Events and Updates

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 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

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.

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.