Welcome to The Urban Spork’s culinary laboratory! Ok, it’s really just a place for us to share new recipes, old favorites and kitchen experiments. Food is never just about the recipe – it’s about the way we use it to celebrate life. From everyday pleasures to big occasions the recipes matter, but it’s what the food says that really counts!
COOK
Spicy Dill Pickles
For the last year I’ve been obsessed with finding the perfect pickle – the sour kind with a serious kick. My search led me to some great pickles including Bubbies and McClure’s, but as good as they were, I still kept searching. When I came across this recipe it was like a light-bulb going off – why didn’t I think of making pickles myself?!
These Spicy Dill Pickles are easy to make and taste amazing. While I expected the search for pickling cucumbers to be daunting, my local Whole Foods carried a great selection – I just had to ask for them because they weren’t sitting out. A few items to note about selecting cucumbers:
- select “pickling cucumbers” to ensure that your pickles are crisp
- good cucumbers are dark green, firm and have a lot of warts
Makes three 1 1/2-pint jars (I used one large 3 quart jar)
Ingredients
- 12 pickling cucumbers
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 cups distilled white vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups packed coarsely chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 8 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pickling spice (my favorite is from The Spice House)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dill seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Directions
Combine all ingredients except for the dill sprigs in large bowl. Stir, let stand at room temperature for 2 hours – until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Transfer the cucumbers to the jar(s). Pour the pickling mixture over to cover. Place a few dill sprigs in each jar. Cover the jar(s) with the lid(s) and close tightly. Refrigerate at least 10 days – I gently shake the jar(s) once a day to mix up the spices. The pickles will stay fresh for up to 1 month. Keep refrigerated.
adapted from a recipe found here
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