Zesty Pickled Rhubarb
We’re sharing another recipe from Rick’s latest book, The Art of Preserving.
Pickling is all about capturing produce at its peak while giving you the freedom to enjoy seasonal produce year-round. With only a few weeks remaining for rhubarb this year, take advantage by pickling them.
Pickled rhubarb tastes great with grilled pork tenderloin and grilled chicken.
Pickled Rhubarb
Sweet-tart rhubarb makes an excellent pickle when preserved in a tangy brine with sprightly spices. The crisp rhubarb retains its texture and is quite chewy. If you prefer a softer result, blanch the rhubarbs in boiling water for a minute, drain, and let cool before packing in jars.
Makes 6 one-pint jars
1 cup rice vinegar, preferably yuzu rice vinegar
1 cup sherry vinegar (7% acidity)
1 cup unsweetened cherry juice
2 tsp chili powder
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into slivers
36 cloves garlic
3 lb rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 4-inch pieces
Have ready hot, sterilized jars and their lids. In a large nonreactive saucepan, combine the rice and sherry vinegars, cherry juice, and chili powder. Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, place a pinch of ginger slivers and 6 garlic cloves in each jar. Pack the rhubarb pieces snugly into the jars, making sure that none stick up above the fill line. Ladle the hot brine into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch (12 mm) of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the headspace, if necessary. Wipe the rims clean and seal tightly with the lids. Let the jars stand undisturbed for 24 hours and then store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Win Hotties and t-shirts!
Win me!
Our first Twitter contest! We’re giving away FREE jars of Hotties and t-shirts.
Log into your Twitter account and tweet this message and then follow us @rickspicksnyc and @HottiesPickles
Follow @rickspicksnyc & @HottiesPickles and RT this msg for a chance to win a special surprise. Ends on Fri! Details - http://bit.ly/aFCx2e
- Contest ends at 5 pm Friday, winners will be announced over Twitter.
- Winners will be notified via a direct message on Twitter.
- We’ll tweet back with a special surprise! Could be special discounts, free jar of pickles or t-shirt.
- Only people with a previously established Twitter account or have at least 5 Twitter followers may enter
- One entry per person
- You must Retweet AND follow
- Must be 18+
- Open to US residents only
- Contest will run from Mon, Aug 9 at 12 pm to Fri, Aug 13 at 5 pm
Burgers and Hotties!
This recipe comes courtesy of Paige, our awesome intern. She lives in Greenpoint Brooklyn and loves to cook and eat (Question: How was Far Rockaway beach? Answer: Meh, but I had a great fish taco!).
Her burger words of wisdom:
1. Grill pans are awesome, they give off enough of a distinct, chargrill flavor to satisfy my bbq cravings during the week. Plus, who can resist grill marks?
2.When making a burger, you have to be in the same mindset as if you were pickling. You can be as creative as you want. I just used ingredients I had on hand, so if you don’t have red peppers, it’s okay! Throw in scallions. There are no rules. You can’t go wrong especially since you’re eating them with Hotties. Next time, I’m going to chop up some Hotties and mix it in with the meat. I decided to go with ground turkey instead of my usual ground beef to be slightly more healthy. You can put any ground meat of your choice, I bet lamb would be delicious.
Spiced Umami Turkey Burger with Hotties (makes 4-6 burgers)
Ingredients:
1 lb of ground turkey (or choice of any ground meat)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
4 Tbsp red pepper, chopped
1/2 med onion, chopped
1 TBSP fish sauce
1/2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
Egg white
Buns (Editor’s note: Amy’s Bread burger rolls are really, truly the best burger buns I’ve eaten)
Hotties (enough for your burger and some extra to munch on!)
Gently mix all ingredients. Don’t overwork the meat. Form 4-6 burgers, depending on how big you like them. Coat with oil.
Place grill pan on stove and turn the stove on to med-high heat.
Once grill pan is hot, throw the burgers on.
Cook 4 minutes per side and cover with foil as you cook. (This will vary depending on what kind of meat you use)
Now, assemble your burgers. REMEMBER to eat with Hotties.
Part Art, Part Science
Hey folks,
I’d like to share a recipe from my latest project, The Art of Preserving. The timing couldn’t be more spot-on as I get ready to spend a few weeks at the Vermont house where my love of pickling was sparked by family tradition. I was both surprised and honored when the editors at Williams Sonoma contacted me about co-writing the book with Rebecca Courchesne of Frog Hollow Farm. I’ve collected and experimented with so many pickle recipes that it was hard to for me edit it down to the final seventeen. You’ll find classic recipes like cucumber pickles and dilly beans, as well as exciting new flavor combinations like the one I created for rhubarb. My advice: experiment! Treat these recipes as fodder for your culinary imagination. I’d love to hear if you do something totally wacky with one of my recipes.
