PICKLE ME THIS, PICKLE ME THAT
MAKES 1 QUART
CRUNCHY, COLORFUL, SALTY, AND BRINY, homemade pickles are easy to make and are a vibrant and delicious addition to just about any meal—even breakfast! Just pack your veggies in a jar and pour the brine right over them. Here I use classic escovitch vegetables like onion, red bell pepper, and carrots to make the pickle, but you can pickle just about anything—green beans, carrots, cucumbers, And when you use up the pickles, don’t toss the brine! Use it like vinegar to make salad dressings or drizzle over grilled vegetables. A few pickles in a pita with Beet “Hummus” and herb-infused Island Potato Salad makes for a great picnic lunch or easy outdoor concert bring-along dinner.
1 small red onion, halved and each half thinly sliced lengthwise
2 large carrots, peeled and cut crosswise at an angle into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 medium cucumber, cut crosswise at an angle into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 medium red bell pepper, halved and sliced lengthwise into ½-inch-wide strips
1 cup bite-size cauliflower florets
1 to 3 Scotch bonnet peppers (depending on how spicy you want the pickle), halved and thinly sliced
¼ cup sugar
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon allspice berries
1¼ cups distilled white vinegar
- Add the onion, carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, cauliflower, and Scotch bonnet to a 1-quart jar or four 8-ounce jars.
- Combine 1 cup water, the sugar, garlic, salt, and allspice berries in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the vinegar, return the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 2 minutes. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables (the brine should completely cover them). Cover the jar and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 day before using, and up to 3 weeks.
