Pickled: From Curing Lemons to Fermenting Cabbage, the Gourmand's Ultimate Guide to the World of Pickling (10 page)

This can be served as a side dish or as a brightly colored condiment, especially for hamburgers and hot dogs
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YIELDS 6–8 PINTS

 

 16 cups green tomatoes, finely chopped

 
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head green cabbage, finely chopped

 
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cup pickling or canning salt

 Water, for soaking vegetables

 4 cups apple cider vinegar

 1
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cups dark brown sugar

 
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tablespoon mustard seeds

 
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tablespoon ground cinnamon

 1 tablespoon black pepper

 
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teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

 
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tablespoon ground allspice

 1 tablespoon ground ginger

 1 tablespoon dill seed

1. Day one
   . Combine vegetables and salt; cover with water and soak overnight.
   
2. Day two
   . Drain and rinse vegetables.
   
3. In a large pot, combine remaining ingredients; bring to a boil.
   
4. Add drained vegetables; return mixture to a boil.
   
5. Reduce heat; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
   
6. Pack hot mixture into sterilized pint jars. Cover; process in boiling bath for 15 minutes. This processed mixture will keep for up to a year in a cold place.
   

Traditional piccalilli is a mixture of chopped vegetables with piquant spices such as mustard. Common components include cabbage, tomato, cauliflower, carrot, and onion, but nearly anything can go into the pickling mixture.

 

These pickles do not need to be chilled for serving. In fact, they’re tastiest at room temperature
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YIELDS APPROXIMATELY 3 CUPS

 

 1 pound small eggplants, cut into
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-inch-thick rounds

 1 tablespoon pickling or canning salt

 2 tablespoons lemon juice

 2 tablespoons white vinegar

 2 tablespoons honey

 
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cup extra-virgin olive oil

 2 tablespoons minced garlic

 
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cup chopped fresh mint

 Grated zest of 1 lemon

 
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teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

 Salt to taste

 Pepper to taste

1. Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet, and sprinkle them with the pickling salt; let stand 30 minutes.
   
2. Preheat oven broiler.
   
3. In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, vinegar, honey, olive oil, herbs, and spices together; toss eggplant pieces to coat evenly.
   
4. Remove eggplant; save the honey-vinegar blend for later.
   
5. Under the broiler, grill eggplant lightly, about 3 minutes on each side.
   
6. Toss the eggplant back into honey-vinegar blend; pack into a small jar. Since these are unprocessed pickles, they should be stored in the refrigerator, and should be used within a week.
   

Serve these as appetizers or as a topping to either green salad or pasta salad to shake things up a bit. The flavor improves if served with a little olive oil
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YIELDS 2 PINTS

 

 2
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cups fresh or frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted

 
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cup white wine vinegar

 
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cup red wine vinegar

 
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cup water

 4 whole cloves garlic, peeled

 
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teaspoon thyme

 
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teaspoon parsley

 
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teaspoon rosemary

 
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teaspoon basil

 
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teaspoon oregano

 
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teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1. In a medium saucepan, blanch the artichoke hearts in boiling water for 30 seconds, then chill them by running them under cold water. Drain them in a colander.
   
2. Place hearts in equal quantities in four
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   -pint jars.
   
3. Mix together remaining ingredients; heat in a saucepan to boiling.
   
4. Pour over hearts, leaving
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   -inch headspace; cap and seal.
   
5. Process 15 minutes in hot-water canner. Let cool; then check lids. These processed artichokes will stay good for up to a year in a cold place.
   

The artichoke is a kissing cousin to the sunflower, and it probably originated somewhere in the Mediterranean. The part we eat is really a flower bud that could blossom into a 7-inch array if not harvested for food. Currently, there are more than 40 commercial varieties cultivated worldwide.

 

This recipe is based on a traditional method of making kraut in a brine crock. You’ll need a large, earthenware 3-gallon crock
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YIELDS 4 QUARTS

 

 12 pounds cabbage

 
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pound pickling or canning salt

 
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tablespoon allspice berries

1. Wash the cabbage head; remove any leaves that have dark spots.
   
2. Cut cabbage into quarters; remove core and shred into
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   -inch pieces.
   
3. Mix cabbage with salt; pack firmly into brine crock. With a clean utensil, mash the mixture to draw water out of the cabbage and form a brine.
   
4. Fill crock, leaving 5 inches of headspace. If the brine that has formed has not covered the cabbage, boil some water, cool it, and then add it to the crock until the cabbage is completely covered.
   
5. Use a small bowl, plate, or other weight at the top to push the cabbage down; cover crock with an airtight lid.
   
6. Leave cabbage 5 weeks to ferment (75°F is the best temperature).
   
7. Move sauerkraut to a nonreactive saucepan; add the allspice and simmer until heated through.
   
8. Pack hot into jars, leaving
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   -inch headspace. Process 20 minutes in hot-water bath for quarts. Sauerkraut should last for up to a year in a cold place.
   

This is a delicious snack when eaten alone, and it is a good addition to salads and burrito wraps
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