Pickle

Rainbow chard is especially pretty pickled, but any variety will work.

For the quick pickles, try using other crisp vegetables, such as radishes, celery, or fennel.

Save any leftovers and tuck them into sandwiches or fish tacos.

Salting and pressing vegetables draws out moisture and makes them snappy. Sake and seasoned rice vinegar infuse these pickles with mild, cocktail-friendly flavors.

This unexpected brined corn is a terrific foil alongside rich and smoky grilled dishes. Start at least four days ahead so that fermentation can go to work, and taste the corn for flavor as it pickles. We used Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt; other brands may result in a saltier pickle.

Make a batch of these easy, fast pickled red onions, and use them the whole week (or two) on everything you’re eating.

This is the basic pickle that I use for vegetables; it can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to a month. I like to keep it around for any last-minute pickling needs.

We love the way these quickly pickled, supercrisp pears play off the briny and intense kimchi.

Although used with onions and bell peppers here, this pickling brine works wonderfully well for any type of vegetable you want en escabeche, a common preparation in Mexico. In late summer in New Mexico, as the days begin to shorten and nights get cooler, home cooks will often pickle the remaining abundance of their kitchen gardens to enjoy throughout the winter.

We pickle Fresno chiles (also called red jalapeño peppers) for the pasta dish Fiorentini with Guanciale, Tomato, and Spicy Pickled Peppers (page 203). It seemed silly to have you pickle just enough peppers for one dish, since they will keep, refrigerated, for at least several weeks and probably much longer. Slice the peppers and add them to grilled cheese or sliced meat sandwiches, or use them in place of the roasted peppers on the pizza with White Anchovy, Tomato, and Spicy Fresno Chiles (page 139) or the Spicy Salami, Mozzarella, and Fresno Chiles pizza (page 140). If you can wait, the peppers are even better a few days after you make them.

Serve these beets as part of a picnic platter or relish tray, or use them in sandwiches or salads. Golden beets work as nicely as red ones. Leaving beet tails and an inch or so of the stems intact helps minimize the loss of color (as well as flavor and nutrients) during cooking. Trim and peel the beets after they’ve been boiled; the skins will come off easily.

Relishes—those small, zesty foods meant to be nibbled—make delicious accompaniments to almost any meal. Often, a selection of pickled vegetables offsets the richness of meats and sauces and awakens the taste buds with each tangy, crunchy, salty bite. Relishes and pickled vegetables are common denominators across cultures too: Pickled cabbage and cucumbers are the standard in Korean and Japanese cuisine; turnips, peppers, and onions accompany spicy meals in the Middle East; and pickled mushrooms are classic fare in Russia. In fact, practically any vegetable can be pickled, and several types can be combined on a tray for a creative selection that stimulates the eye as well as the palate. When deciding which to choose, remember that relishes work best when the vegetables complement one another in flavor as well as appearance. The mellow flavor of raw creamer potato, for instance, neutralizes the tartness of crisp bread-and-butter pickles. Here is a basic recipe to get you started. This recipe is sufficient to pickle 3 cantaloupes, 2 medium pumpkins, or 2 pounds pearl onions. Before pickling, peel the items, and cut them into chunks slightly larger than 1 inch; pearl onions can be left whole. To peel pearl onions, drop them in boiling water for 1 minute, and then drain in a colander. When cool enough to handle, slip off the papery skins.

Be sure to let the brine cool completely before pouring it over the thinly sliced vegetables. If submerged in hot liquid, the zucchini and onions will quickly turn soggy and won’t retain their shape or texture during pickling.

You’ll need to make these onions at least 1 week in advance.

Even if you’ve never made pickles before, don’t hesitate to try this recipe. It is so easy! Just let the cucumbers simmer in a flavorful liquid, then cool and refrigerate them. The flavor of these pickles really brightens lean grilled burgers or your favorite potato salad or tuna salad recipe.