Quick Pickles
Total: 15 min Prep: 10 min Cook: 5 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 2 rounded teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove cracked garlic
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh dill leaves, chopped or snipped
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 Kirby cucumbers, quarter cut into spears
Directions
Heat small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, salt, and garlic to the pan and cook until it begins to simmer and sugar dissolves. Toss the dill, red pepper flakes, peppercorns, cardamom, bay leaf, and sliced cucumbers together in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the simmering liquid over the cucumbers in a clean and dry mason jar. If needed add cold water to just cover the cucumbers.
Allow cooling to room temperature or chill before serving.
Store in the fridge for up to 7 days, mine never make it that long though and find they are best if eaten in 2-3 days.
This recipe is easy to modify based on what type of pickles you would like to create. Substitute the white vinegar with rice vinegar, and the red pepper flakes for sriracha, add in some ginger, and you have a simple Asian quick pickle too. The fun is finding your own signature spice blend.
Bon Appétit Mary Matthews