Events and Updates

The holidays are upon us. To make your holidays a little less stressful, we’re offering up a Top Five Pickle Gifting Tips.

Tip #5 is to figure out which pickle for each of your lucky gift recipients. Good thing, Rick’s Picks carries pickle varieties that suits all. Does any one of these pickle personalities fit the bill for the special people in your life? Don’t be shy about it, get more than one jar for your friends or yourself.

1. Hotties – For the thrill-seeker who blazes off the beaten path in search of authentic, local eats before it’s discovered by the masses. Spice is life!
2. The People’s Pickle – Outgoing, friendly and just plain cool… your charming buddy is the life of the party, just like our crowd-pleasing garlic dills.
3. Phat Beets – Ravishing and sophisticated. The friend who appreciates the finer things in life will treasure these well-dressed beets in rosemary, ginger and lemon.
4. Smokra – A hearty, generous, outdoorsy type who loves big, smoky flavors like BBQ, good whiskey and Spanish smoked paprika.
5. Mean Beans – Funny, frank and loyal. For these straight-shooters, clean flavors and wicked heat are an honest treat.
6. Handy Corn – A creative, independent thinker who knows a good thing when s/he sees it. Handy Corn allows the imagination to run wild.
7. Kool Gherks – For the stalwart who favors classics to trends. Simplicity never goes out of style. Whole dills are forever.
8. Bee n’ Beez – Sweet, playful and happy-go-lucky…they bring cheer wherever they go. Our bread-and-butters evoke these free-spirits with fresh ginger and plump cherries.
9. Spears of Influence – Looks can deceive. Scratch the surface of this everyday Joe to discover an engaging, quirky personality. Who knew our dill spears have a twist of cumin and lime?
10. Green Tomato Condiment – The whip-smart, bookish friend who craves novelty will appreciate our curried green tomatoes – for the taste, the heritage, and the irony.
11. Pepi Pep Peps – Mr. Steak and Potatoes loves a mean hoagie, and these pickled peppers pack a punch. Surprise him with an awesome hero smothered with salami, cheese and our garlicky Peps.
12. Slices of Life -  For the thoughtful, caring person who offers to stop by with chicken soup to cure your ails. Slices of Life are an easy, homey treat.
13. Windy City Wasabeans -  For the person in your life who’s sassy, spontaneous and loves life. Savory, crunchy Wasabeans have major attitude.

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Five years ago, who would have guess that Barney’s New York, an upscale department store, would team up with the Food Network for its annual holiday window display? Food has been a hot topic in 2010 so it’s no surprise that Barney’s decided to focus on a “foodie” theme this year. While the display is a fun take on food and TV, it’s proof of the heightened interest on food beyond mere consumption.

If you’re in the area doing some holiday shopping, don’t forget to check out the delicious window display. The illy display was my favorite. Reusing the used cans as a gorgeous dress. Definitely could see it on the runway.

Check out a few of the deee-lightful offerings coming your way on Sunday:

Yes, you can have it all! $15 buys you and your loved ones a 100% cotton American Apparel T in five styles (Hotties makes its debut on Pickle Day!).

3. Rick Field’s new cookbook, The Art of Preserving

For the enthusiast. Try your hand at canning with delicious recipes from the founder of Rick’s Picks. $25 buys you inspiration, pickling advice and drool-worthy photos rolled into a handsome, hardbound book for generations of young ‘uns.

Yes, I made a dessert. Why? Possibly because it seemed like the most contrary option when handed a pickle-oriented recipe challenge. Or, possibly, because I love the contrast of sweet and sour and wish it found its way onto dessert plates more often.

Either way, my favorite of the Rick’s Picks family – sweet/spicy/sour Green Tomato Condiment – was a natural for a dessert. And thinking about the sweet-tart, juicy Fuji apples I’d had from Union Square Greenmarket vendor Terhune Orchards, I realized that combining GTC with apples, spices, and sweetener could make a wonderful compote-type sauce for…something? Later it came to me that a creamy custard -made from Northshire Farms eggs and Ronnybrook butter and Creamline milk – would be the ideal foil for my piquant sauce, and that spicing it up with curry-complement cardamom would take the flavor combination further.

