|
|
|
Pickling captures the fleeting tastes of summer's fruits and vegetables By Gail Borelli
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Much of the produce flooding farmers markets this month can be turned into "quick pickles." Fruits and vegetables are cooked briefly before mixing them with a spiced vinegar solution. The finished pickles will remain good in the refrigerator - not the root cellar - several days to several months.
Flavor profiles run the gamut, from sweet to tangy to downright fiery. "A pickle's punch should not be pulled. Otherwise it becomes something else: a salad," write the authors of "Quick Pickles: Easy Recipes With Big Flavor" (Chronicle Books).
Many of the pickles are beautiful - the taste of summer captured in colorful chunks and punctuated with mustard seeds, whole cloves, wisps of dill. When artfully arranged in clear glass jars, they make perfect gourmet gifts for the summer hostess.
Pickles have long garnished humble hamburgers and barbecued meat sandwiches. Increasingly, though, they are showing up in high-end restaurants as chefs tweak the down-home favorite.
If you do buy fruits and vegetables for pickling, it pays to get them by the bushel at the farmers market, Burnett says. The quality of local produce bought at the peak of freshness will be evident in the final pickle.
Another cost to consider is time. It can be tedious to peel marble-sized pearl onions, cut a head of cauliflower into tiny florets or pare the green rind off a watermelon. But once the produce is prepped, quick pickle recipes go together in a snap.
Once your pickles are made, what do you do with them?
Kerri Conan, a cookbook author in southern Leavenworth County, Kan., puts homemade pickles on the table every day at lunch. She estimates she and her husband go through a jar a week.
Besides eating them straight from the jar, Conan likes to arrange different pickles on a platter as a relish tray (perfect for summer bratwurst barbecues) or as antipasto.
Other uses:
Chop up savory pickles and substitute them for standard sweet relish in tuna or chicken salad.
Recycle the brine as a salad dressing, much like a vinaigrette, Conan suggests. Or use the vinegar solution to poach or marinate seafood.
Mix pickled vegetables with plain yogurt to make a sauce for fish, baked potatoes or grilled vegetables.
Serve pickled fruit on ice cream or pound cake, or serve as a compote. Boil down the fruity vinegar solution into a syrup for pancakes or sundaes.
Scatter chopped pickles in a green salad, much as you would dried cranberries or pecans.
• Select unblemished fruits and vegetables that have been harvested within 24 hours.
Cut produce into uniform pieces. •
If your tap water tastes funky, substitute distilled water. •
Use kosher salt or pickling salt. Regular table salt contains iodine that may darken pickles or impart an "off" flavor. Sea salt varies widely in flavor, so taste it first to make sure it is compatible with the other ingredients. •
Although homemade vinegars may not be acidic enough to use for traditionally canned pickles, it is fine to use them in quick pickles that will be refrigerated.
QUICK PICKLED PEACHES
Makes 1 quart
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peaches to a canning jar with vanilla and cinnamon sticks evenly distributed. Pour boiling syrup over the peaches and fill to 1/4 inch below the rim and seal. Peaches will last up to a month refrigerated.
Variations: For pickled plums, substitute 1 quart plus 1 cup pitted small plums for the peaches and 2 star anise for the cinnamon. For pickled cherries, replace the peaches with 6 cups pitted cherries and the cinnamon with 3 green cardamom pods. Reduce cooking time to 3 minutes after returning to a boil.
Note: Raw sugar is the residue left after sugarcane has been processed to remove the molasses and refine the sugar crystals. Look for it in the baking aisle. It may be labeled as Demerara sugar, Barbados sugar or Turbinado sugar.
Per 1/4-cup serving: 128 calories (none from fat), no fat or cholesterol, 29 grams carbohydrates, trace protein, 3 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.
Makes 1 dozen
In the same saucepan, combine all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer vigorously until the beet slices are tender, about 15 minutes.
Pour hot liquid over the eggs, cover and refrigerate. These pickles will keep, covered and refrigerated, about 12 months.
Per egg: 126 calories (35 percent from fat), 5 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 216 milligrams cholesterol, 15 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 70 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.
Per serving: 50 calories (3 percent from fat), trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 15 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 708 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.
In a non-reactive pot, combine all the remaining ingredients except the corn and bring to a boil over high heat. Add corn rounds; there should be just enough liquid to cover them. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Add reserved vegetables and return to a simmer. Turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, uncovered.
Cover and refrigerate. Serve chilled. The pickled corn will last 2 weeks, covered and refrigerated.
Per 1/4-cup serving: 37 calories (9 percent from fat), trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 9 grams carbohydrates, trace protein, 183 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.
Combine remaining 2 teaspoons salt, sugar and remaining ingredients in large heavy saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over watermelon rinds in bowl. Place plate atop rinds to keep rinds submerged in pickling liquid. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Strain liquid from rinds into saucepan; bring to boil. Pour over rinds. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Repeat straining and boiling of liquid and pour over rinds 1 more time. Refrigerate in covered jars up to 2 weeks.
Per 1/4-cup serving: 136 calories (2 percent from fat), trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 35 grams carbohydrates, trace protein, 276 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.
Season with salt, toss in the olives and drizzle olive oil over everything. Toss well and marinate at least 1 hour at room temperature, or 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator before serving. Pickles will keep refrigerated up to 7 days.
Per 1/4-cup serving: 22 calories (40 percent from fat), 1 gram total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace protein, 318 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, the remaining ginger, marmalade, orange zest, sesame seeds, chilies and salt and toss well. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate.
These pickles will keep for a month refrigerated.
Per 1/4-cup serving: 78 calories (70 percent from fat), 6 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 128 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
To comment, please click here.
© 2008, The Kansas City Star. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
| ||||||||||
