In a Pickle, Epilogue

The chick pea salad is gone and what's left of the pickled red onions is fetchingly in a mason jar, evoking the days when our ancestors "put up."

I combined both dishes in my Saturday lunch, having made falafel for Pandagirl and me. Falafel is a ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Falafel is usually served in a pita pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread, and served with salads, pickled vegetables (!) and drizzled with hot or tahini-based sauce.

The Moosewood Cookbook has a recipe for making your own, but I just buy the boxed mix, to which you add water, let sit, and then shape into patties and fry. I put two on a bun for Panda with ranch dressing, lettuce and tomato, but for myself, I constructed a salad with the ginger chickpeas on the bottom, the falafel next and then topped with the red onions.

I did the same for today's lunch but instead of falafel, I piled the pickled onions on the leftover half of skirt steak I took home from Croton Creek last night. Perfection.  

Dare I say, happily-ever-after perfection.

In a Pickle, Part II

These looked (and were) ridiculous easy to make and the Moose said they would keep "practically indefinitely." Love that. I can see these on top of a burger, or in fish tacos, or with bean salad, or on crostini, or with tuna salad, or... (Did I mention practically indefinitely?)

Pickled Red Onions

• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 3 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns (OR 1 tsp of pickling spice which I had in the house, don't ask me why)
• 4 medium red onions, sliced very thin (and apologies to Redman who was wept at the kitchen computer as I sliced.)

Fill a teakettle with water and put it up to boil

Combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper (or pickling spice) in a bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved

Put onion slices in colander in the sink and pour boiling water over them. They will wilt slightly. Drain well and transfer to the bowl with the marinade.

Cover and allow those babies to get drunk for several hours. Store in the refrigerator and use as needed. Practically indefinitely.

In a Pickle, Part I

I took The New Moosewood Cookbook to bed the other night and—... Yes, may I help you? It was sensational, all right? We are in love.

But anyway, I read through the MC like it was a novel and got really jazzed about a lot of different recipes. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I start getting into yummy slaws, cold salads and pickled things, to be eaten outside with yummy grilled things. Two particular recipes I felt I needed to try right away: Ginger Chick Peas and Pickled Red Onions.

Gingery Marinaded Chick Peas

This calls for dried chick peas, presoaked for 1 1/2 hours. But the Moose does acknowledge that some of us live in the real world, and blessed the use of canned chick peas, drained and rinsed well. I also added my own twist of grated carrot because I tend to think of carrots when ginger is mentioned. Some people think of Mary Ann. Whatever.

Apparently this also tastes best when made a few days ahead, so my batch is chilling out in the fridge and I will have to get back to you over the weekend.

• 2 cans chick peas, rinsed and drained well
• (Optional) 4 carrots, peeled and grated
• 5 to 6 tbsp olive oil
• 3 to 4 tbs lemon juice (I squeezed two lemons)
• 1 to 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 to 2 tbsp finely minced ginger (fresh or from a jar)
• 2 to 3 tbsp red wine vinegar (I confess this seemed like too much acid with the lemon juice; I left it out.
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup finely minced red onion
• freshly ground black pepper

Combine everything, mix well, cover tightly and let marinade "practically indefinitely" (I love that!!). Stir from the bottom periodically during marination.