Cooking Essentials Andys Devine Pickle Brine Recipes

GRANDMA'S DILL PICKLE RECIPE

Steps:

• Sterilize your preserving jars with either boiling water or by placing them in an oven at 130°C/265°F for thirty minutes. Whatever your method of sterilization, allow the jars to cool before packing them with your ingredients. While they're cooling, take your jar's lids and place them in bowl of boiling hot water. Leave them there until you need to fit them onto the jars.
• Wash your gherkins and start packing them into your jars. If they're small, pop them in whole but if medium to large cut them into slices. This helps to get more into the jar and also for easier serving once the jar is opened. For each quart of pickles you'll add half a teaspoon of black peppercorns, two whole garlic cloves and plenty of dill.
• Make the brine: for approximately every four quarts of tightly packed gherkins you'll need to bring two quarts of water and one quart of white vinegar to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of salt and stir until dissolved. Let this cool until just warm and then pour it into each of the jars, filling to a centimeter (just less than 1/2") below the top of the jar's brim.
• Clean the tops of the jars then fit on your preserving lids and screw the rings on. Most every preserving recipe will tell you to not over-tighten the rings but in my experience I've found that it's best to twist them on fully but not super tight. If they're too loose then the contents of your jars can leak out in the water bath.
• Place a metal preserving rack or towel at the bottom of a deep preserving pan and then place the jars inside. The jars should be at least an inch apart and the pan needs to be deep enough to have the jars inside with over an inch of water comfortably covering the tops.
• Cover the jars with warm/hot water from the tap then bring the pan to a boil. Boil the jars for fifteen minutes then lift them out of the water. If you're using a towel at the bottom of the pan then you'll need a 'jar lifter' tool available at many kitchen shops. Set the jars on the counter and allow to cool. You'll know that the jars are properly sealed when you hear the lids popping.
• Allow the pickles to infuse with the brine for at least two weeks before eating them. Stored in jars in a cool pantry your pickles will last up to a year, though I doubt you'll be able to let them sit there that long.

BASIC PICKLE BRINE

Steps:

• Stir together 1 cup water and all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes. Pour over vegetables or fruits. Cover with a tight-fitting lid; chill 2 days. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 2 months.

ALL-PURPOSE, FOOLPROOF PICKLE BRINE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a simmer over medium heat with the vinegar, sugar, salt, coriander, allspice, bay leaf, cinnamon and garlic. Take off the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Pour the warm liquid over the vegetables or fruit and let it cool at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate. Store, covered, in the refrigerator, for 2 to 3 weeks.

COOKING ESSENTIALS: ANDY'S DEVINE PICKLE BRINE

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Storage of Homemade Condiments, Spices, and Brines Because homemade spices and condiments do not contain any preservatives, it is important to store them properly. Non-reactive (glass) containers with tight-fitting lids are a must. If I am making a dry spice, I love to use old spice bottles that I have run through the dishwasher. If I am doing homemade sauces, I love using Weck jars. They are all glass, come in all sizes and shapes, and have excellent leakproof lids. If you shop online, you can go to Amazon, and type in "Weck Jars" and you will find a ton of them. Dry spices should be kept in a cool space, away from sunlight (spice cabinet), and sauces/brines, in most cases, should be stored in the fridge. If properly stored in the fridge, this brine should last 7 - 10 days. If stored in the freezer, like frozen in an ice cube tray, it should last several months.
• 3. Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• 4. Add the brine ingredients to a saucepan, over medium heat.
• 5. Simmer the ingredients (not boil) for about 15 minutes.
• 6. Remove from the heat and rest for about an hour or two.
• 7. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, into non-reactive containers, and store in fridge or freezer until needed.
• 8. PLATE/PRESENT
• 9. Here are some ideas on how to use Pickle Brine:
• 10. Make Dill Pickles Well, it is a dill brine after all. Deviled Eggs Mix into potato salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, or macaroni salad to add moisture and a flavor boost. Sauces and Dressings. Replace some of the vinegar in a salad dressing, dress slaw with it, and tartar sauce could always use some. Brine Chicken or Pork Drizzle it on grilled fish. Marinate beef with it. Pickle juice tenderizes meat in a yummy, tasteful way. Boil Whole Potatoes It seasons them nicely but the acid in the juice keeps the surfaces intact over a longer simmer, while the insides gets nice and creamy. Pickle Pops Freeze the juice in ice cube trays (which can go into a Bloody Mary) or popsicle molds. Drink It Straight, or On The Rocks Sipping a cold PJ after a long run, or just on a hot day, or when hungover is an effective way to replace lost electrolytes and sodium. Throw It into a Bloody Mary Take a shot of pickle juice after a shot of whiskey. Picklebacks! Nothing de-whiskies the mouth like that salty, briny green juice. Kick up Store-Bought BBQ Sauce Liven it up by adding pickle juice to taste by the tablespoonful. Mac & Cheese Macaroni & cheese benefit from a dash of pickle juice. Kick Up Gazpacho Use it in place of vinegar in gazpacho (or anything, really). Use Over Fish If your fish or veggies need a lift, drizzle a bit of the brine over them. Poach Fish An easy and flavorful way to poach fish? Use pickle brine. Add a Bit to Meatloaf As if your meatloaf recipe didn't have enough condiments in it already, throw some pickle juice into the mix. Clean Copper Don't want to consume it? Copper pans are a. you-know-what to clean, but you can make them sparkle by cleaning them with pickle juice. In the Garden Weeds are a bummer, so banish them from your garden by dousing them with pickle juice. All that vinegar and salt does a job on them.
• 11. Post-Workout Drink Drinking pickle juice after an intense workout can help prevent muscle cramps. It also contains electrolytes (even more than most sports drinks!) that can help you stay hydrated. Heartburn Remedy Take a few sips of pickle juice to help reduce heartburn. Laxative Drink a small glass of pickle juice to help gently ease constipation. Upset Stomach Drink a small glass of pickle juice to help with general "upset tummy" symptoms. It can help with digestion, which usually clears up low-grade stomach discomfort. Hiccup Stopper Some people swear by drinking pickle juice as a cure for hiccups. How About Some Cheese Marinate soft white cheese in pickle juice for a tangy twist.
• 12. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

QUICK PICKLES WITH MASTER VINEGAR BRINE

Steps:

• Place a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet or line it with a clean towel. (This is to prevent the jars from directly touching the surface.) Set aside.
• Meanwhile, sterilize the jars and lids. To sterilize jars using a boiling water canner or a large pot, place a rack (or often I will use a clean kitchen towel) on the bottom of the canner. Place the jars right-side-up on the rack and fill the jars and canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil, then boil for 10 minutes (at altitudes less than 1,000 feet elevation). Using canning tongs, remove the jars from the canner one at a time, carefully pouring the water from the jars back into the canner. Let the jars air-dry upside-down on the prepared rack or towel and sit undisturbed until you're ready to fill them. The rings and rubber-lined lids must be sterilized, too. Place the new lids in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer. Very gently simmer for 10 minutes (taking care not to boil). Turn off the heat and keep the lids in the water until ready to use.
• Bring 2 1/2 cups water, the vinegar and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, place 1 dill sprig or 1 teaspoon dill seed, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1/4 teaspoon peppercorns in the bottom of each of 4 sterilized glass jars with tight lids. Divide the red pepper flakes among the jars. Set aside.
• Wash and trim the stem end of the beans so that they fit in the jar. (I like to leave the pretty curled end intact.) Pack the beans into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of each jar. Carefully pour the boiling pickling liquid over the green beans in the jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headroom between the top of the liquid and the top of the jar. Seal with the lids and rings. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.