Cathy Barrow, author of the recently released “Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry,” which details her recipes and techniques for year-round preserving, readily admits to having a soft spot for pickles. She finds them sexy (she really said so) because they are simultaneously spicy, hot, cool and flavorful. And, of course, pickling helps keep her crunching on local vegetables in her Washington, D.C. kitchen all year round.
We asked her about quickles, a new(ish) term in preserving circles, Barrow said, so named because they can take as little as 20 minutes of your time and minimal energy to make and comprise pretty much any vegetable you have on hand.
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about the writer
CHRISTINE BURNS RUDALEVIGE is a food writer, recipe developer and tester, and cooking teacher in Brunswick. She writes about feeding her family Maine seafood at www.familyfish.net. Contact her at cburns1227@gmail.com.
SALMON AND GRAIN SALAD WITH RED ONION QUICKLES
Use the leftover quickled onions as a condiment for fatty meats and fishes, in sandwiches or as a side dish. This recipe is from “Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry.” Serve with mayonnaise, as a condiment for the fish, if you like.
Serves 4
½ red onion, sliced into slim half-moons
½ cup white wine vinegar
½ cup non-chlorinated water
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pickling spice
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 ounces fresh green beans
3 cups cooked whole grains, warm or room temperature
6 radishes, thinly sliced
1 cup canned salmon or tuna, drained
½ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
Put the onion slices in a small glass or ceramic bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, water, salt, pickling spice and red pepper flakes to a simmer. Pour the brine over the onion slices and set aside for 20 minutes.
Trim the beans, leaving the tails but removing the stem ends. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain.
Fluff up the cooked grains on a beautiful platter. Scatter the green beans over the grains. Drain the pickled onions, reserving the brine. Sprinkle half the pickled onions over the salad (save the remainder for another use). Top the salad with the radishes and fish.
Whisk together ½ cup of the reserved pickling brine and the olive oil until emulsified. Taste and season with salt, if necessary, and pepper.
Drizzle the salad with dressing, add the mayonnaise, if using, and serve.
COOKING CLASS
WHAT: Hanukkah recipes from Cathy Barrow’s “Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry”
WHERE: Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School, 2 Stonewall Lane, York
WHEN: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 6
HOW MUCH: $55
INFO: To register, call (877) 899-8363 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
“Not only do quickles make the simplest meal zestier, they’re a great way to rescue bits of vegetables languishing in the refrigerator drawer,” she said.
Rather than hard and fast rules, think in terms of ratios when you quick-pickle, Barrow writes. It requires equal parts water and vinegar and equal parts sweet and salty additions. You simply fill a jar with vegetable chunks or slices of a similar size, heat the liquids just long enough to dissolve the sugar and salt, and pour the brine over the vegetables. The vinegar and salt work to macerate the vegetables into quickles while you finish making dinner.
Should you want to discuss pickles with Barrow in person, she will be sharing recipes from her book at Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School in York next month. – CHRISTINE BURNS RUDALEVIGE
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