The result was exactly as I’d hoped: a balance between sweet, creamy, and sour. I topped each serving with a flash-fried dark-brown apple slice, which provided a surprisingly pleasant burnt-marshmallow flavor accent, invited a friend over for dessert, and in no time we had two licked-empty plates. Try this!

Make the sauce and the fried apple garnish while the custard is baking.

For the cardamom custard:

• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 2 1/2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 325 and thoroughly butter about 8 small or 4 large ramekins.
Whisk together eggs, agave nectar, salt, vanilla, and cardamom until thoroughly combined.
Add milk gradually, whisking to combine.
Pour mixture into ramekins and place into a bain marie, bringing water up to within 1/2″ of top of ramekin. Bake at 325 about 50 minutes for smaller ramekins, 1 hour for larger, or until completely set. If using small ramekins, run a butter knife around the edge of the custard and invert on a plate. Unmold and serve immediately, topped
with relish and garnish. If using large ramekins, do not unmold to serve, but top with relish and garnish.

For the Green Tomato Condiment/apple relish:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 Fuji or other sweet-tart apple (e.g. Mutsu, Macoun, Ginger Gold),
• peeled and cut into 1/4-1/2″ dice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (freshly grated if possible)
• 1/2 cup Green Tomato Condiment – tomatoes only – cut into 1/4″-1/2″ dice
• dash salt
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar

Melt butter over medium heat in large skillet.
Add apple, cinnamon, Green Tomato Condiment, and a dash of salt, and mix thoroughly to combine spices.
Turn heat down to low, cover, and cook until apples are soft, adding water as needed to moisten.
Add agave nectar and cook over medium heat, uncovered, until most of the moisture is gone.

For the flash-fried apple slice garnish:
Use mandoline to cut a few very thin slices of an unpeeled apple, about 3″ long. Fry in skilled in refined coconut, canola, or other flavor-neutral oil until first side is dark brown around edges; flip with fork and fry on other side until dark brown all over. Drain on paper towels.

Cost of ingredients:

• 2 x 12oz Ronnybrook Creamline milk at $1.50 = $3.00
• 4 Northshire Farms eggs at $5/dozen = $1.67
• 3 tablespoons Ronnybrook Farms butter (estimated) = $0.94
• 2 Terhune Orchards apple at $2/lb = $2Total: $7.61 (makes approx 4 servings)

For more information on our $10 Greenmarket Challenge, go to http://bit.ly/cBpyRI.

At Rick’s Picks, we love us some alliteration, which is why it brings me great pleasure to bring you my recipe for People’s Pickle Polish Potato Potage.   All those P’s… say ‘em quickly in a row (P-P-P-P-P) and it sounds like champagne flowing.   Full disclosure: soups were an area of passionate focus for me long before I became intense about pickles, and soups of all kinds continue to be projects that I look forward to creating most every weekend.  I like to be able to brownbag a quart of soup with me to work most everyday.   Like the ad man said back in the day, Soup Is Good Food.

Many of the soups that I like to make have a significant potato component.  Quality potatoes, when they are cooked down and blended with a food processor or immersion blender, will lend a natural creaminess to a puree or “cream of” soup that usually eliminates the need for fatty cream itself while adding more flavor.   Life is creamy enough.

For my soup, I shopped at Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket, and paid a visit to my good pal Bill Maxwell of Maxwell’s Farm, based in Changewater, N.J.  Bill was one of the first farmer-partners I worked with when getting Rick’s Picks off the ground, and over the years he has provided me with cucumbers, green beans, jalapenos and dill flowers.   For this project, I hit Bill up for some of his German Butterball potatoes, along with a couple of sweet onions, some dill leaf and a robust bunch of his spectacular chives.  Total cost: seven bucks.

Still life, with Bill Maxwell's potatoes and onions.

People’s Pickle Polish Potato Potage

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (life is also salty enough)
3 lbs. potatoes (German butterball, Yukon Gold or Red Bliss preferred)
1 lb medium onions
2 quarts low sodium chicken stock (life remains salty enough)
1 bunch dill leaf
1 bunch chives
1 lemon
2 cups milk
1 jar (or more) Rick’s Picks’ The People’s Pickle
1 jar Rick’s Picks’  Pepi Pep Peps
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Bill's dill jives with his chives.

