Pickled Vegetables are Easy to Make

Pickled vegetables are colorful, flavorful, and delicious!  When I was at Tom Douglas' Lola restaurant in Seattle, I enjoyed one of his delicious spreads with pita bread and on the plate was a little bowl of julienne pickled vegetables.  They were a nice addition to the plate and added a little punch to the plate.  They also went well with the martini I was drinking.

Of course, I immediately started thinking about making my own pickled vegetable. I looked at recipes and settled on one by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken of Border Grill, Ciudad and Street restaurant fame.  I made mine with carrots, cauliflower, red peppers, summer squash, and cucumber.  RECIPE

Cooked in boiling water and cooled in a water bath

The process took a little more time then I anticipated, but it was easy to do.  I pickled carrots, cauliflower, red pepper, summer squash and pickles all together.  Here is my finished product.

I have six 1-quart jars that will stay fresh in the refrigerator for the next month.  Maybe next time I will look for a recipe that utilizes the canning process so that I can store them in the pantry and eat them over a longer period of time.  That is if I still want pickled vegetables after eating six quarts of them.

If you are a pickle lover, stop by Joan's on Third in West Los Angeles for lunch.  She makes the most delicious pickles.  I dream of the short rib sandwich and a side of pickles from Joan's.  My plan is to make pickles that good some time soon.

Delicious pickles form Joan's on Third

Short rib sandwich that is so good it was featured on the cover of Bon Appetit magazine

  If you like pickled food, jump in and make your own pickled vegetables.  It's easy, cheap and delicious.