A simpler form of pickle can be made simply by soaking food in an acid liquid - in most cases, a flavored vinegar mixture. All that's necessary is to first soften the fruit or vegetable. This can be done either by blanching it briefly in boiling water or by salting it for an hour or two.
The latter has the added benefit of slightly dehydrating the fruit or vegetable, which allows it to absorb more of the moisture from the vinegar mixture, saturating it with flavor. As you might expect, this technique allows plenty of room for the creative cook to mess around.
Although ordinary, white distilled vinegar can be used for most pickles, you can get a different effect by substituting apple cider or Asian rice vinegar. Similarly, don't feel bound to the common pickling spices of mustard, peppercorns, dill and their brethren. Try using cloves, allspice or cinnamon, fresh ginger or dried chiles.
The two ingredients you'll want to include in some measure are a little salt to bring out the flavor of the vegetable and some sugar to soften the harsh edges of the vinegar.
Although the flavoring of these brines is up to you, be careful that you have at least as much vinegar as other liquids (and note that apple cider does not have the same acidity as apple-cider vinegar). Because commercial vinegar's standard acidity is 5 percent, that will ensure that the finished brine is at least a safe 2.5 percent.
However you flavor the pickle, there is likely to be a bit of a learning curve when you start experimenting. Soon, though, you'll develop a palate for tasting pickles early. What initially might seem a little dull and one-dimensional can develop into something delicious as herbs and spices contribute their flavor and the pickle mellows and deepens.
The first couple of times you experiment, don't go overboard with the spicing. Give the pickles a day to develop and see how you like them before adjusting the recipe for the next attempt.
A good way to start pickling is by trying some reliable recipes from favorite cookbooks.
One classic on pickles, jams and jellies is Fine Preserving, by Catherine Plagemann. Published in the 1960s, it was largely forgotten until it was reissued in the 1980s with annotation by none other than the noted food writer M.F.K. Fisher.
Although the idea of pickled grapes sounds unusual, Fisher said it was one of her favorite recipes in the book. Intrigued, I had to give it a try. It's spectacular. The addition of just the tablespoon of minced onion lends a surprising savory dimension to the brine.
Russ Parsons writes for the Los Angeles Times.
PICKLED GRAPES
Makes 3 cups
3 cups stemmed red seedless grapes (about 3/4 pound)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup white-wine vinegar
3 (3-inch) sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoon minced onion
Wash the grapes and divide them into 3 pint-sized canning jars.
In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, vinegar, cinnamon and onion to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes. Pour the syrup evenly over the grapes and insert a cinnamon stick in each jar. Seal tightly and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
Adapted from Catherine Plagemann's "Fine Preserving"
Per 1/4 -cup serving: 55 calories, 0 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 0 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 1 milligram sodium
Analysis provided by the Los Angeles Times.
