Quickie Pickles

Sweet, salty, garlicky, hot, or vinegary, people have been enjoying pickles for what is estimated to be over 4,000 years. Throughout history, pickles have been highly revered for far more than their tasty crunch; Cleopatra is said to have attributed some of her beauty to the briny cucumbers, while Julius Caesar found them invigorating, and Aristotle praised them for their healing affects.

When making pickles, there are a few different approaches you can take. One way is to ferment the cucumbers in a brine solution over several weeks. Obviously, since bacteria are involved, this method requires keeping a careful eye on factors such as temperature and sticking to your recipe. For a quick, easy, and safer alternative you can make vinegar pickles, like with my extremely fast recipe for sweet pickle chips. Although best after three to four days, you can literally eat them almost as quick as you make them, and you still get that strong pickle flavor.

Quickie Sweet Pickle Chips

Yield: 1 pound

-1 pound cucumbers, washed and sliced 1/4" with a mandolin
-¼ pound onion, sliced ¼"
- 6 fl oz. cider vinegar
-Pinch of salt
-¼ tsp mustard seeds
-¼ pound sugar, divided
-2 cups water
-5 fl oz white vinegar
-1/8 oz celery seed
-¼ Tbs allspice power
-½ tsp turmeric

•Combine cucumbers, onions, cider vinegar, salt, mustard, half of sugar and water. Simmer for 10 minutes and drain. Discard liquid.
•Bring white vinegar, celery seed, allspice, and remaining sugar to a boil. Pour over cucumbers and onions and let rest under refrigeration for 3-4 days before serving.

Sun tea flavored with simple syrup infusions

When the temperature starts to swelter, you can't quite beat the cool lift that comes from a sweat- beaded glass of freshly brewed iced tea. A refreshing way to take advantage of the bright days of summer is to place a pitcher of water and tea bags out in the sunshine. With sun tea, nature is your kettle, brewing slow and lazy as the season itself. Put those beaming solar rays to work early, and in the meantime, prepare your sunglasses and a lounge chair for the upcoming reward.

To sweeten and add flavor to your sun tea, try playing around with simple syrup infusions. By infusing the syrup you allow it to take on the essence of whatever you'd like your iced tea to taste like.

Using both green and black sun-brewed teas I had a lot of fun making all of the infusions. The raspberry basil, and peach, orange, mint teas were my favorite. Sun tea with regular simple syrup is also just as good; add a squeeze of lemon and you've got summer in glass.

Below are my recipes for you to try, but I definitely encourage creating your own as well!

Sun Tea:

-2 quarts water
-8 tea bags, green or black
-Sunshine

•Tie the eight tea bags together and place into a two quart glass pitcher or jar
•Place pitcher in the direct sun and let tea steep for 45 minutes to an hour
•Remove tea bags and refrigerate

Simple Syrup:

-½ cup water
-½ cup sugar

•Bring sugar and water to a boil and remove from heat

Cucumber, Ginger, Lime Green Iced Tea:

Using a peeler, remove the rind of one whole lime. Place the rind in a small bowl with ½ cup grated cucumber and 5 slices of peeled fresh ginger root. Cover ingredients with 1 cup of hot simple syrup and let stand for 30-45 minutes. Strain mixture and discard solids. Add to sun-brewed green tea.

Raspberry Basil Iced Tea:

Mash 1 cup of raspberries in a small bowl and add ¼ cup of chopped fresh basil. Cover ingredients with 1 cup of hot simple syrup and let stand for 30-45 minutes. Strain mixture and discard solids. Add to regular/black

You Say Zucchini, I Say Crostini

Crostinis are one of my favorite things to make and eat. Crusty bread topped with a mix of fresh ingredients that I can eat with my hands? I'm all over it. Great for hors d'oeuvres, they deliver a tasty blend of flavors all in one crunchy bite.

I was given some beautiful zucchinis and tomatoes from right off of the farm stand and thought that they were the perfect candidates for a tasty crostini topping. A shaving of Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese adds a sweet, salty finish that really ties all of the components together. I find that these are best served warm or at room temperature.

For the crostini, since my grill happened to be on, I toasted mine right on top of the grates. You could also bake them on a sheet tray in a 350 degree oven until golden. If you know you will be toasting in the oven, just make sure to preheat.

I adapted this recipe from Gourmet, June 1996.

Zucchini Crostini:

Makes about 20 crostinis

-Olive oil for sautéing and for brushing crostini
-1 onion, thinly sliced
-2 large zucchini, cut down the center and thinly sliced into half moons
-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
-2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
-¼ cup basil, torn
-Salt and pepper to taste
-¼ cup white wine
-1 loaf crusty Italian/French bread, sliced on a slight bias
-Parmiggiano Reggiano, shaved into strips with a peeler

•Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until translucent
•Stir in zucchini and garlic and cook until the zucchini just begins to soften
•Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook for about 2 minutes
•Add white wine and allow all liquid to reduce by half, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove mixture from pan and slightly cool.
•Brush bread slices with olive oil on each side and toast on the grill/in oven
•Top crostinis with zucchini mixture and finish with a shaving or two of Parmiggiano Reggiano strips