ENGLISH JAPANESE PICKLE
Taste and experience the rich. That’s you, rich at this moment. Remember the sublime in future encounters. It’s a tool warriors use – and sometimes forget to use.
Makes about 2-1/4 cups
1 English/Japanese/burpless/seedless cucumber – wash, do not peel, slice thinly (or as thick as you want your almost fresh pickles to be
1/2 lg. sweet onion – cut ends off, cut in quarters from top to bottom, peel, cut 2 quarters into thin quarter rings (very thin)
2 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. light brown sugar
2 T. pickling spice
1 t. green tea powder (I used Matcha culinary grade)
1 t. ground fennel seed
2 t. salt
1/2 c. additional vinegar
fresh ground black pepper
1/2 t. liquid smoke
1- Combine vinegar, brown sugar, pickling spice, green tea, fennel and salt in large saucepan. Stir, bring to slow boil, cook about 5 minutes. Strain through wire mesh strainer into bowl, then return to clean pot.
2- Add additional vinegar, fresh grind black pepper to taste. Stir well and return to slow boil.
3- Add cucumber and onion. Stir to submerge. Soft-boil for about 3-5 minutes to be sure they’re clean of anything harmful, since we’re not processing them further in a canner.
4- Using tongs, left solids into clean jar, then top with liquid.
5- Add liquid smoke to jar. Using table knife, gently insert around the inside edge and swirl the solids. Now taste and experience the rich. That’s you, rich at this moment. Remember the sublime in future encounters. It’s a tool warriors use – and sometimes forget to use.
6- Clean around top rim of jar with clean cloth. Screw on top, not so tight that you can’t get it off when it cools to room temperature. When the jar is room temperature to touch, refrigerate – and don’t forget you have homemade pickles, when you think you have nothing! Not many people anywhere have those! Rich people have somebody else make them – they don’t taste the same – know that.
Notes: Don’t fear the cloud. We’ve all become accustomed to clear pickle juice. This one’s cloudy, which signals not only homemade, but seasoned with powders, not just seeds and dried leaves. We like it.
I’ll have to say something about these English/Japanese, burpless, seedless cucumbers. They may be English and Japanese, but they’re not burpless or seedless. I do like them though. Fewer seeds, better skins, stay fresher longer. It’s a good cuke!!
ANIMAL-FREE SOUS-CHEF™ 