Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Pickle Me

Ok...well maybe don't pickle me...but can we please pickle everything else.

The other weekend I just pickled myself out. It started when I decided to make homemade pickles for my boyfriend. I used the recipe from Dyln Blog, which was easy, quick and delicious. Click here to get the recipe. To be honest, I loved making the adorable labels for the jars. I used fresh dill stuffing it into each jar. It came out with that great herb flavor, a nice crunch and an oh-so cute presentation.
Wait, there’s more. A pickle weekend doesn’t stop there. I then went to the Pickle Festival that is held annually in the Lower East Side. Many pickle purveyors showed up along with their samples. I tried a variety of pickles (including the pickle on the stick). The pickled lemons and plums were so acidic; they made your tongue feel funny. The spicy pickled okra was tangy, not slimy and just the right amount of kick. In addition to the pickle stands, food stands were set up outside LES restaurants. After seeing sauerkraut whiz by me, I knew where I was going: to the food stand with the home made pretzels (soft and salty). I munched on sausage, home made sauerkraut and a delicious potato salad (made with vinaigrette – not mayonnaise based.) To learn more about the pickle festival click here.



Well, with all this pickle love going around, my mother, on the opposite coast, got the urge to make pickled cauliflower with peppers. Sadly, I haven’t tried her pickled veggies. But, in this case I will live vicariously through her. Click here, if you would like the recipe.
Overall, it was pickalicious. I have been a long time lover of anything pickled, similar to my love of confit (but that is a different post). I like those funny feelings on my tongue and I like the crunch of a cucumber that has been swimming in briny goodness. Pickle Lover for Life….

16 comments:

Helene said...

I love pickled cauliflower...I was planning on doing that and banana peppers this weekend....if I can wait that long now!!

Manger La Ville said...

Ohh.. Banana Peppers..I love them so much, especially on my sandwiches. Best of luck!

Dee said...

These are great. I'm not big on pickling - excpt for birds eye chile which in my Malaysian book makes the world a better place :) There's a blog event on now (I think) - you should go check out Is my Blog Burning if you're interested :)

Anonymous said...

Pickled fruit seems like all the rage these days - I'm seeing it show up in all kinds of dishes in Manhattan (pickled watermelon with fluke!)

Love the post!

Manger La Ville said...

Dee- thank you for the suggestion. This website looks great!
Anonymous - I think Momofuko served pickled watermelon with sashimi style fluke. I wish I could make it like they did. And yes, it does seem very trendy

Anonymous said...

Great to hear that you have the whole family in on pickling. It all sounds so good to eat.

Anonymous said...

I was the recipent of the pickled cauliflower, pepper and onion mix. While the color from the turmericis a little weird (the yellowish tint) the disk was DELICIOUS. The maker told me how easy it was to prepare and at some time I may try it myself. I also have had the dish in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks and it holds up just fine. Enjoy!

dlyn said...

Glad that you like the recipe and thanks a bunch for the link!

Jessica@Foodmayhem said...

OOh, I love pickled stuff!

alexandra's kitchen said...

i love pickled vegetables, especially pickled carrots and daikon served at Vietnamese restaurants. so yummy. your pickles look lovely!

Lori Lynn said...

My sister is a pickle lover too, when were were kids my parents called her Pickle-Puss (an affectionate pickle-face). ha

That was a fun post!

Manger La Ville said...

Alexandra: I love them too
Lori: My father affectionately called me that too. I used to go through jars of pickles as my afternoon snack when I was little. That is a great story.

Anonymous said...

I'm a big fan of pickles too and would love to attend that pickle festival! Imagine....a whole day devoted to the love of pickles...fantastic!

Glad to see your pickling power going to work! They look so fabulous!

The P & A Food Chronicles said...

i wish i could picke!!!

test it comm said...

Making your own pickles sounds like fun!

Susan said...

Okra pickle, how amazing! Great pickle site; thanks for the link. And leave it to the LES to host a pickle festival. What fun!