NO-EFFORT PICKLING BRINE, for 10 minute crisp crunchy pickles

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Pickling doesn't have to be complicated, involved or time-consuming...

10-minute pickles from left: (Before)  red onion in red wine vinegar; radish in balsamic vinegar; celery in apple cider vinegar.  (After picture below) 'I really loved the pickled onions; kept hunting for more in the salad. 

Summer is the perfect time for serving pickled vegetables, especially if they are served ice cold but who has time or energy to deal with brine in a heatwave?

You do, with this quick, no fuss, almost effort-free recipe for pickles, done and dusted in just 10 minutes.

All of 67's easy pickling recipes involve basic store cupboard ingredients (though pickling seeds if you have them, give authenticity).  No jars have to be sterilised, no boiling water baths wrestled with and no hunting for storage space for months until the pickles 'ripen'.  

Utter simplicity is 67's key to turning any raw veg or fruit into a delightful pickle. 

All that's involved is mixing and heating a simple brine, pouring it over the raw veg and waiting.  With these, give it just 10 minutes and voila: sassy, tasty, pleasing, intriguing pickled veg guaranteed to please a crowd.  

And it costs just a few pennies.

Cooking with budget friendly ingredients can sometimes mean slightly boring food;  use these lovely pickles to give them a lift. 

Cost: not much

Makes: small bowlful

Ingredients: (recipe halves nicely)

50gm/1.7oz thinly sliced veg or fruit

1/4 cup vinegar (any type)
1.5 tsp sugar

1tsp salt

Suggested ingredients: 

10 min Pickled Red Onions

asparagus, beets, bell peppers, blueberries, cauliflower, carrots, cherries, fennel, ginger, green beans, mushrooms, onions, peaches, radishes  

 

Method:

1. Slice chosen veg or fruit as thinly as you can 
2. Whisk brine ingredients in a bowl; set aside until sugar & salt are dissolved 
3. Add veg, leave 10 mins; stir frequently with spoon, pressing down on veg until they are beginning to soften (Or if you like less crunchy pickles, leave an extra 5 minutes 
4. Drain before use; save soaking liquor for salad dressings

Comments: (More to come)

'I really really loved the pickled onions I discovered buried in the body of a rice salad. The onions were a bit crunchy, a bit sweet & a bit salty and lifted an already tasty salad.  I kept hunting for more!'  Retired writer 

Tips:

If you liked this, you will also like: 

Pickled Vegetable Crudites took an hour but added a hint on spice on a Christmas buffet table.   

Cucumber spears were bathed in hot vinegar, fresh dill, sugar and salt and refrigerated 3 days before morphing into crisp crunchy Dill Pickles. 

Notes: 

There's been quite a pickle (sorry!) over fermented foods recently with many telly chefs extolling their virtues and adding them to various dishes. It's because fermented foods - pickled veg, yoghurt and cheese - help keep gut microbes healthy and can ward off chronic disease.   

Fermented foods not only sport lovely strong flavours; they also:

• breakdown foods the body can't 

• help make vitamins essential for the immune system

• promote balance between good and bad gut bacteria

• restore gut health after antibiotics

 

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This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.