Pickled Vegetables

 

Asparagus Pickles With Grape Leaves

The grape leaf imparts added crunch to the pickles. This recipe works for other vegetables, too. These are refrigerator pickles, not to be kept at room temperature. Allow the pickles to cure in the refrigerator for about a week for great flavor. Use any jars tall enough to accomodate the height of your asparagus. Asparagus pickle jars are especially pretty.  Recipe of Maureen Abood.

Ingredients:

2 pounds long, thicker asparagus
2 cups water
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (white wine vinegar or standard vinegar are also fine)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 small fresh grape leaves
2 sprigs fresh dill
1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Directions:

To blanch the asparagus, bring a large pot of water to boil.

Meanwhile, stack the asparagus on a cutting board and evenly cut the stems about 2 inches from the bottom. Discard cut stems.

Fill a large bowl with ice and water, stirring to separate the ice cubes. Place this near the pot of boiling water, as the asparagus will go directly from blanching into this ice bath.

Using a spider or large tongs, dip several spears of asparagus into the boiling water and hold there for 15 seconds and not longer! Repeat with the rest of the asparagus, leaving all of them in the ice bath together while the brine is made.

To make the brine, combine the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Bring the mixture a boil over medium heat, stirring until the salt and sugar begin to dissolve. Remove from the heat and stir until dissolved. Let the mixture cool; you can pour the brine into a glass measuring cup or a metal bowl to speed up the cooling.

Remove the asparagus from the ice bath to a board to drain. 

Place two grapeleaves in the each jar with vein-side facing in. Add two garlic cloves to each jar. Carefull fill each jar tightly with asparagus, tips at the top of the jar. Tuck a dill spear into the outer edge of each jar so it's visible. Add 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds to each jar. 

Using a funnel if you have one, pour the brine into the jars, half in each jar. Put the lid on the jars and refrigerate for about a week before serving. If you eat them sooner, they'll still be delicious!

Yield: 2 servings  2 Jars.