Start by melting a full stick of unsalted butter in a stock pot over medium heat.  Skin the onions and chop them into half-inch rounds, and then into quartered slices.  Cube the potatoes into one-inch pieces, leaving the skins on the skins will add a nice depth of flavor).  Don’t worry too much about making the onions a precise shape as they will be pureed later.

Have you ever though about how many great recipes begin by sauteeing onions?

Cook the onions for five minutes until they appear translucent.  Add the potatoes and stir steadily with a wooden spoon.  After five more minutes, add a cup of the chicken stock to the pot to keep the bottom deglazed.  Cook for 15 minutes or so, until the potatoes begin to soften.  Add the remaining stock, the juice of a well-squeezed lemon, and a healthy amount of freshly-squeezed black pepper.

A little chicken stock at this stage will keep the pot nicely deglazed.

Stir the contents and then add two cups of milk and turn the heat down to a simmer.  While the soup is simmering, remove the pickles from a jar of The People’s Pickle and chop them coarsely into half-inch cubes.  Add three tablespoons of brine to the simmering soup, skimming off the solid bits of spice and garlic so that the liquid is the only thing you are adding.

Product placement, aka naked self-promotion, for the Rick's Picks elements in the recipe.

Next, puree the soup in batches with a food processor or puree the entire contents of the stock pot with an immersion blender.  Add the chopped pickles.   Mince the dill and chives and add them to the pot, stirring to spread them evenly throughout.   Add a small amount of additional milk if you find the soup too thick.   After five minutes, turn off the heat completely and allow the soup to rest on the stove with the pot lid on.

And for the croutons: preheat an oven to 450 degrees.  Take half a stick of butter and and melt it in a sautee pan over low heat.  Add 2 oz of brine from a jar of Pepi Pep Peps, making sure to include the chunks of ginger and garlic that rest on the bottom of the jar.  Whisk together the contents.   Slice the baguette (I got mine from Buon Pane at Grand Army Plaza for $3, finishing off my $10 allocation).   Their baguettes are wonderfully dense and chewy, and make for great croutons.   Slice the loaf into half-inch rounds and set them on a baking sheet.   With a pastry brush, paint each of the baguette rounds with the butter brine mixture.

Brush with greatness.

Place the baking sheet in the oven, making sure to keep an eye on the proceedings.  The difference between croutons that have been nicely browned and burnt black is about a minute.  Nicely browned wins every time.   Remove the croutons from the baking sheet and allow them to cool in a bowl.

A few of these fellows got perilously close to being burnt toast.

Bring the soup up to a warm temperature, and ladle generously into a wide, deep bowl.   Place croutons on the top, and finish the soup with a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
Variations: you can cook a few slices of bacon in the stock pot before beginning the whole process, and then drain off most of the grease that results and crumbling the bacon into the soup just before blending.   You can also add rounds of kielbasa if you want to get your meat groove on, and I’ve had made a practice of shaving off the kernels from leftover corn on the cob.  Don’t waste anything!

There was enough for everyone in the office to give it a try.

Bee ‘n’ Beez Turkey Wrap with Garlic Dijon Aioli (Yield: 1 Turkey Wrap with 1 Pint Garlic Dion Aioli)
( The aioli is great to have in the fridge for sandwiches or just for pickle dipping!)

Ingredients:

For the Wrap:

• 1-whole wheat tortilla or wrap
• 2- tablespoons garlic dijon aioli
• 5-slices roasted turkey- thinly sliced
• 4-slices of brie cheese- 1/8” thick- 2”x 3”
• 1-cup baby arugula
• 7- Bee ‘n’ Beez slices

For the Aioli:

• 10 cloves of garlic peeled and roasted in a 350 degree oven coated with  olive oil and wrapped in foil until browned and soft.
• 1- cup mayonnaise
• ½ -cup Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

For the Aioli:

Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender until completely smooth.  Reserve.

For The Wrap:

Lay the wrap on a cutting board.  Spread the 2 tablespoons aioli to completely cover the bottom of the wrap.  Layer the turkey to cover the aioli.  Then add the brie down the center.  Cover the brie with Bee ‘n’ Beez and then add the arugula.  Fold in both sides of the wrap and roll.

Heat in a pannini press until brie is warm and melted.  Serve with a side salad and glass of chardonnay.

