Pickle it up to pump it up
Give pickled cucumbers the credit they deserve. Tucking them beside sandwiches is so unimaginative and such an easy way out. That’s what the lazy would do.
How about getting a little imaginative and using them in a zingy Caesar dressing along with anchovies and minced garlic or in a classic sherry vinaigrette to elevate a simple green salad. Or substitute the sour cukes for capers in a lemon-butter sauce.
Minced pickle can add a good punch to garlic aioli or tartar sauce to be drizzled over a pollock or haddock fillet. And there’s no reason to hold them back from appearing in a classic Hollandaise of eggs yolks and butter to serve with the Sunday brunch staple — eggs Benedict.
There’s more to pickles than just being crunchy and sour. They can be salty, vinegary, spicy and sweet, too. So they help to round out the taste when added to potato salad or savory cornbread muffins, and even chicken roasted with shallots and lemon wedges.
This month, Kraft Heinz came out with two pickle flavors in 16ounce bottles featuring the Heinz Keystone logo. The Sweet & Spicy Chips has a sweet brine and at the same time gets a kick from crushed red peppers while the Spicy Garlic Chips is packed with garlic slices and red pepper flakes.
As their name suggests, they both have a good amount of bite to them, and so are perfect for a
quesadilla filled with burger fixings such as fried onions, tomato and cheese or tossing into a summer slaw with thin strips of broccoli stems, carrots and red peppers or for hot dogs stuffed with wasabi paste and cabbage.
The spicy chips also work magic in a mac ’n’ cheese loaded with Monterey Jack, cheddar, chevre and prosciutto or in a grilled cheese sandwich layered with tomatoes, grilled onions and aged cheddar or as a topping for toast that includes bechamel sauce cooked with pieces of ham and Gruyere cheese. In each case, the pickled cukes cut through the cheese and assert themselves without shouting.
Pickles have had a place in history dating back to the Mesopotamians, who are believed to be the earliest picklers. It is said that Cleopatra thought that pickles helped her stay healthy and beautiful and Julius Caesar hailed them for bringing strength and energy. The story goes that Napoleon Bonaparte ordered them served at every meal, and some believe that he lost the Battle of Waterloo because the cook forgot the pickles that day.
Christopher Columbus is credited with bringing pickles to the New World, and they have stayed ever since.
Pickled cucumbers have become staples at sandwich shops and burger joints, but instead of having them play second fiddle as an accompaniment or garnish, let them be a key team player.