Red Wine Vinegar Pickles

I’m hoping to start making pickles as there’s only so much jam and sweet things one kitchen can produce through the allotment growing season.

This recipe was sourced from Goop.  They recommend using this brine to pickle red onions, shallots, cooked beets & radishes

Red wine vinegar makes a really nice piquant pickle. Adding star anise produces a warm aromatic element, but other spices such as allspice berries, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks can provide similar spiced warmth. Similarly, fresh rosemary, thyme, or even dried juniper berries can be nice additions in lieu of bay leaves.

 

MAKES 1 OR 2 16-OUNCE JARS

 

Take about 1 pound sliced veggies (enough to fill one or two 16-ounce mason jars)

a few whole peeled cloves garlic, gently crushed

2 star anise pods

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon sea salt

1½ teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

1½ teaspoons black peppercorns

1 cup water

½ cup distilled white vinegar

½ cup red wine vinegar

1. First, fill your Mason jars with the veggies, garlic cloves, star anise, and bay leaves. Leave a little room at the top so they can sit fully submerged in the brine. Depending on what you use and how you decide to slice it, you might need more or fewer jars. This method is very forgiving, so whatever you have should work fine.

2. Combine the salt, the sugar, and the rest of the spices with water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the vinegars and turn off the heat. Carefully pour or ladle the brine over the prepped veggies. Let cool, uncovered, at room temperature. Once fully cooled, cover the jars with the lids and store in the fridge. The pickles should keep for a couple of weeks.