickled apasragus and green beans are delicious on their own, but put a couple of each into a bloody mary and you'll never want celery in your drink again! Pickled carrots go great with holiday vegetable platters and the cucumber pickles are amazing to eat just on their own, or for the more adventurous type, you can deep fry them, which is incredibly delicious with a cucumber tzatziki dipping sauce. The daikon and carrot combo are a key ingredient to making a delicious "Bahn Mi" sandwich. Lastly, pickled beets go fantastic in salads and I have a recipe for you to try that I know you'll love and people will be asking for.

*Pickled Beets
- 2 large red beets
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 quart self sealing jar (steralized or thoroughly cleaned)

- Chop the stems off of your beets and scrub them under water to remove any dirt. Next, halve your beets and cover them with water in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling you want to simmer for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of your beets, or just until they are tender enough to where a fork can go through them with little to no resistance. Drain and cool your beets under cold water and remove the skins. If you pick up the beet once it is cool enough to handle, the skins will just rub off under a stream of cold water. Chop the beets into 1/2 - 1 inch cubes and place in your jar. Now combine your vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and bay leaves in a small sauce pot and bring to boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the bay leaves and pour the vinegar mixture into the jar almost to the top, leaving yourself a little bit of room. Screw the lid on and give the jar a 10 minute hot water bath. Cool and refrigerate. The best part about these beets is they can be eaten the same day they are made, however they taste best when given at least a few days to really soak up the flavor.

*Beets, Strawberries and Goat Cheese Salad

- 8oz Arugula
- 3 fresh strawberries, halved
- 3 of your very own home made pickled beets
- 2 oz goat cheese (or bleu cheese if you prefer)
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- Fresh cracked black pepper

In a large salad bowl add the arugula, strawberries and whichever cheese you decided to use. Drizzle and lightly toss with your olive oil, vinegar and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Slice your pickled beets and top the salad with them and enjoy! It really is simple, light and delicious.

Enjoy the recipes and eat well!

Fox

No comments:

Post a Comment