Ger-Nis INTERNATIONAL, LLC

Herby Pickling

With just a little how to knowledge, the right brine, and the tastiest fruits, vegetables and herbs, pickling is one of the easiest ways to showcase the freshness of spring's flavors and bounty. Home pickling allows you to createsimple pickled recipes designed to last in the refrigerator 2-4 weeks tops. Pickling offers the home cook an opportunity to play in the kitchen not with preservation and longevity as the goal, but diversity & flavor as the goal.

Pickling, otherwise known as brining, fermenting, and marinating began as a solution for storing and preserving food for long journeys and cold winters where fresh produce and meats were not encountered. Pickling has now turned into a worldwide culinary pastime that transcends all cultures, languages and religions. The diversity of the worlds vegetables, fruits, and herbs & spices added to different regional brining techniques has given way to intensely fresh and robustly exotic pickled fruits and vegetables with some of the most unique flavors and textures seen throughout the world. Pickling offers endless variations in flavor and texture and each culture throughout the world demonstrates this not only in their own individual culinary history but in the global culinary fusion that is running ramped throughout the world as ideas and cultures begin to merge as the world becomes more and more accessible.

The world does indeed offer us “cultural staples” as far as pickled fruits, meats and vegetables, here are some examples:

JAPAN- pickled-plums, daikon, ginger & lotus root
KOREA- pickled-Kim Chi (spiced pickled cabbage)
INDONESIA- pickled-carrots & chilies
GREECE- pickled-cauliflower, tomatoes, eggplant, grape leaves
GERMANY- pickled-Sauerkraut (cabbage), pickled beef
MIDDLE EAST- pickled-lemons, olives, beets, onions, dried fruits, kumquats
NORTH AMERICA- pickled-cucumbers (pickles) eggs, pigs feet, watermelon rind
LATIN AMERICA- pickled-tropical fruits (mangoes, papayas), chili’s,
EATERN EUROPE- pickled-pickled peaches

These are just to name a few of the many……….

In a world where dinner parties, picnics, holiday & religious gatherings, and lazy Sundays still prevail, a beautiful glass jar of homemade pickled vegetables or fruits makes a unique and thoughtful gift. So gather up some pretty glass jars, get your children together or throw a “pickling party” and get started on your creative journey, we are sure you will be “pickled pink”!

Pickled Asparagus with Mint & Lemon
Makes 1 bunch pickled asparagus

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and ends trimmed
1 lemon juiced
1/2 cup champagne vinegar (lemon flavored if possible)
1/2 cup sparkling water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8-10 mint leaves
1/2 lemon sliced

Directions:
In a steamer or medium pan steam asparagus until cooked to not quite tender, approximately 5 minutes. Take of burner and blanch in ice cold water to stop cooking process. in a medium mixing bowl combine lemon juice, vinegar, sparking water, salt & sugar and stir well. addmint leaves and lemon slices. Place asparagus in a flat baking dish and pour vinegar mixture over it, cover and refrigerate for approx 30 minutes to 2 hours until desired flavor and consistency. Discard mint leaves as they will turn brown in the marinade.

Pickled Chili Ginger Mint Cucumbers & Red Spring Onions
Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup rice wine vinegar, flavored with ginger if you can find
¼ c. sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 large euro cucumber washed & sliced thin (peels on)
2 cayenne peppers sliced thinly, seeds removed
(Serrano chili’s can be substituted)
1 medium red onion sliced thin
¼ cup fresh ginger , peeled and sliced thin

Directions:
Whisk water, vinegar, sugar & salt together until sugar and salt are totally dissolved. Add cucumbers, red onions, ginger, and chili’s and mix well. Refrigerate for about 1 hour or until desired pickled taste.

Pickled Shrimp & Fennel
Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:
4 lemons (Juice of 4 zest of 2)
1 cup white wine vinegar (lemon champagne vinegar also is great)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
3 fresh bay leaves
1 large fennel bulb, sliced thin
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon thyme, chopped (regular thyme is okay)
1 medium red pepper, julienned
1 medium red onion, julienned
2 lbs large shrimp, peeled, deveined tail on or off
salt/pepper

Directions:

Zest 2 lemons and juice all of them. In a large mixing bowl whisk together, lemon juice, zest, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, fennel seeds, chili flakes, mustard seeds and garlic. Set aside. Steam shrimp in double boiler for about 5-6 minutes or until cooked thoroughly, allow to cool. In another large mixing bowl mix fennel, parsley, lemon thyme, red peppers and red onions. Pour vinegarmixture over shrimp mixture and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

 

Cilantro Curry Pickled Cauliflower
Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:
1 cup cauliflower florets
1/2 cup carrot slices
1/4 cup sliced ginger
1/4 cup sliced red peppers
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1 teaspooncoriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1 chopped serrano chili
1 cup rice wine vinegar, flavored with ginger lime if you can find
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon curry powder

Directions:
In a steamer steam cauliflower florets and carrots until just tender, approx 8-9 minutes. in the meantime mix vegetables & spices in a large mixing bowl, ginger, red peppers, sesame seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cilantro, and chili, add the cauliflower and carrots when they are cooked until tender. In another mediummixing bowl combine vinegar, water sugar , curry, and salt and mix until sugar and salt have dissolved. Pour over vegetable mixture and mix well, refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

Horseradish and Tarragon Pickled Gold Beets
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients:
3 cups baby gold beets, steamed, peeled and halved
1 tablespoon fresh horseradish, grated
¼ cup fresh tarragon, chopped
¾ cup white wine vinegar
1 cup water
2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked pepper corns

Directions:
In a large deep mixing bowl whisk together all the ingredients except the beets. Add beets, cover and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours until desired taste and firmness.

• some pickling recipes call for some of the ingredients to be par-boiled; this helps speed up the pickling process and is very common in home cooking.
• all recipes include different pickling times that allow for the specific ingredients to pickle properly, however pickling is a matter of personal preference so we advise tasting frequently to ensure the proper flavor and texture of your specific pallet.
• all recipes are intended to be stored for no longer than 3 weeks in the refrigerator unless otherwise specified.