Recently, my mom came by with a paper bag full of Ball glass jars filled with her famous pickled vegetables. Her health salad, loaded with cabbage, carrots, onions and sweet-and-sour sauce, is one of my favorite recipes.
Then there are the crunchy whole pickles in dill vinaigrette, as well as an old family recipe for pickled peppers. My mother made me promise to return all the jars when I finish eating her gifts.
Pickling is an ancient method of preserving food from one season to another and is an art if done well. I grew up with all sorts of pickles as it is a tradition in a Russian household.
I remember my grandmother used to pickle almost every kind of fresh summer produce. These days, my mother makes pickles she stores in the refrigerator instead of bothering to can them in sterile jars.
There are some basic procedures that need to be followed when pickling. First of all, pick extremely fresh produce. Wash and, if need be, scrub the vegetables well. This opens the pores of the vegetable and allows the pickling brine to enter them more easily and uniformly.
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Then decide what kind of pickling brine you want to make. The basic ingredients are vinegar (either white or cider), water, sugar, salt and spices. You might want to add whole garlic cloves, fresh dill, coriander seeds and/or hot chili peppers. There are a million variations.
The small cucumbers, or whatever vegetables you are preparing, have to be firmly but gently packed into your jar as tightly as possible.
Any kind of fresh produce can be pickled, from asparagus to zucchini. The pickling brine must be brought to a boil before being poured over the vegetables. My mother sometimes leaves the pickles in the sunlight instead, but I think this takes longer and is not as controllable.
Whatever she does, the results are incredible. And as much as I love her dill pickles, I really enjoy her pickled peppers.
Petusevsky's Pickled Peppers
These peppers are made to be refrigerated until eaten. I've adapted my mother's recipe because she doesn't boil the brine. She simply mixes it and pours it over the peppers, allowing them to sit out for an evening at room temperature until properly pickled. I prefer to boil the brine.
6 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
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½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 bay leaves
3 pounds red, green, yellow and orange bell peppers, cored, stemmed, seeded and quartered
6 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
3 dried hot chilies
3 jalapenos, slit almost in half but not completely separated
Combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt and bay leaves in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. You can adjust the sweet/sour flavor by adding more sugar or vinegar to taste.
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Stuff pepper quarters into 3 clean glass quart jars. Add 2 cloves of garlic, a dried hot pepper and a jalapeno to each, placing them snugly in the center.
Pour the hot brine over the peppers in each jar until the peppers are almost covered with hot liquid. Press the peppers down into the brine, uncovered, and allow to pickle overnight at room temperature. Next day, cover and refrigerate. Makes 3 quarts.
Per (¼) cup serving: 15 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 3 grams carbohydrates, .5 gram total fiber, 3 grams total sugars, 3 grams net carbs, .2 gram protein, 99 milligrams sodium.
