I had a real craving for pickles not too long ago, and as we normally have them in the refrigerator, we were all out. I typically never have a craving for pickles, but for some odd reason, I had the idea of making burgers in the cast iron skillet, topping it with a bit of cheese, and simple pickles. Sounds strange, I know, and is never one of my thoughts when it comes to a burger, but as stated, I had a craving for pickles.
I knew exactly what I was going to do, and that was to make quick pickles. After all, I did some recent pickling with carrots and daikon for one of my favorite Banh Mi sandwiches. So I would use that similar technique and use them on a couple of fresh cucumbers I had laying around. These quick pickles are pretty darn good, and have a nice balance of acidity from the vinegar, and some sweetness and spice from the sugar and Thai chili pepper I put in there.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of distilled white vinegar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dry dill weed
- 2 cloves of garlic, lightly smashed
- 1 Thai chili pepper (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cucumbers, cut into thick slices
Begin by adding the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, garlic, and chili pepper to a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring well to mix in the sugar. My kids cannot stand the smell of cooking vinegar, and I do it quite a bit with Asian dipping sauces, however I think they are now getting used to it! Once boiling, remove from the heat, and add the dill weed. Let the pickling mixture completely cool. Add in the bay leaves.
To a clean mason jar, add the cut cucumbers, arranging them the best you can. Pour in the cooled mixture, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, however overnight is probably best. When you are ready, open and serve. Now you have pickles any day of the week, and is probably much more affordable than getting them at your local market.
These are good in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, then they get pretty soft. They typically do not last that long in the refrigerator though. Enjoy.