My dear friend Amanda is staying with us for a few months. In general, this is a wonderful thing, because I love Amanda with all my heart.
The only problem is that, as I think I've mentioned, I am a teeny tiny bit territorial when it comes to sharing my kitchen.
Luckily, Amanda knows me well enough that a) I can admit this to her without worrying about whether she will still love me back and b) she has taken to doing her cooking when I'm at work or asleep. Whether this is out of consideration or self-preservation I'm not sure. But it doesn't matter, because it means that occasionally I get home from work, open the refrigerator, and find delicious things.
Amanda, who's from Wisconsin, says these quick pickles were the first thing her now-stepmother made when she and Amanda's dad began dating. Did the pickles win Amanda over? "Not exactly," she says, "but they made me enjoy going over to her house a lot more."
Amanda's family typically makes these with cucumbers only, but we had some small sweet peppers and tossed those in too. If you like things spicy, add one hot pepper along with the mild ones.
Amanda's quick pickles
Equal parts of water, sugar and white vinegar make up the brine for these quick refrigerator pickles. When you eat up the pickles, slice up more vegetables and add them to the remaining brine - it'll work just as well the second time.
Ingredients
- 6 Persian cucumbers (or 1 English cucumber), skin on, thinly sliced
- 6 miniature sweet peppers, any color (or 1 large bell pepper), thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
Put the sliced cucumbers and bell peppers in a jar. Add the sugar, vinegar and water, then screw the top on tightly. Shake the jar until the sugar has dissolved. Put the jar in the refrigerator to cure the pickles. They'll be ready to eat within a few hours, but the longer they stand the stronger they'll get. Keep them refrigerated and eat them within a week for optimal texture.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4-6 servings
3 comments:
I am going to try this immediately. I always "pickle" my salad onions in straight vinegar, and I like the effect very much.
for those of us who cannot eat sugar, can stevia be used instead, or is it the chemical reaction of the sugar that creates the superb end result?
Anon - I think stevia would work. The sugar is there just for the sweetness. As long as the stevia will dissolve in the liquid, you should be fine. Please do come back and let us know how it worked out!
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