Monday, April 7, 2014

East Side New York Half-Sour Pickles

From Eat, Enjoy! The 101 Best Jewish Recipes in America:

30 -35 small kirby cucumbers
2 quarts water
1/2 cup salt
3 ounces pickling spices
3 garlic cloves, smashed


Directions:
1 Fill a 1-gallon jar with cucumbers; set aside.
2 In a separate container, mix together water, salt, pickling spices, and garlic.
3 Pour over cucumbers and then cover with waxed paper to keep cucumbers in the solution.
4 Leave out for 2 weeks without refrigeration!


Food.com


h/t Michael Haz

Haz's description, "Half sour pickles are fermented rather than cooked like most other pickles. The flavor is quite a bit different that a regular pickle," is intriguing. The above link was provided by him.

It reminds me of my grama's sauer kraut which was mild yet yummy. She once wrote down the recipe for me, which was basically, pack a jar tightly with shredded cabbage, add one-half teaspoon salt on top, close jar (can't remember if it was tightly or loosely; probably loosely). I can't remember the waiting time, but whenever I came across it, I was like, 'that's it? No boiling?' I had that recipe a long time, but recently did not find it when going through my recipe box. It's probably still there, I just missed it. 

I have both of my late grandmothers' recipe collections. They look, similar. Jumbled stacks of recipe cards, variously-sized pieces of paper with recipes written by them or others, recipes torn from boxes, recipe pamphlets from food companies. 

12 comments:

Unknown said...

I love pickles.

I'll bet those would be delicious with an Elvis style bbq pork sammy.

deborah said...

I like a pickle now and then. Especially dill. My grama also wrote down her dill pickle recipe for me. Again, not super dilly, but subtle.

deborah said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dust Bunny Queen said...

Interesting. It seems that many cultures have a type of fermented pickle or cabbage dishes.

Kimchee is a great one of fermented spicy napa style cabbage from Korea. It smells to high heaven, but damn is it good!

deborah said...

I've never tried kimchee, but I want to. Also, chutney, though I know that's in a different category. Would like to perfect my own.

Chip Ahoy said...

PBS Magic School Bus, In a pickle.

Oddly co-mingled with an unhelpful court trial of Miss Frizzle nevertheless the bus shrinks and the anaerobic fermentation in brine or in vinegar is fully explored and the whole entire thorough explanation left a lasting impression on me because it is nothing the likes of which I have ever experienced.

I like to Farmer's pickles, I add sugar to dill pickles. I don't know how vinegar and dill won the taste contest. Seems ginger is underused in these things.

Chip Ahoy said...

At the end of the cartoon, the pedantic little lawyer boy recaps the microbes they encountered, I believe he omits yeast, the thing that budded on the flower. Maybe he named it specifically.

deborah said...

Yes, he gave the scientific name. My kids and I used to like Magic School Bus a lot. Thanks for the link, Chip.

I just looked and Grama's dills call for
2.5 qts. water
1 qt vinegar
3/4 c. plain salt [kosher]
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. mustard seed, optional

Put in bottom of of jars: 1 clove garlic, 1 slice onion, and fresh dill heads (IIRC she may have used two).

Cut cukes in fourths lengthwise. Put in jars. Bring solution to boil, pour over cukes. Cold pack just 2-5 minutes after water comes to boil.

I think I made these twice. The first time was good, the second time not...pickles too soft, too few, and too dilly.

deborah said...

Farmer pickles?

Michael Haz said...

Note the two key differences: (1) the pickles are not cooked, and (2) there is no vinegar in the recipe.

Once they have been made, they need to be kept refrigerated so they won's spoil. Conventional canning methods will ruin the pickles.

And they are delicious!

deborah said...

I noticed that, Haz. I used to have a recipe from an aunt, South Dakota Pickles, which called for no cooking, refrigeration only. Can't remember the particulars, except they were cut into large cubes, IIRC. Probably called for sugar and vinegar.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Fermented pickles are the best. It works well with asparagus and beets too (don't mix them unless you want your asparagus beet red).