Going up and down the aisles at the market these days is a tad overwhelming. For instance, look at all the cucumbers. There’s a million of them available and probably not enough salads in our future to make good use of them. So Chef Jerry Pellegrino has an idea, one of his favorite techniques comes in: making pickles!
And Jerry loves pickling, which is such a great way to preserve veggies that are in abundance during the summer months so we can enjoy them later.
Now we see a lot of different cucumbers in the market. So, the question is, can we use pickle any of them? So, technically, you can, but if you try to pickle a typical English cucumber it’s likely to end up too soft. And since we have been taught that a crispy pickle is the best, a soggy pickle won’t do. Fortunately, there are a number of cukes that are grown specifically for pickling. The one you’re most likely to find in the market is the Boston Pickling cucumber. It’s got very thin skin, which allows the brine to penetrate, and its flesh is very firm. Also look for Kirby or Persian cucumbers. Just ask the farmer for advice.
Now there’s a number of ways of approaching pickling. First, you can keep the cucumber whole, or you can cut spears lengthwise, or slice it into rounds. If you’re keeping them whole, choose cucumbers that are more or less the same size. They’ll fit better in the jar. And smaller is better.
And then of course there’s the brine? Again, you have several choices. The basic recipe is a 50-50 mix of white vinegar to water with one or two tablespoons of Kosher salt (no iodine!) with the option of adding one or two tablespoons of sugar. Some folks like to use apple cider vinegar but be careful because the vinegar will stain the cucumber. Thus, red wine vinegar may not be a good idea. Unless you’re pickling red onions. Aside from the basics you can add assorted spices to the brine. The classics are whole coriander seeds, whole mustard seeds, whole peppercorns and bay leaves.
And how about dill pickles, do we use dill fronds? Actually, dill seeds work much better. It’s a little hard to find, but they’re out there. Also, you’ll use some garlic and maybe red pepper flakes.
There may be a clear-cut favorite out there, the bread and butter pickles. What’s the story there? Well, you make them by cutting rounds and making a very sugary brine. To that you will add mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, celery seeds, a cinnamon stick and whole cloves.
Finally, here’s a couple other tips. A lot of people like to soak the cucumbers in an ice bath to ensure crispness. Not a bad idea. Also be sure your jars are sterilized and scrupulously clean. Lids too. And plan to keep your freshly jarred pickles in the fridge for about 2 days to let them finish properly. After that, they keep for a number of weeks.
