Quick Pickled Vegetables

Name: Quick Pickled Vegetables
Yield: makes about 2 cups
Ingredients: 2 cups unseasoned rice vinegar; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 bay leaves; 1 teaspoon mustard seeds; 2 small red onions, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds and separated into individual rings; 6 radishes, sliced; 4 kirby cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch slices; 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets; 2 rhubarb stalks, sliced; 2 carrots, sliced

December 9, 2011

Pickled vegetables are great to have in the fridge as a go-with-everything condiment; try them on sandwiches or burgers, in place of olives at a cocktail party, or alongside Falafel with Tahini Sauce (page 29). A quick brine made of rice vinegar, sugar, and water gives your favorite crisp vegetables a sweet-and-sour flavor. They’ll keep for up to three months in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and the recipe can easily be doubled if you want to prepare a bigger batch. The vegetables in the recipe below are my favorites, but feel free to mix it up by adding others such as raw baby corn, zucchini, or beets. One batch of brine will be enough for any one of the suggested vegetables, below.

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