Food For Thought - Quick Pickled Veggies!

Ever since I tried the Wedge Salad with avocados and quick pickled onions from Smitten Kitchen, I have been hooked on quick pickling veggies of all kinds.

I started with different kinds of onions and vinegars, to see which ones I preferred, using the measurements from the wedge salad.

3 tablespoons (45 grams) vinegar

1 tablespoon (15 grams) water

Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

I find I like these measurements quite a lot and stick pretty close to them, even though I rarely measure after the first time of making something. I tend to just eye ball it after that.

Heat the ingredients on a low setting and pour over your veggies when it is just about to start simmering.

Onions - I have since pickled white, yellow, and red onions to taste test them all. Have decided that I like the taste of sweet yellow onions the best, though they are all yummy and I like the colour that red onions add to salads, plates, and sandwiches.

If your salad or sandwich lacks colour, if you are out to impress, use the reds, for sure, they are much prettier. Though, if you like the mildness of sweet yellow onions like Walla Walla or Vidalia, you will absolutely love them pickled. White onions pickled are also amazing as they are much less zingy. Try them all and see which one becomes your favourite.

They are super quick to make and brighten up any meal from sandwiches (try them with your grilled cheese!) to meat dishes like meatloaf or fajitas. As a veggie, I put them on all kinds of things, from salads to sandwiches and pasta dishes, but you really need to try it on a toasted avocado (homemade peasant bread) toast!

I tried both white wine (in the first picture) and this lovely apple cider vinegar that I found at our local Co-op store. The apple has become my new favourite. I like milder vinegars and hardly ever use regular white vinegar for anything much other than cleaning and fall canning.

I also use a spiced German vinegar called Salata on occasion, but it is very mild and might need a bit of something stronger added to it to suit your taste.

After onions, I started pickling and testing other veggies and found this recipe... pickled vegetable sandwich slaw – smitten kitchen. I am on a (quick) pickling kick.

1 cup distilled white vinegar

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons Kosher salt

2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds

1 cup cold water

I used the apple cider vinegar, of course, loved the addition of mustard seeds, added a bit less sugar and salt than this called for, and still found it too salty. Though that may just be me as doc put me on a low salt diet (sigh) so I am finding many things too salty for me nowadays. Adjust to your tastes. I recommend trying it as written the first time and then playing around with the amounts and ingredients.

You can quick pickle pretty much any veggie that you like. In this picture, I have red and orange peppers, carrots, and onions. I would have added cabbage and cauliflower if I had had them at home. I was not a huge fan of the pickled radishes, they were just okay.

If you like a hit of heat, you may want to try this pickled onion recipe with jalapeno's. I am a wimp and tolerate zero degrees of heat, so I have not, and will not, try these! Quick & Easy Refrigerator Pickled Onions - Attainable Sustainable® (attainable-sustainable.net)

The quick pickles last up to 3 weeks in the fridge, if they last that long. I make some version of pickled veggies at least once a week.

My version of the wedge salad, after several modifications, with pickled red onions.

Happy Pickling ~ Tanja