This quick and easy refrigerator method requires no canner or hot water bath and is a clever way to use any odds and ends in your produce drawer!
Pickles are summertime favorites that, in our house, vanish almost as quickly as I can make them. There’s a flavor for every palate (dill, sweet, seven-day, bread and butter—even horseradish-infused) and the seasonal bounty of crisp cucumbers begs to be transformed for enjoyment well into the fall.
So why not employ a similar method to perk up produce that’s readily available in the colder months?
I’ve long been a fan of the little dish of pickled vegetables that arrives before the meal at Isaac’s restaurants, and it’s those veggies that inspired this recipe. As much as I like traditional pickles, the occasional pieces of carrot and cauliflower that accompanying the cucumbers in the Isaac’s medley always taste so good.
I requested the recipe some time ago but, understandably, they wanted to protect their trade secrets. Even though the following recipe is not a spot-on replica, my family enjoys it every bit as much.
This quick and easy refrigerator method requires no canner, hot water bath, or concerns about properly sealed jars. The basic brine can be made easily with ingredients you likely have in your spice cabinet and offers a clever way to use any odds and ends in your produce drawer.
Pickled veggies add bright color, flavor, and crunch to any meal and can stand in for a salad when the crisper drawer is decidedly empty. My personal favorites are carrots, cauliflower, and red bell peppers, but feel free to experiment and determine what you like the best.
As a bonus, you can reuse the brine by simply adding more vegetables as the contents of the jar diminish. Noticeable flavor will develop after 24 hours and will continue to improve over several days.
And we all like a good shortcut, right? My husband and sons love pepperoncini (I buy those from the store rather than pickling them myself), and the thought occurred to me a while back that I could repurpose that brine, too. I’ve used it to pickle all of the veggies I mentioned above, as well as Vidalia onions. Baby carrots, sliced lengthwise, are a family favorite.⇩⇩⇩
This concept is truly as easy as it seems—simply add your trimmed veggie pieces to the brine and let them steep. There’s no need to blanch them first. You can experiment by adding vegetables beyond the ones I typically use—like thin asparagus, halved Brussels sprouts, or radish slices—or by employing this shortcut with any leftover pickle brine you happen to have in your refrigerator.
So now you have two tasty options: the shortcut, pictured above, or the still-quite-simple method, pictured below.
Easy Refrigerator Pickled Vegetables
Ingredients
The Vegetables
- 2 pounds (more or less) combination of cauliflower florets, green beans, carrots, pickling cucumbers, red bell pepper, and/or sweet onions*
- Optional for spicy veggies: 1-2 jalapeño, Serrano, or red chili peppers (or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper per jar, or more to taste)
The Herbs/Spices
- 6-8 sprigs fresh dill (may substitute 1 teaspoon dried dill)**
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
The Brine
- 4 cups water
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
- 2 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar***
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
Instructions
- To prep the vegetables: I like to cut the cauliflower into small, bite-size florets and either slice the carrots into thick rounds or lengthwise into sticks. Green beans can be trimmed and left whole. Remove the blossom end (and discard it—this contains an enzyme that makes pickles less crisp) from cucumbers and thickly slice. Onions should be peeled and sliced into rings or half moons. Seed the bell peppers and then chop or slice into strips.
- In each of 2 clean, quart-size canning jars, place a few sprigs of fresh dill if using, and then pack the jars with your desired mix of raw veggies. Add the optional hot pepper to each jar. (I leave the pepper whole but make a slit down the side to allow the brine to penetrate; level of heat will depend of the variety and quantity of pepper used.) Divide the seeds and peppercorns between the jars (1/2 teaspoon each). (It’s ok if they rest on top for now; they will be distributed when the brine is added.)
- For the brine: In a medium saucepan bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat so the water simmers, and add the garlic. (Simmering the garlic cooks out sulfur compounds and bypasses the raw flavor that some people don’t enjoy. Keeping the cloves whole prevents the flavor from being too dominant.) Simmer the garlic for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar, sugar, and salt, and then raise the heat to return to a boil. Cook and stir just until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from the heat.
- Remove the garlic from the brine and place 4 cloves in each jar. (You may have to lift some of the veggies to tuck them in.) Fill each jar with the hot brine. (For easy transfer, I use a cup-size glass measure with a spout. A ladle also works well, and you can use a funnel if you have one.)
- Let the vegetables cool and then cover and refrigerate. The pickles will taste good after one day, and the flavor will continue to improve over several days. They’ll keep for 2-3 months but are unlikely to last that long.
Notes
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