Pickled Vegetables

I don't only play with meat.  I love the acid, and the vinegar flavor of anything pickled when eating charcuterie.  It breaks up the fattiness of a terrine, goes great with any salumi.  This is one of my favorites here.  The crispness of the Cauliflower, and the sweetness from the fresh carrots are great.  And the little zip from the peppers.  I make mine a little different, I use a mixture of Champagne vinegar and distilled white vinegar.  The Champagne gives more sweetness and depth of flavor, where the distilled white vinegar gives you the punch of acidity.

This recipe is just a guideline, feel free to add whatever veg you like, and customize how you like.

For the Pickling Liquid

• 3Cups Champagne Vinegar
• 1Cup Distilled white vinegar
• 3Cups Water
• 3/4 Cup white sugar
• 5Tbs Kosher salt
• 1Tbs Yellow mustard seeds
• 2ea Sprigs Thyme
• 1Tbs Whole black pepper corns

Add all items into a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.  Take off the heat and let cool for about 30 minutes.  While cooling get all of you mis en place done.

For the Vegetables

• 1 head cauliflower, trimmed and broken down to florets
• 2 red peppers cut into one inch matchsticks
• 2 purple peppers(when in season, can use yellow or orange) cut into one inch sticks
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1 hot red pepper sliced thin
• 2 cups peperoncini drained
• 2 cups cocktail onions
• 5 carrots sliced
• 4 stalk celery sliced
• 2 shallots sliced thinly

Get a large pot filled with water, and get ready to blanch all of your vegetables.  Also have a large bowl filled with ice water to shock the vegetables and stop the cooking process.  Add cauliflower to the pot and boil till crisp tender, about four minutes.  Immediately shock the cauliflower in the cold water.  Repeat with the carrots for four minutes, celery for two, as well as the peppers for two as well.  I don't blanch the onions or the garlic, I like the fresh flavor from them.

Put everything together in a container big enough to fit everything.  You could also mix everything together in a bowl, then transfer to large mason jars.  Make sure how ever you do it, that you completely cover your vegetables with pickling liquid.  That this sit for at least one day.  Store in the fridge for about two weeks covered in the fridge. 

Remember, Source local and Love your Meat.