Spicy Refrigerator Pickles

All of this past week I had farmers' market regret.  Last weekend, Scott and I took a quick bike ride to our neighborhood farmers' market.  I saw some Persian cucumbers, but didn’t get any.  As soon we started biking home, I began to think about refrigerator pickles and those cucumbers.  

 

 
There wasn’t time to go back and get them, and I couldn’t make it to the nearby Sunday or Tuesday markets, so I had to wait an entire week.  It was pure agony.

Luckily they were selling the cucumbers again this week, and I was able to get some and combine them with the spring onions we got from another vendor to make these pickles.

As far as making pickles go, this recipe is pretty quick and easy.  You just slice the veggies, dump the hot brine over them, and wait for the brine to work its magic.

The hard part is waiting for the pickles to be “done.”  Twenty-four hours can seem like forever if you’re used to eating something right after you make it.  The good news is that no one will notice if you sneak just a few slices to confirm that, indeed, the cucumbers are turning into sweet and spicy pickles.    

Notes:
I used 6 Persian cucumbers to get 4 cups of cucumbers that were sliced ⅛-inch thick.  These pickles are pretty spicy, so if you like your pickles to be milder, use less crushed hot red pepper.  If you haven’t tried crushed Aleppo pepper before, it tastes a bit sweet and fruity, and isn’t quite as spicy as crushed hot red pepper.  It is my favorite kind of red pepper, but for this recipe, I used mostly crushed hot red pepper because I wanted something with more heat.  If you don’t have any Aleppo pepper, you can substitute a milder crushed red pepper, or just leave it out.  Since these pickles aren’t canned, you’ll need to store them in the refrigerator.  

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light (August 2010 issue)

Ingredients:
4 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
1 cup thinly sliced spring onions (white and light green parts only)
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1½ cups white vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon crushed hot red pepper
½ tablespoon crushed Aleppo pepper
1½ teaspoons mustard seeds
½ teaspoon whole cloves
¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Slice, Stir, Refrigerate:
Place the sliced cucumbers, onions, and garlic in a large glass bowl.  In a medium-sized pot, bring the vinegar, sugar, crushed peppers, mustard seeds, cloves, and salt to a boil.  The sugar should be completely dissolved.  Pour the boiling mixture over the sliced veggies, and stir the mixture a few times to ensure that all of the vegetables are covered.  Allow the mixture to cool a bit, then cover the bowl, and place it in the refrigerator for 24 hours to marinate.  Continue to store the finished pickles in the refrigerator. 

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