In the meantime, here’s a recipe for the amazing zucchini at your local farmer’s market. They don’t call it summer squash for nothing!
Pickled Zucchini Relish
Although this zucchini relish is similar to sweet pickle relish, it has a softer texture and a mellower flavor. The best tool for cutting the zucchini is a julienne peeler, which resembles a vegetable peeler but has serrations. You can also chop the zucchini, rather than julienne it.
Makes 6 half-pint jars
2 lb zucchini
1 large yellow or white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp salt
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
Using a handheld julienne peeler or a mandoline, cut the zucchini lengthwise into thin strips. Cut the strips crosswise into matchsticks. Transfer to a large nonreactive bowl. Add the onion, bell pepper, and salt and toss to combine. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 6 hours or up to 1 day.
Have ready hot, sterilized jars and their lids.
Drain the zucchini mixture in a large colander. Rinse thoroughly and drain again. Transfer to a large nonreactive saucepan and add the sugar, vinegar celery seeds, nutmeg, turmeric, pepper, and 1-cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 25-30 minutes.
Ladle the hot relish into the jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the headspace, if necessary. Wipe the rims clean and seal tightly with the lids.
Process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath. The sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. If a seal has failed, store the jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
six years and counting
The middle of July is always a busy time of year as this is when production of our pickles really shifts into high gear. It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since this all began. Our very first production was July 13th, 2004. We made all of 26 cases of pickles in about eight hours. It seemed like an impressive number at the time… but the numbers certainly have gone way, way up since then.
In the kitchen, summer, 2004. Then as now, the hairnet remains a powerful fashion statement
I remember being very proud of my light green chef’s coat (actually a very subtle tie dye) and also conscious of a sense of belonging. This was where I was meant to be. Well, we are still here. We celebrate the anniversary of the company forming in a legal way every year at the end of March, but I think this production anniversary is more meaningful. That’s all for now… it’s time to make pickles!
Brine Rx
Pickle juice has gotten a lot of press recently. The Times featured a short article on the pickle back a couple months ago – a tasty one-two shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice. My personal preference is a dirty martini loaded with brine. It’s my after-work ritual to fill a martini glass with ice-cold vodka, top it off with Mean Beans or Smokra brine, and then add the beans or okra to munch on while I enjoy my drink. I prefer this over pretty much any other cocktail because it’s refreshing, spicy and vinegary, and keeps me satisfied until dinner.
Turns out that vinegar is largely responsible for the healing properties of pickle juice reported in the study. The vinegar helps alleviate exhaustion – the source of muscle cramps during running. I have to admit that I rarely get muscle cramps even though I exercise 5-6 days a week. I credit that to a lot of things, especially a good diet and adequate sleep. But now I’m wondering if my daily dirty has something to do with it, too. I love vinegary foods and eat lots of pickles as well as kimchi, salads with dressings, and citrus fruits. My own conclusion based on the article is that eating a lot of acidic foods combats physical exhaustion prior to running, which preempts muscle cramps in the first place. That, of course, is my own kitchen sink wisdom applicable only to yours truly. My recommendation: read the article and then try it for yourself. Runner or not, you’re at least guaranteed a tasty beverage.
Jina
speaking in public
Filed under: business of pickling, friends of rick's picks, pickle making observations |
Leave a Comment This month has brought a couple of unusual opportunities to speak in public. Last week I was asked to go to Chicago to a participate in a fundraiser for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Lisa’s involved in a wide range of excellent initiatives… check out her site.
The current and future Attorney General of Illinois, Lisa Madigan.
I was there to prepare a spread of pickled treats (some of the ones I made are here) and to talk a bit about pickle-making and what is interesting and relevant about it in a social context. I focused my remarks on the way that pickles reflect what is best about our country. We are a nation of immigrants, and practically every culture brought some form of pickling, drying, salting, canning or fermenting into the mix. When David Dinkins ran for mayor of New York, he characterized the population of the city as a “gorgeous mosaic”. It’s a phrase I’ve always liked and it certainly applies to the nation as a whole. Our gorgeous mosaic of Japanese, Poles, Mexicans and countless others breathe life into our food system with their unique forms of preserving. At Rick’s Picks, we try to reflect the wide range of influences in our product line. Our newest pickle, Hotties, will be out in about a month and a half and it features a delectable spicy brine of Sriracha and dried habanero powder. A little Vietnamese influence by way of California, and a fiery jolt from South of the border.
Rick's Picks presents Hotties. Coming soon to rickspicksnyc.com and markets everywhere.
The second speaking opportunity is upcoming. My 25th college reunion is Memorial Day weekend, so I’ll be heading back to New Haven to revisit my bright college years at Yale.
