Just around the corner from my old New York City apartment, sat a small shop simply called Pickles & Olives. Whenever my parents came to stay with me, my Dad would religiously visit the shop, chat up the owner, and return with armfuls of fermented goods and freshly made hummus.
Rifling through the bags of loot, I would always seek out the half sour pickles, which were hands down my favorite.
A few weeks ago, I made a batch of my own at home – using a quick pickling process – and have become somewhat of a pickling monster in the days since. I love the traditional (extra garlicky, in my case) variety but I’ve also added several twists with bread-and-butter-like slices, apple cider vinegar (in place of the white), more fresh herbs like basil, and generous pinches of hot pepper flakes. They’re all delicious.
Around here we’ve been eating them by the jarful and adding them to cocktails too. Try them in a vodka martini with a splash of the pickling brine to dirty it up!
QUICK PICKLES
Serves: fills 2-3, 16-ounce jars
Notes: Quick pickles, or refrigerator pickles as they are sometimes called, do not mandate a traditional canning process. The pickles will develop their flavor after a day or two, and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
For the half-sour brine:
3 1/2 cups filtered water
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
To fill each half-sour jar:
3-4 cloves garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8-10 whole mustard seeds
10-12 whole black peppercorns
1 stem fresh dill
1 small bay leaf
Pinch hot pepper flakes
2-4 pickling cucumbers, sliced into spears or rounds
Make the pickles: Combine the water, vinegar and salt in a saucepan, set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare each jar by adding the ingredients listed. Once the brine is boiling, remove from the heat. If you would like your pickles to maintain a bit of a crunch (This is how I like them.), allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, before pouring the liquid. If you prefer a softer, more traditional bite, pour the hot liquid into the jars right away. Cover the jars with a kitchen towel, and leave on the counter overnight. Seal and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
For the coriander brine:
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
Generous pinch of coriander
Generous pinch of sumac
To fill each coriander jar:
10-12 whole black peppercorns
8-10 cumin seeds
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Make the pickles: Combine the water, vinegar, sugar and spices in a saucepan, set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare each jar by adding the ingredients listed. Once the brine is boiling, remove from the heat. If you would like your pickles to maintain a bit of a crunch (This is how I like them.), allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, before pouring the liquid. If you prefer a softer, more traditional bite, pour the hot liquid into the jars right away. Cover the jars with a kitchen towel, and leave on the counter overnight. Seal and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
