Techniques #5: A Quick Post About Quick Pickles (And More)
If you’ve ever asked yourself “Why doesn’t the food I make at home taste as good as restaurant food?”, here’s yet another piece of the puzzle containing the answer. Incidentally, if you HAVEN’T asked that at some point, you’re probably eating at the wrong restaurants.
Getting back on track, today we’re talking about one of my favorite ways to add acidity and brightness to a dish; quick vinegar pickles. They look great, they taste great and they’re simple and fast to make, as the name implies. We’ll also tackle making some preserved lemons to use in future recipes, but more on that in a minute.
Vinegar pickles are a wonderful component of many dishes in restaurants, hot or cold. As stated earlier they add colour and brightness to a dish, while being dead simple to prepare. And they’re FAST. I like a long lacto-ferment as much as the next guy, but sometimes you want some pickley goodness now, dammit. Enter the quick vinegar pickle, humble friend to all.
It’s as easy and simple as making a pickling liquid and chopping up your intended pickles as the liquid comes to a simmer. Then pour your liquid over your soon-to-be-pickles and let it work its magic for about an hour or so. Even less if you’re impatient. As soon as they’re cool, pop them in the fridge and use them up in about a week. I’ll be showing you some pickle chips for burgers and sandwiches, and some pickled red onions which are great in salads and on sandwiches as well, but remember well that so many fruits and vegetables are fair game for pickling this way. Onions, garlic, shallots, sunchokes, champagne grapes, mustard seeds, mushrooms, radishes and more all can be transformed into vinegar pickles.
While you’re making pickles, why not try another easily transformative process, namely preserved lemon? This procedure makes a beautiful seasoning tool, marrying the lemon and salt together to make something greater than the sum of its parts. It’s an important ingredient in both Middle Eastern and North African cuisines, and all it takes is salt and time.
Preserved Lemons
Ingredients:
- Kosher salt, as needed to cover
- Lemons, as many as will fit in your vessel, scrubbed and halved crosswise
Method:
- Cut a cross into the lemon halves, not cutting all the way through. This will help the salt to penetrate to the centre of the lemons.
- Pour about an inch of salt into the bottom of a non-reactive container that has a tight-fitting lid.
- Place the lemons in the container and cover them with more salt. Snap the lid on and store the lemons in a cool, dark place for at least 1 month, preferably 3 months.
That’s it, that’s all. Once the lemons are cured, they’ll keep almost forever in their salt. We’ll get back to them in a while, but now, onto the main event: the pickles.
Quick Vinegar Pickles
Ingredients:
- 525mL white vinegar
- 475mL water
- 50g kosher salt
- 25g white sugar
- 10-15g pickling spice
- ½ a large red onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 2-3 baby cucumbers, scrubbed and sliced into ½” discs
Method:
- Bring the vinegar, water, salt, sugar and spices to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. If you haven’t cut your veggies yet, do it while the liquid comes to the simmer.
- Put the vegetables in their intended container and pour the warm brine over them to cover. Make sure they are completely covered by the brine.
- Pop the lid(s) onto the jar(s) and let cool to room temperature, before storing in the fridge for up to two weeks.
These are quick and simple techniques that provide you with tools to give your food some extra oomph. I encourage you to make some pickles and add them with abandon to your dishes. What’s a burger or hot dog without pickles? What’s a bahn-mi, a steak sandwich or a board of wonderful charcuterie and cheese without bright and acidic pickled elements to lift the main cast? Pickling is an essential skill in professional kitchens and a cornerstone of many world cuisines. So, what are you waiting for? Go get pickled!