Boola Boola.
I’m going to be on a panel discussing entrepreneurship and the challenges of making a mid-life career change. Running a business like Rick’s Picks requires energy, commitment and patience, no question. But one thing that I only came to understand once I made the switch from a stable career in television to start my fledgling enterprise is the need to be comfortable “floating”. By this I mean functioning (and hopefully florishing) in a state where numerous things are uncertain at the same time. The easiest way to understand this to think about vegetables. In 2009, we made our annual production plan based on what we forecasted we would need for the next 12 months. And then it rained for 25 out of 30 days in June. Thus the growing season throughout the Northeast was delayed and/or compromised and we had to be wait for things to come, hope they would still be up to our quality standards and at reliable prices, and then make a tremendously greater number of pickles in a much shorter window. As the rain fell in June, I could see the problem coming, but I trusted it would work out, which it did. That’s what I call floating. I’ll do a second post when I get back from Yale about some of the things my fellow entrepreneurs shared.
night of 1,000 ramps, aka the rampage
Filed under: business of pickling, friends of rick's picks, pickle making observations, recipe ideas |
Leave a Comment The other night was the fourth or fifth annual Night of 1,000 Ramps, aka The Rampage. For those of you not familiar, ramps are a fern-like root that grows wild on the forest floor for a short period during Spring. Like a scallion in appearance but with an earthy depth of flavor, ramps were considered until recently to be only suitable for poor folk, who forgaged for them where they could. Well now here in NYC, chefs are tripping over each other to get enough supply and the ways they are using ramps are incredibly diverse. Ramp pesto, ramps in pasta dishes, cream of ramp soup, ramps this, ramps that. Me, I like to pickle ramps. This probably comes as no surprise. Nor are you likely to be surprised that I call our finished finished products On Ramps. Our Greenmarket buddy Rick Bishop always has the best ramps and he set aside two flats for us this year, then threw in an extra ten pounds of so for good measure.
Rick Bishop with a the well-earned results of lengthy foraging. The man has a cool first name and some top-quality ramps.
Making pickled ramps is a labor of love. Let me be very clear about that. Here is a little perspective: with 5 friends working for a total of 20 cumulative hours, we made 70 jars of ramps. In the same number of real time hours, we can make about 2,500 jars of Phat Beets. My secret to a productive evening of making On Ramps is to invite over eager friends and make sure they always have a cold Tecate in their hands. The photos of the evening have an amber wash to them which is due to a faulty white balance choice by yours truly, but there’s also an instant archival effect that you get also.
Sarah, me, James and 50 pounds of ramps.
What really takes the time with ramps is the cleaning. First you trim the green leaves off of the tops (and save them to saute or make the aforementioned pesto) and the wispy roots off the bulbs.
This process is so meticulous it makes Pointilist painting look like finger painting.
The result should be a four-inch specimen, pearly white at the bulb end and richly purple at the top (four inches is the desired length because that is how much vertical space you have to pack vegetables in a standard pint Mason jar).
You know what they say about many hands and light work. In the background, Andy appears to be using his hands to google "efficiencies in ramp peeling"
One of the great things about pickling ramps is that they lend themselves to a diverse number of brines. In the past, I’ve used a white wine vinegar brine with muddled green peppercorns and coriander to bring our the sharp savory aspect of the plant. This time, I fashioned a brine that evokes the the other side, the lingering sweetness in ramps. I used white vinegar, dried hibiscus and muddled pink peppercorns.
Everything but the brine.
An added benefit of going this route is the dried hibiscus transmits a beautiful rosy coloration to the brine. They would be an excellent Valentine’s Day gift, if they ever lasted that long.
Finished beauties in formation.
Ramps are sufficiently time-consuming that it is impossible to imagine ever making them in a commercial scale. But I kind of like that aspect… they are almost like a secret handshake between a chosen few.
If I look like it is 1:30 in the morning, that is because it is 1:30 in the morning.
I’m on TV today
Today (Saturday) at 1 PM EST I’ll be appearing on Your Questions, Your Money on the Fox Business Network. The show runs from 1 to 2 PM; the producers told me they expect I will be on during the first half hour. Check it out!
a rick’s picks video on oprah’s OWN network
Filed under: business of pickling, friends of rick's picks, media |
Leave a Comment A while back, I did a video shoot with the Oprah team about what its like to make a switch in careers in the middle of life… in my case, from being a TV producer to being a pickle maker. It was kind of like a class reunion because my old VH1 buddy Jack was the videographer. Oprah’s OWN Network, which launches on 1/1/11, is all about empowerment in various forms… and it’s true, over the years, many folks have asked me what it felt like to leave my comfort zone and try something new. My answer is always the same: what’s more comforting than a nice pickle? You can watch the video here.
