It’s St. Patrick’s Day and I’m sitting at LAX waiting to board my delayed flight to NYC. While I’m not happy about getting into the city at 1am, I’m okay with some extra time for pre-flight beer drinking. Golden Road Point The Way IPA is going down nicely, I’m feeling productive and I figured I should post a recipe featuring something green. How about some pickles! These are crazy easy and they require no fancy equipment, boiling jars or the overall BS that comes with canning. Though hipsters across the globe have tried to convince you that pickles are something you should pay $10 a jar for, you my friends, are better than that. Make your own damn pickles and all of your refrigerator-less, preserving ancestors will be cheering from above. Sláinte!
Ingredients:
2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cup rice vinegar
¼ cup sea salt
2 whole dried chili
4 bay leaves
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp whole allspice
10 small cucumbers, such as Persian or Kirby
1 bunch dill
8 cloves garlic
Directions:
Start by making the brine. Put the water, vinegars and salt in a medium pot and heat until the salt has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the rest of the ingredients, except for the cucumbers, dill and garlic. Allow this mixture to cool completely.
Meanwhile, slice the cucumbers into spears. Alternatively, you can slice the cucumbers into rounds of varying thickness. The thinner the slice, the quicker the cucumber will pickle.
Place the cucumbers into a non-reactive (glass or plastic – no metal) container that has a tight fitting lid. Add the dill and garlic and pour the brine with all the seasonings over the top. If you put the cucumbers into more than one vessel, make sure to divide the dill, garlic and seasonings evenly. Cover tightly and put in the refrigerator.
Allow the cucumbers to pickle for 2 days (1/2 day for super thin slices). They will last in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
