I love pickles and I love pickled vegetables, but I do not love canning.
First, you have to find your huge canning pot If you are like me, it’s buried in the back of the garage. Then you have to boil lots of water, sterilize the jars and lids and then, if you are not exhausted by now, you have to make whatever you want to be pickled.
Recently, I found several recipes devoted to making “Quick Pickles,” vegetables that may be made in a few minutes with a handful of readily available ingredients.
As far as “canning jars,” you may use any type of jar or container. I reuse canning jars from the supermarket and even cleaned peanut butter containers. All work great!
The beauty of the following recipes is that they may also be enjoyed almost immediately.
Just remember, because your vegetables have not been canned, they must be refrigerated and eaten in two weeks or less. Give these recipes a try and friends and family will think you are a master canner, only you have to know the truth.
Menu
Quick Pickles
Quick Carrots and Cauliflower
Quick Vegetable Ribbons
Lemon Green Beans
Even Quicker Pickled
Vegetables
Quick Pickles
8 oz. thinly sliced
cucumbers – I like to slice
mine with a Wave Slicer,
available at Culinary
Architect, 516-484-7431
2 tblsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1. In a bowl, toss all of the ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Serve or place the vegetables and their natural brine in a container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Enjoy on sandwiches.
Quick Carrots and Cauliflower
1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and
cut into circles
1/2 lb. cauliflower, cut into
florets
1 cup sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tblsp. Kosher salt
1 tblsp. fennel seed
1. Place carrots and cauliflower in Mason Jars.
2. In a pot, boil the remaining ingredients. Once boiling, pour the liquid over the vegetables.
3. Let cool to room temperature. Serve or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Quick Vegetable Ribbons
1 lb. of zucchini, carrots,
squash and/or beets, cut into
ribbons
1 cup sugar
1 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tblsp. Kosher salt
1 tblsp. coriander seed
1. Place our vegetable ribbons in jar(s).
2. In a pot, boil the remaining ingredients. Once boiling, pour the liquid over the vegetables.
3. Let cool to room temperature. Serve refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Lemon Green Beans
1 1/2 lb. green beans,
washed and trimmed
1 lemon, sliced thin and
seeds removed
4 garlic cloves, peeled and
smashed
BRINE:
1 cup white vinegar
2 tblsp.Kosher salt
2 tsp. sugar
2 tblsp. peppercorns
2 cups water
1. Place green beans, lemon and garlic cloves in Jar(s).
2. Make brine by combining all ingredients and bring to a boil.
3. Pour brine over beans,let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Even Quicker
Pickled Vegetables
This is a great way to reuse the juice/brine from store bought pickles
left-over pickling liquid
of choice
vegetable of choice
1. Place vegetables in a clean jar.
2. Cover with left-over pickling liquid.
3. Refrigerate until serving, up to 1 week.
Alexandra Troy is owner of Culinary Architect Catering, a 32-year old Greenvale-based company, specializing in private, corporate and promotional parties. For more photos and presentation ideas, follow Culinary Architect Catering on Facebook.
