A Bit of a Pickle

I’m in a bit of a pickle today because this month’s #letslunch theme (our group of twitter/fb food addicts) is pickles., I admit, I’m not a huge fan of anything pickled, unless it’s kimchi and honestly, I just didn’t have time to make kimchi this month. Some cultures love anything pickled - my husband, who’s German, loves pickled anything, cucumbers, cabbage, beets even eggs (don’t ask). I remember when I spent time in Korea, the Banchan, (all this wonderful tiny dishes before the meal) were mostly pickled, and I liked them because they came in small doses and contrasted with the fiery heat of the main dishes.

So to this end, I am including two pickles that I did as side dishes for other main courses, that would have not been nearly as good had I skipped the pickle. Oh and they are both incredibly simple.
First up is Beet pickled onions.  These slices of onion have a cheery pink color and combine the sweetness of beets, the acidity of vinegar with a little bite of the onion.



























For the Pickled Onions:
1/3 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 onion thinly sliced
1 beet

Place one whole washed beet into a saucepan of water and simmer until knife tender. remove the beet and peel - I find that it peels very easily under running cold water when removed immediately from cooking water. Slice the beet and place it into a small bowl with the thinly sliced onion. In a small saucepan bring the vinegar, water, salt and sugar to a boiled, stirring until the sugar and salt are dissolved. pour the hot liquid over the beets and the onions, completely covering them. Set aside and allow to steep for about 2 hours. This will allow the flavors and the colors to develop.
I served this atop a rillette that I reproduced from a Top Chef Canada Challenge and the result was amazing - this tiny bite of pickle made the whole appetizer spring to life. Seriously. It was pretty good without the pickled onion but when I added it - kapok!! A little pickle packs a big punch.




























Another pickle that I made was a side dish for a very rich escargot slider that I also recreated from a Top Chef Canada Challenge that won the day. The escargot and aioli and brioche on the sandwich were so rich that the pickled vegetables, in contrast, highlighted all the flavors.




























For the Pickled Vegetables:
Combining equal parts cider vinegar and water, a bay leaf, a tsp each of fenugreek, mustard seeds and peppercorns.  Heat it on the stove to a simmer and then shut the heat off and allow to cool.
Used a vacuum sealer to quicken the pickling and for the vegetables, I used sugar snap peas and jalepeno slices - just because that’s what I had on hand.  You could use, sweet peppers, fennel, carrots or whatever you prefer.




























So, even if you are not a huge fan of pickles, they have a place on your plate, if only to contrast other rich, sweet or savory flavors. Of course, you could always open a jar of Clausens for your burger but then, you wouldn’t be here reading this, would you?