August 23, 2011

Szechuan Style and Dilly Dilly Pickled Green Beans

I love pickles. The apocalyptic part of me has always been interested in the idea of spending long summer nights in the kitchen lining cupboards with jars upon jars of heirloom tomatoes and pickled beans to last through the winter. Of course, this has never happened. Jams are one thing, but canning vegetables has seemed unapproachable in New York thanks to a lack of necessary gear, wisdom, or shelf space in my shared kitchen. That is, until now! Last week I attended a pickling class in Crown Heights held by the people at brooklynskillshare. Emily taught us about the magic and ease of refrigerator pickles. I'm talking small batch deliciousness served up without having to buy any new stuff, ready in 1-2 weeks, while reusing old jars and brines. This is surely my style. Quick, lazy-day goodness that is inexpensive, fun, and experimental without the lurching fear of the b-word.


Aspiring homesteaders, rejoice!
Recipes to come,
NRG

5 comments:

  1. I'm imagining these little guys, in their jars, swaying back and forth ever-so-slightly to the rhythms of today's seismic waves.

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  2. These look so perfect! I'm proud as a mother that someone from my first class took what they learned and applied it. And happy, hoping you love your pickles.

    Beautiful blog you have here, I must say.
    Emily

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  3. I am very interested in how you do this. Not into the steamy kitchen here in blazing hot Texas, but definitely into pickles!

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  4. Here's a link to the recipe Emily taught us! http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/07/szechuan-beans-recipe.html Alterations: save yourself the time and do not blanch your beans- they will be delightfully crispy! Also,I used brown sugar, hot chili toasted sesame oil, and more garlic (of course)!

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