Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Spicy Pickled Cauliflower

11-pound cauliflower. It's sitting on a half-sheet pan.
The inspiration for these pickles was that I bought an 11-pound cauliflower. Yes, eleven pounds. It was a the farmer's market at one the stands that sells most things by the bunch or piece. I bought the monster cauliflower, and once I got it home it looked even bigger than it did at the market.

But that's okay - I like cauliflower. A lot. I planned on roasting some, maybe steaming some, and maybe some soup. I nibbled on some raw.

And then I thought that I might as well pickle some.

My second thought was that I might as well make them spicy. I didn't see any hot peppers at the farmer's market so I stopped at the local Mexican market on the way home and picked up four Serrano peppers. I didn't need anything else - just those four peppers.

And when I got to the checkout, they just gave them to me. I guess it wasn't worth ringing up a purchase for a few cents, but it was still a nice thing for them to do.

But that's okay, I'll make up for it next time. They make tortillas there that are pretty good. I'll be back for those, among other things.

I made a jar of these and as soon as I tasted them I decided to make a second jar. The second time, I added just a bit of sugar - and now I'm not sure which version I like better. The ones with sugar aren't sweet - not like sweet pickles - but it adds another dimension to the flavor.

These are refrigerator pickles, not storage pickles, so it makes sense to make small quantities.

Because of the turmeric, the cauliflower is a very bright yellow - it makes a great accent with pretty much any dish.

Spicy Pickled Cauliflower

2 Serrano peppers
1 quart cauliflower florets
2/3 cup white vinegar
1 1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher or pickling salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Remove the stem from the peppers and slice them into 1/2- to 1/4-inch slices. Add those to a quart jar. Break the cauliflower into small pieces and add them to the jar.

Combine the vinegar, water, salt, turmeric, mustard seeds, and optional sugar in a small saucepan and heat to boiling - or, if you prefer, you can heat to boiling in the microwave in a microwave-safe measuring cup. Stir to make sure the sugar and salt are dissolved, and pour the hot liquid over the cauliflower.

If the liquid doesn't cover the cauliflower, add hot water as needed.

Cover the jar, let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. These are ready to eat as soon as they're fully chilled, but I think they improve even more (and they're a more vibrant yellow) after a day or so.
Yum

Comments (8)

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Oh my - now that is a big cauliflower! I don't think I've ever seen one that size. Pickling is my go-to method for using a large amount of veggies - I like that this recipe is not sweet like so many pickles.
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mines bigger
my cauliflower came out really soft. can you tell le what went wrong?
1 reply · active 315 weeks ago
I use 1/8 teaspoon pickle crisp. You can find it at Wal-Mart or your grocery store in the same section as other canning supplies.
DEBORAH GAGNON's avatar

DEBORAH GAGNON · 464 weeks ago

could you use sealers and can these?
This is a nice recipe. i'm making it right now with a little twist--using cauliflower crumbles (cauliflower rice) since we made way too much of that for another recipe. It might look more like slaw but I think it's going to taste good. Fingers crossed!

Tto the commenter who asked about canning--sure, why not? I'd use a short heat process to keep them crunchy.
Elaine Biehl's avatar

Elaine Biehl · 386 weeks ago

Regarding crunch (or lack thereof) we soak our cukes in a sink full of cold water for 30 minutes prior to pickling to make them crunchy...perhaps this could help
marshall reagan's avatar

marshall reagan · 359 weeks ago

How long would you need to water bath can these to seal them without over cooking them? it seems most things are done for 10 minutes . would that be to long?

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