Pickling…
I’m not sure why I never really incorporated pickling into my repertoire. It’s sooo easy to do and really changes up the flavor profile of a dish (for the better obviously). Take pickles for example, I mean come on, who doesn’t love a pickle? We all know they’re just cucumbers that have been soaking for a bit, but they taste so darn good…
And totally different than cucumbers.
I feel like cucumbers are an easy mark though. Meaning, have you ever known anyone to say, “Nah, I’m not a fan.”
So, I got to thinking– what about a more controversial veggie like, say, onions. I know plenty of people who despise onions. I think it’s likely because the flavor is so pungent. Pickling mellows this flavor in an odd way.
And one of the great things about pickled foods is that they keep for a long time. Historically that WAS the point, right? The vinegar and salt originally used to keep food for a prolonged time—whether it to be during travel, or from season to season. What this means is that it’s a fantastic make ahead dish!
And no matter what you’re pickling, it’ll give your dish a little “pizazz.” (I frequently put pickled onions in my grain bowls.)
The recipe below is my grandmother’s “pickle” recipe. The key is in the liquid though. You can really exchange the cucumbers for any vegetable like onions, kale, etc.
Ingredients:
For the pickling liquid:
2 cups vinegar
2 cups granulated splenda
½ cup water
¼ cup salt
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp celery seed
4 kirby cucumbers, sliced or quartered
½ onion, sliced
- Bring all ingredients except for the cucumbers and onions to a boil.
- Pour liquid over onions and pickles and allow to cool.
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container.
The Cook’s 2 Cents:
- Grandma’s recipe didn’t call for boiling the liquid. But I’ve found that this accelerates the pickling process. If you’re not in a hurry to eat the pickles, you don’t need to boil the liquid. Instead store in the fridge for about a week and they should be ready!
- As I said before, this pickling liquid can be used for just about any vegetable. The key is the vinegar and sugar. But feel free to change up the other ingredients if you want. I recently pickled red onions with vinegar, sugar, garlic, and rosemary and they came out great!
- Some people don’t like Splenda. You can substitute regular sugar for this if you want.
Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 6 Fat: 0g Sodium: 102mg Carbs: 5g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 0g Protein: 0g
