Keep in mind pickling liquids and brines should be well balanced with salt, vinegar, and sugar. In a word, they should be drinkable, and tasting the mixture should be enjoyable. This pickling mix strikes a nice chord and can be used for whatever vegetables you like.
[MAKES 2 QUARTS PICKLES]
1 cup white vinegar
3 cups warm water
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 green cardamom pods
2 fresh bay leaves
1 dried arbol chili
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cups vegetables (root and cruciferous vegetables will need to be blanched before pickling)
Combine all of the ingredients except for the vegetables in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Divide the vegetables between two 2-quart containers and pour the liquid mixture evenly over until the vegetables are completely submerged. Close the containers and refrigerate at least overnight before eating. The pickles will last in the refrigerator for up to a month.
This easy-to-prepare, bracing condiment is wonderful to have in your larder. Serve it alongside any slowly cooked meat that needs a little assertive accompaniment. It can be stirred into crème fraîche for a quick, punchy sauce that livens up roasted beets (here) or makes a wonderful sauce for Potato Pancakes (here), especially when served with smoked salmon. Whisked into Mayonnaise (here), this pickled horseradish makes an incredible spread for a roast beef sandwich.
To make pickled horseradish, peel a fresh horseradish root, grate it, and place it in a jar. Pour in sherry vinegar until it comes halfway up the horseradish and then pour in enough water to cover the horseradish. Stir to combine and place a lid on the jar. Store it in the refrigerator for up to a month. Both the horseradish and the pickling liquid are wonderful condiments that can be used as one, or separately.
Making mayonnaise by hand for the first time is like stepping into a brightly lit space without realizing you’ve been in the dark. You see how the simplest ingredients can become an elegant sum of their parts. Growing up in California, we often made a dinner out of mayonnaise and Steamed Artichokes (here). At home, I make a quick mayonnaise using a fork and a plate instead of a whisk and a bowl, mainly because then it’s really easy to clean up!
[MAKES ½ CUP MAYONNAISE; EASILY MULTIPLIED]
1 large egg yolk
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon water
Pinch coarse salt
6 or 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Whisk together the egg, lemon, water, and salt and then very, very slowly, whisk in the olive oil, just a few drops at a time at first, building up to a slow, steady stream. The mixture should be the color of mustard and thick enough to hold itself together. This is luscious, precious stuff. Serve immediately or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for no more than 2 days.
Rouille is a bread-thickened mayonnaise originally from Provence in the south of France. It is traditionally served with bouillabaisse, the wonderful seafood stew from the area. I use it alongside Mussels Provençal (here). It’s also really good for sandwiches or dabbed onto hard-boiled eggs. Feel free to add saffron to the rouille if you’d like by simply adding a pinch along with the chili flakes.
[MAKES 1 CUP ROUILLE]
1 slice (about 1 ounce) day-old bread, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 1 cup cubes)
1 roasted red bell pepper, skin, seeds, and stems removed and discarded, roughly chopped
1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped
Pinch red chili flakes or cayenne pepper
1 egg yolk
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
½ teaspoon coarse salt
Combine the bread, roasted pepper, garlic, and chili flakes into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is uniformly minced. Alternatively, you can make the rouille in a blender or using a mortar and pestle.
Add the egg yolk to the bread mixture and process until fully incorporated. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream. Add the lemon juice and salt and let the machine run until the rouille is wonderfully smooth and creamy, about 1 full minute. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt or lemon if you think it needs it. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
I use clarified butter to create a seal over the crocks of Chicken Liver Mousse (here) and Salmon Rillettes (here). It is also great for cooking since it can withstand higher temperatures than butter because you’ve removed the milk solids, which are what burn so easily. Try it for cooking potatoes or fish.
[MAKES SLIGHTLY LESS THAN ½ CUP CLARIFIED BUTTER]
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Slowly melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once the butter has completely melted, a few minutes, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Skim off and discard the foam that will have risen to the surface, and slowly pour the clarified butter into a container, leaving the milky solids in the bottom of the pot. Discard the solids. The clarified butter keeps, covered, in the refrigerator for a month.
This highly concentrated paste of sun-dried tomatoes can be used anywhere you would use canned tomato paste. It’s great for soups and sauces. It’s also an essential ingredient in the grand Lobster Américaine en Croûte (here). Note that if the sun-dried tomatoes are very dry and salty, soak them in warm water first until they have softened, then drain them and proceed with the recipe.
[MAKES 2 CUPS CONCENTRATE]
1 pound sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for storing
Put half the tomatoes and garlic in the bowl of a mortar and pestle and work into a smooth paste with a drizzle of the olive oil. Repeat with the other half. Pack the mixture into a clean container and pour a thin layer of olive oil over the top; this will help keep oxygen out. Stored in the refrigerator, the concentrate will keep for a couple of months. Just be sure to replace the oil each time you use a spoonful.
When faced with a surplus of tomatoes in the summer, try this technique of peeling and seeding them, then very slowly drying them out in a low oven. The result is almost like a sun-dried tomato. Use them to top schiacciata (here), or add them to salads.
[MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS CONFIT]
A dozen vine-ripened tomatoes
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little bit more
Preheat the oven to 250°F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, using a sharp paring knife, score the bottom of each tomato with a shallow X. Carefully place the tomatoes into the hot water and let them cook until their skins start to loosen, about half a minute, maybe a whole minute at the most. Using a slotted spoon, remove them from the water and set aside until they’re cool enough to handle.
Once the tomatoes have cooled down, peel off and discard the skins and cut each tomato crosswise in half. Using a teaspoon, scoop out and discard the seeds from each tomato half.
Place the tomatoes in a baking dish that holds them comfortably in an even layer. Pour over the olive oil and bake in the oven until they’re quite dry and concentrated, about 6 hours. Transfer the tomatoes to a jar and cover with a thin layer of olive oil. Cover the jar and store the tomatoes in the refrigerator where they will keep for a couple of weeks.