Polish Pickles

How beautiful my pickles!
(I JUST learned how to caption pics in blogger)

My fridge has been taken over by cucumbers. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good thing, I enjoy a cuke now and then. And I’ve been finding some creative ways to cook with them (see fried cucumbers). The point of this blog and joining my farm share was for a culinary adventure -- try something new, be inspired by new things, and experiment. So with the idea of experimentation in mind, I decided to attempt to make pickles.


A personal note about pickles: I’m a very picky pickle eater. I like them crunchy and I like them flavorful. I detest those thin little pickles you get in a jar that taste like mush. Bleh! I rarely eat the pickles that come alongside a sandwich in a restaurant because I am skeptical about them. I like a nice crisp, garlicky, dill pickle that has a kick. I suppose I am certifiably a pickle snob. My dad used to make pickles when I was younger, using the whole cucumber and jarring them in our basement for months in a brine of salt, whole garlic, and onions. Now THOSE were pickles. The recipe he used was an old Ukrainian recipe that I can only assume was passed down from my grandmother. Though I thought about trying that old time recipe, I really have no place to put 20 jars of pickles.

I used 4 pretty big cucumbers

Alas, I was looking for something a little…. Easier. I searched the web and came up with a huge variety of pickle recipes, really, it was a number that blew my mind. Who knew there were so many ways of creating pickles? Jarring them, letting them sit from anywhere to a day to weeks, different flavors, styles, my oh my. I was really beginning to get overwhelmed.

I sliced them into rounds

Then destiny struck. My weekly farm share newsletter came with a pickle recipe! An OVERNIGHT pickle recipe! Not to mention the recipe originated with a Polish guy named Joe who used to make the pickles and bring them into the American Legion. Now I know Polish people, (I mean I am half Polish after all), and we are picky about our pickles (see above). Knowing this recipe came from Joe made me confident in their greatness. And oh gosh, they just seemed so easy!

The hardest part about this recipe? Waiting overnight to try a pickle! I know, patience is not my strong suit…. Just think how bad it would have been waiting for a few weeks. Yikes.

The large jar before pouring in the liquid

I followed all directions carefully (though I ended up using 4 cucumbers, not the amount they suggested… maybe my cukes were much bigger than what they recipe had intended). I sliced some of the cucumbers I got pickle rounds and then I also made some spears for variety. The liquid mixture was perfect to fill a tall canister and a shorter canister that I had on hand.

Tick, tick, tick, 24 hours went by… then I popped open one of my jars of pickles from the fridge. I was nervous. I really wanted them to be good. And they were! They were wonderfully crispy and had an impressive garlicy, dill, seasoning kick that is just delicious! I have been snacking on them ever since! I suggest you make some, maybe for a party or picnic or just for fun.

Na Zdrowie! Happy pickling!

Oh how yummy!

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Ingredients & Directions --

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 6 cups water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup salt
• Bring to a boil and let cool.
  
• Add:
• 1 tbsp. pickling spice
• 1 tbsp. mustard seed
• 15 to 18 cucumbers, sliced
• 1 onion
• As much garlic and dill as you want (I sprinkled in crushed garlic and dill after each layer of pickles.)
  
• Layer cucumbers, onions, garlic and dill in a gallon jug in multiple layers.
• Pour liquid into jar and refrigerate overnight. Keep refrigerated.

Fried Cucumbers

“Everything is better fried.” That’s one of my cooking mottos. That and “Everything is better with cheese.” So when I received a load of cucumbers in my farm share two weeks in a row I wondered, what should I do with all these cukes!? Pickles were an option (and an idea I might try out soon!), so was slicing them up for salad. But I wanted to do something new, exciting, fun… adventuresome!

The internet is really a magnificent thing. I don’t know how my cooking would go without it. I typed “unique cucumber recipe” into Google and alas, I found myself a recipe for fried cucumbers. FRIED CUCUMBERS?! You say. Well, of course! There are fried green tomatoes, so why not cucumbers. Remember the motto: Everything is better fried.

I made this recipe as an appetizer to a casserole that was cooking in the oven, and they were a wonderful treat to snack on before the actual meal was ready. These tasty little cucumber rounds were crispy and fried on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. Oh, yum. Even though I made these on a very hot evening, and while it heated up my kitchen even more, I didn’t care, because they were so delish!

I posted the recipe as I found it online, there are a few things I will note that I did/would do differently from their directions: First, it calls for 5 eggs but there was quite lot of egg/milk batter left over, you could probably do with just 3 eggs. Second, I used sunflower oil instead of vegetable oil and just lightly coated the bottom of a frying pan (since I didn’t have a deep-fryer) and that worked out pretty well… probably saved a bit of unnecessary oil/fat too.


Cheers!
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Fried Cucumbers – Recipe compliments of AllRecipes.com


Ingredients --

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 5 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 2 large cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch slices

Directions --

1. Whisk the flour together with 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons pepper in a mixing bowl; set aside. Beat the eggs in a separate mixing bowl; whisk in the milk, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper until smooth.
2. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. Dip the cucumber slices into the beaten egg, then press into the flour. Gently place the cucumber slices into the hot oil and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, allowing to cool 5 minutes before serving.