This is a far step away from my original idea, the McDonald’s double chz with Bee n Beez on it instead of Mickey D’s picks. I thought it was a good idea, the McDonalds on Union Sq. West is basically IN the farmer’s market, what’s more local than that?! After having a conversation with my good friend Rachael (Brooklyn Bullion, Hudson Valley Duck Farm) we landed on this idea:  The BLGTC, a twist on the classic BLT.  Rachael informed me that Green Tomatoes are very much in season right now and we both thought it would be a good idea to showcase them in their pickled variety.  Come December you wont be able to find fresh Green Tomatoes, but since we here at Rick’s Picks pickle at the peak of freshness you can have them all year round! Wahoo!!

Things I bought at The New Amsterdam Market:

• 1 Package of Hickory Smoked Peppered Bacon = $5 [farmer's market vendor discount ] – Moosefund Farm’s Marjalista Pork, Branchville, NJ
• 1 Pane Casareccio Sourdough loaf  = $4 –Sullivan St. Bakery,  New York, NY
• Various mixed lettuce and Arugula = $1 – Do Re Me Farm, Newhampton, NY

STEP BY STEP:

For the mayo:

1. Mix tablespoon of mayonnaise with hefty pinch of thyme and a tiny pinch of Sage.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sandwich:

1. Fry Bacon until desired level of crispy is obtained.
2. While bacon is cooking slice bread and spread mayo on both halves (if you have time, do the holy crap it smells like delicious bacon dance)
3. Stack bacon on sandwich to your liking.
4. Add GTC and Lettuce.
5. Take a deep breath.
6. Eat.

So there it is, the BLGTC! Big Lou’s Green Tomato Concoction! (or, simply, Bacon, Lettuce, Green Tomato Condiment, if you’re a lame-o.)

I got my inspiration for this challenge at my local Thursday farmer’s market in Lincoln Square. Due to the torrential rain, there was only one lonely produce stand braving the weather: Ashanan Farms from Duchess County. They had some beautiful vegetables, including a bin of super-ripe tomatoes that were literally bursting at the seams with sweetness.  As I surveyed the other produce they had on offer – fresh chilies, cilantro, tomatillos, thai basil – I decided to flout the nasty weather and make one last batch of summery gazpacho goodness.

Now I like my gazpacho spicy and chunky – almost like a drinkable salsa. So I figured some roughly pureed Hotties (along with a little spicy brine) would complement the sweetness of the tomatoes and the spiciness of the chilies nicely. (It did). The tomatoes, though technically “damaged” due to bursting, had amazing flavor and were perfect for pureeing into a soup (plus, I got a slight discount!). I also liked the addition of the thai basil compared with regular basil – it added to the depth of the heat in the Hotties and chilies. All in all, came out on budget and with plenty of produce left over for other projects!

Tomatoes:                   $3.50

Tomatillos:                 $1.00

Onion:                         $0.75

Garlic:                          $0.50

Cilantro:                      $2.00

Chili:                             $0.25

Thai basil:                   $2.00

Total:                           $10.00

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. tomatoes
• 4 tomatillos
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¾ cup onion
• 1 serrano chili pepper, seeded and de-pithed
• ¼ cup packed cilantro
• 7-8 slices Hotties
• 2 Tbsp. Hotties brine
• 1 ½ Tsp. Kosher salt
• ½ Tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 thai basil leaves per serving

Rough chop tomatoes and puree in a food processor. Drain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl for 30 minutes, reserve tomato water.

Peel the outer layer off tomatillos and cut in half. Roast under a broiler until skin is charred (about 6-8 minutes). Let cool.

Rough chop tomatillos, garlic, onions and chili, combine in food processor with cilantro, Hotties and brine. Pulse until the mixture is the consistency of slightly chunky salsa. Be careful to not overprocess (unless you like your gazpacho smooth).

Add the pureed tomatoes (not the juice) and refrigerate. The longer you let it sit, the better the flavor (I like to have at least 2 hours). That said, if you just can’t wait to eat, you’ll still be happy with it.

Just before serving, finely mince one (small) basil leaf per serving and fold into the gazpacho (thai basil is a very powerful flavor, so use sparingly to avoid overpowering the other ingredients). Let sit for 5-10 minutes to marry flavors.

