Good Stuff for YOU

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Change Of Direction

You might know that I have worked in restaurants at all sorts of levels and all types of food for twenty years. BUT, what you probably don't know is that, other than the necessary OTJ training to get me through my immediate tasks I had NEVER received any formal training.

Well, not any more.

So I'll be sharing recipes here for you to enjoy and try out!

Recipe for today?

30 Minute Bread & Butter Pickles

Yes, you read that right. 30 minutes. Not 24 hours, not a week, not even overnight. THIRTY MINUTES!

You'll need:

1 Large cucumber (sliced to about 1/4" thickness). You CAN use pickling cukes, but regular ones work just fine (save a few pennies!)
1 tsp Salt (Kosher or regular)
1 Onion (thinly sliced - about same as the cukes)
1/2 tsp Mustard Seed (you can substitute ground mustard if that's all you have)
1 Cup Sugar (you CAN use an artificial sweetener but more about that later)
1/2 Cup Distilled White Vinegar
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 tsp Celery Seed
1/4 tsp Ground Turmeric

In a saucepan, combine the water, vinegar and sugar.

[Time for a rant about sweeteners. USE SUGAR! BESIDES the occasional nasty side effects (for a good laugh, read the reviews of Sugar-Free Haribo Gummy Bears, made with Sorbitol), there is a physiological reason to stay away from them. All of the chemical sweeteners are anywhere from 70 to 13,000 SWEETER than sugar on an ounce-for-ounce basis. To bring the sweetness down, they have to use non-nutritive chemicals to 'bulk it out' to reach the right volume, or use a minuscule amount. That's not such a problem, but here's the rub: your taste buds regenerate every three to five days. The more of a certain flavor you EAT, the more taste buds REGENERATE. The more taste buds of a certain type you have, the more you crave that flavor, so you go seeking more. See the issue? Yeah. Not good. Just use sugar, and keep it in moderation! End Rant.]

Bring the mix to a boil. Once boiling, add the cukes, salt, mustard, celery and turmeric. Allow to boil for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and place into a jar. Cap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

If you need to serve immediately, use a metal mixing bowl filled with ice. Place your saucepan in the ice and stir and stir and stir until the temperature drops.

See? Easy!

I'll start doing this more often. Feedback is always appreciated - and until next time, good eating!