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B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021
How to pickle just about any vegetable
By JAMES P. DeWAN
The Daily Meal
Millennia before Louis
Pasteur discovered the bac-
teria-killing process known
as pasteurization, our rav-
enous forbears found that
foods lasted longer if they
were treated to various pro-
cedures. Before mechan-
ical refrigeration and
freezing were the norm
for extending the shelf life
of food, methods included
drying, salting, cooling and,
of course, pickling.
What the Western Hemi-
sphere now knows as “pick-
ling” is simply the submer-
sion of raw food in an acidic
and/or salty solution as a
means of preservation. Even
though we no longer need
to pickle food to preserve
it, we still do it because we
love the way it tastes.
Before I go on, allow
me to mention that the dill
or bread-and-butter pickles
most of us love on burgers
and alongside sandwiches
are made from cucumbers
and have a distinctive sour
taste. And it’s that sour taste
that — for me, at least —
that marks a pickle as orig-
inating from the Western
Hemisphere.
But the West does not
own the pickle. In fact,
pickles of some sort are
found in nearly every cul-
ture, whether it’s heavily
spiced, oil-soaked man-
goes from India or spicy red
cabbage and radish kimchi
from the Korean Peninsula.
Because I am located
in the heart of the Amer-
ican Midwest, I’ll give you
a method for producing that
crisp cucumber pickle and
its many country cousins. In
addition to cukes, you can
apply this method to any
number of vegetables, like
caulifl ower or okra. Green
beans make great pickles,
and pickled jalapenos are
one of life’s piquant plea-
sures. Turnips are terrifi c,
and when they’re stained
hot pink with the addition
of fresh beets, they bring
a bit of the Middle East to
my Midwestern table (see
recipe below).
One last thing before
we get to a quick, West-
ern-style pickle method:
Many of your favorite
pickles may be fermented
— a slightly diff erent and
somewhat long process.
Our method is just a simple
brine, whose purpose is
fl avor as much as it is pres-
ervation. Its sour taste
comes from vinegar rather
than the acids produced by
fermentation. As such, it
can be ready in less than
an hour.
How to pickle anything
Note: Several sources
suggest that iodized salt
will adversely aff ect the
fl avor and texture of
pickles. However, a 1996
study conducted by the
World Health Organization
found no discernible dif-
ference in fl avor or texture
between pickles made with
kosher salt (noniodized) and
those made with table salt
(iodized).
1. Assemble your brine
mixture of water and vin-
egar, which can have a ratio
anywhere from one-to-one
to four-to-one. Always use
a trusted recipe when you’re
fi rst starting out. Bring the
liquid to a boil to dissolve
the salt — typically about 1
to 2 tablespoons per 2 cups
of liquid.
Some recipes use sugar
or another sweetener, and
nearly all call for the addi-
tion of fresh or dried spices.
Fresh dill and garlic are
common, along with bay
leaf and commercial pick-
ling spice blends, which can
include mustard seeds, dill
seeds, allspice and pepper-
corns, among other spices.
Add these to your brine.
2. Place your peeled,
trimmed and cut vegetables
into clean jars and pour in
the brine solution until the
vegetables are completely
submerged. Cover and let
sit from an hour to a week,
depending on the recipe.
When the pickles are ready,
they’ll keep for up to a
month in the fridge — if
you can manage to make
them last that long!
MIDDLE
EASTERN-
STYLE PICKLED
TURNIPS
The fl avor of these delicious and
easy-to-make pickles is similar to
Western-style pickles, but the hot
pink color from the beets identi-
fi es it immediately as being from
the Middle East.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Brining time: 5-7 days
Makes about 2 1/2 pounds
Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup white distilled vinegar
1/3 cup Kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
1 jalapeno, serrano or Fresno
chili, cut in half or into
1/4-inch rings (optional)
2 pounds turnips, trimmed,
peeled and cut into 1/2-inch
square sticks, bite-sized chunks
or 1/2-inch thick half circles
1 beet, trimmed, peeled and
cut same as turnips
Kristen Mendiola/The Daily Meal-TNS
Middle Eastern style pickled turnips recipe.
Directions:
1. To make the brine: Combine
3 cups water, 1 cup white vinegar,
1/3 cup kosher salt and 1 table-
spoon sugar in a heavy-bottomed
saucepan. Heat over high fl ame,
stirring occasionally, until salt is
completely dissolved, about 4-5
minutes. Remove from heat and
let cool.
2. Place 2 cloves crushed garlic,
2 bay leaves and optional chili in
the bottom of a large canning jar
(or divide between two smaller
jars). Add 2 pounds trimmed, cut
turnips and 1 trimmed, cut beet.
3. Pour brine into jars, covering
vegetables completely and com-
ing to 1/2-inch below top. Screw
lids tightly onto jars.
4. Place jars in a cool, dry place
for 5 to 7 days. When ready to eat,
store in the refrigerator for up to
one month.
School night? Try this quick bolognese
By GRETCHEN McKAY
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
School is soon back in
session for many districts,
which means so long to
summer’s more leisurely
schedules.
I don’t have small kids
anymore, but I remember
what it was like trying to
get dinner on the table after
work, while also chauf-
feuring kids to sports prac-
tices, guitar lessons, shop-
ping for school project
supplies and any other
number of school activi-
ties. And don’t forget about
homework, which always
seemed to be spread out on
the kitchen table when it
was time to eat.
I also remember that
the best school night meals
were those that could be
prepared with little eff ort.
This pasta recipe fi ts the
bill. It comes together
in about a half-hour and
because it features pasta,
it’s kid friendly.
I made it with the last
off erings of my summer
garden and meat I had in
the freezer. You can sub-
stitute chopped or crushed
canned tomatoes for fresh
and it still will taste great.
Bucatini is always my
pasta of choice, but bolog-
nese (meat sauce) is tra-
ditionally served on tagli-
atelle or pappardelle
because thicker and heavier
pastas collect more sauce.
I served the pasta with the
sauce on top but you also
can stir it right into the pan,
adding a little pasta water,
if needed, to thin the sauce
to your liking.
PASTA WITH
QUICK
BOLOGNESE
PG tested
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped cutting celery
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 pound 80/20 ground beef
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
2 garlic cloves minced
Salt and pepper
Red pepper fl akes
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 or 2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 pound pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese,
for serving
Chopped parsley or
basil, for garnish
Bring a large pot of salted
water to boil.
Heat olive oil over medium
heat in a large Dutch oven or
saucepan. Add onion, celery and
carrot and cook for 1 minute.
Add beef and sausage, and
cook, breaking it up with a fork
or spoon, until it is no longer
pink, about 5-6 minutes.
Add garlic to pot and season
generously with salt and pep-
per. If you like, add a pinch of
two of red pepper fl akes, and
stir to combine.
Stir in cherry tomatoes, to-
mato paste and red wine. Cook
on medium heat until tomatoes
break down and the sauce starts
to thicken, about 15-20 minutes.
(I use a potato masher to help
the tomatoes along.)
Meanwhile, add the pasta
to boiling water and cook until
tender but still fi rm. Drain the
pasta, reserving about 1 cup
of pasta water for thinning the
sauce.
Taste bolognese and season
with additional salt, pepper or
red pepper fl akes, if necessary.
Thin with reserved pasta water
if it’s too thick.
Serve pasta sauce on top of
cooked pasta, garnished with
grated Parmesan and chopped
parsley or basil.
Makes 6-8 servings.
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Pasta with a quick-to-prepare bolognese sauce is perfect for busy school nights.
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