To serve, pour the tomato water into the demitasse cup 1/3 of the way, then fill the rest with the chunky gazpacho mixture. Use the remaining two basil leaves to garnish each serving.

I usually serve a small slice of toasted bread with my gazpacho but, sadly, bread didn’t fit into my $10 budget. Enjoy!

- Jeff

My personal mission when accepting the Eat Local Challenge was to use a Rick’s Pick product as more than an element in my forthcoming dish—I wanted whatever lucky pickled product I chose to be the center of attention.  Of course, spotlighting the fresh produce at the greenmarket was of equal importance both personally and for the purposes of the challenge.  After mulling over several ideas, including a Mexican tomato salad with Handy Corn thrown in for color, and several Smokra situations, Phat Beet Deviled Eggs was the clear answer.  Updated takes on classic finger foods (think pigs-in-a-blanket with homemade ketchup and fried truffled mac n’ cheese balls) have been in vogue for some time, but I’m sure these fuchsia beauties have yet to show up at a dinner party lately.

Here is what you need:

• 1 dozen eggs
• 8 slices Rick’s Picks Phat Beets
• approx. 2 Tbsp. Phat Beets brine
• 2 oz. chevre
• 2 scallions
• 5 sprigs of chives
• Salt and Pepper

Here is how you do it:

1. Put the eggs in a large pot. Fill with cold water until the eggs are covered.  Once the water hits a rolling boil, lower flame to medium-low and let the eggs boil for 11 minutes.  In the meantime, fill a medium sized bowl with water and ice.  Once the eggs are done cooking, drain from the pot and place in the coldwater bath for approximately 10 minutes.

2. Drain the cold water from the bowl and peel the eggs.  Rinse the peeled eggs in cool water to remove any shell residue, and lightly pat with a paper towel to dry.

3. Slice the eggs in half, lengthwise, and remove the yolks; set yolks aside.  Place the halved egg whites on a large flat serving platter; set aside.

4. Now, for the colorful part—in a food processor, blend 8 slices of Phat Beets and 2 tablespoons of Phat Beet brine at high speed until fairly smooth (a few small chunks of beets remaining is ideal).

5. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the pureed beets, chevre, and 6 egg yolks.  Mix until even and all yolks and chunks of chevre have been incorporated.  The mixture should be a smooth dark pink color.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Thinly slice the whites of the scallions and add to the mixture after everything else has been sufficiently combined.  Gently stir the mixture, being careful not to smash the scallions.

7. To fill the eggs you need to make a makeshift pastry bag.  In a quart size Ziploc bag, spoon the mixture in with a rubber spatula and force to one of the bottom corners.  Cut a small piece off the bottom corner of the bag.  Gently squeeze the mixture into each egg, filling the entire hole generously.

8. Finely mince the chives and neatly garnish each egg.

So long to your mother’s mayonnaise-y deviled eggs!

Cage free egss from Central Valley Farms

Chevre from Patches of Star Dairy

Scallions and chives from Norwich Meadows Farm

Phat Beets courtesy of Rick’s Picks, of course

Also, while I was at the Greenmarket in the pouring rain no less, I spotted some info on the upcoming Pickle Day events scheduled for Sunday, October 17^th.  Rick’s Picks will most definitely be in attendance, and so should you.

An easy brunch recipe submitted from our creative friends at the watsons.

Phat Hash (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 Sausage LInks (not breakfast sausage)       $5.50
4 Eggs                                                                       $1.75
2 Medium Potatoes                                               $1.00
1 Small Onion                                                        $0.50
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1/2 c. Phat Beets

Remove sausage from casing, add to heated saute pan (medium/low light) – if you are using chicken or turkey sausage add 1 tbs of extra virgn olive oil.  While sausage is cooking cut potatoes, onion and beets in 1/4 inch dice. To speed the process (and if you don’t have leftover baked potatoes), microwave potatoes for 3 minutes, or until just tender. When sausage is 3/4 cooked, add onions and a pinch of salt to pan. When onions are softened (approximately 2 minutes) add potatoes (raise heat slightly), another pinch of salt and 2 grinds of black pepper. Allow potatoes to brown, stirring occasionally. For last two minutes of cooking incorporate beets and allow to heat through. Taste for seasoning and serve with 2 eggs any style.