4 x QUICK PICKLES

Over these last couple of weeks I've seriously eaten at least two different kinds of pickles with each meal. Atop my lunch salad, on seed crackers in between meals and with my dinner. Some days I've eaten so much pickles my stomach hurts. True. Why? Well, obviously I love pickles and how it highlights every meal with its complex and tangy concentrate of flavors. But also because I might have went a little ahead of myself with my idea to photograph a whole range of different kinds of pickles at the same time. Living in a single household like I do and absolutely hating to throw away food, I have to take responsibility for my actions and eat pickles 'til I die. I can imagine worse ways to spend my days :)I can tell you, these pickles are as vibrant in taste as they are in color. The basic ingredients and method comes from a Quick Pickled Onion recipe by Sprouted Kitchen, which I found via My New Roots. I've slightly altered the ratio vinegar-salt-sweetener and adjusted the spices somewhat. You can find the original recipe here.I love how there's endless possibilities for varying the flavors with pickles. Feel free to go crazy and throw in anything you can find in your pantry! Bay leaves and peppercorns are a good starting point. They create these deep, umami flavors and works with most veggies, roots and onions. For a Christmast-y touch I added cloves and star anise to the carrots, and for the zucchini I went for an (almost) classical cornichon flavoring of dill, mustard seeds and scallion. You can of course use cucumbers for pickling purposes ("Västeråsgurka") or gherkin instead of zucchini, although I couldn't find any at my local supermarket.Yesterday I had dinner guests over, and as a welcoming snack when they arrived I had prepared gluten-free seed crackers and raw vegan beetroot pesto with pickles on top. My brother's reaction when he tasted it: "Are you kidding me??!!". Yeah. That pretty much sums it up. Seed crackers and beetroot pesto recipe coming :)Later we enjoyed a fully vegan, gluten-free and mostly raw dinner that turned out incredibly well if I may say so. An entire potpurri of different little dishes and dipping sauces. Almost like a vegan Christmas dinner! Or Thanksgiving dinner for that matter, although the correlating dates was entirely coincidental. The leftovers today are *outstanding gesture emoji*!If you finish your pickles very quickly (which I'm sure you will), you can use the leftover brine for salad dressings or another batch of pickles. Stored in fridge in disinfected glass jars they will last for around two weeks. See directions below for sterilizing jars. 

Quick Pickled Squashmakes one medium sized jar (approx 500 ml)1 organic zucchini1 scallion, white parts omitted3 dl / 300 ml apple cider vinegar3 tsp himalaya salt, regular table salt is fine3 tbsp agave syrup or 4 tbsp runny honey1/2 tsp mustard seeds, lightly toasted1 bay leafa couple of sprigs fresh dillQuick Pickled Carrotsmakes one medium sized jar (approx 500 ml)4 medium sized carrots3 dl / 300 ml apple cider vinegar3 tsp himalaya salt, regular table salt is fine3 tbsp agave syrup or 4 tbsp runny honey8 whole cloves1 star anise1 bay leafQuick Pickled Onionsmakes one medium sized jar (approx 500 ml)4 red onions, or yellow onions plus a couple of slices raw beetroot3 dl / 300 ml apple cider vinegar3 tsp himalaya salt, regular table salt is fine3 tbsp agave syrup or 4 tbsp runny honey8 whole allspice1 bay leafQuick Pickled Beetrootmakes one medium sized jar (approx 500 ml)3 large beetroots2 dl / 200 ml apple cider vinegar1 dl / 100 ml balsamic vinegar3 tsp himalaya salt, regular table salt is fine3 tbsp agave syrup or 4 tbsp runny honey8 whole allspice1 bay leafNotes on these recipes: 1) As you can see the basic ingredients for the brine is the same for all four recipes (except the beetroot pickles), but for the sake of simplicity I've written out the full recipe for all four in case you want to print it. The directions below goes for each recipe. 2) For the onion pickles I used yellow onion + a couple of slices raw beetroot to give it a more fun color :)DirectionsPrepare by sterilizing your storage jars:Clean 4 medium sized glass jars with soapy water, rinse and put in a large sauce pan. Cover with water and bring to boiling. Let boil (but not too heavy or they may crack) for a couple of minutes before transferring jars to a clean towel. Only use clean utensils and avoid touching the inside of the jars with your hands in order for the pickles to last longer.Peel and thinly slice beetroot. Peel and cut carrots into match sticks. Rinse and thinly slice zucchini and scallion (white parts omitted). Coarsely chop dill sprigs. Peel, halve and thinly slice onion.The following directions can be repeated for each kind of pickles:In a medium sauce pan, carefully heat vinegar, salt, agave syrup (or honey) and spices until salt has dissolved. Add your sliced vegetable (in the case of zucchini, also add scallion, dill and lightly toasted mustard seeds), and stir until slices have separated and are completely covered in brine. Transfer to a glass jar and put the lid on. Easiest is to use a fork or perforated ladle and first fill up the jar with the vegetables and then pour over the brine until veggies are completely covered. To speed up the cooling process the jar can be stored in the fridge.Last for about two weeks in the fridge. Serve on seed crackers with tahini or beetroot pesto, with your lunch sandwich, in salads or with basically anything else! 

All photographs, recipes and content are Cashew Kitchen originals, unless otherwise indicated. Please link back to me when sharing.