I’m going a little crazy locked up in the house with a teenage boy. The snow is as deep as it was the day it fell, and I just found out that Monday is a school holiday, so I have six full days with just me and the boy. Yesterday we walked to the supermarket and took a Lyft home which killed some time. My son is a super active kid and sitting around all day doesn’t suit him at all. We might try to grab a ride to our gym just to get out of the house and kill some time.
We’ve been eating a lot of leftovers and sometimes you just need a little something extra to elevate them. I love making homemade refrigerator pickles. I’ve pickled mushrooms, cherries, peaches, blueberries, and onions. It’s pretty safe to say that there isn’t much that I wouldn’t consider pickling given the opportunity. They take almost no work and will keep for weeks and add a nice sweet and sour bite to salads, desserts, and bowls. When I was a kid, my mom made kimchi and garlic pickles all the time. I was always appalled at the smell but was eager to eat them. You don’t need to make a brine here, just combine a few items you probably have in your pantry and some gochugaru, Korean chili flakes commonly used in the making of kimchi. You could also use gochujang, a chili paste instead, just a teaspoon or so.
I like to enjoy these pickles on a rice and veggie bowl or layered into a sandwich for an extra spicy bite. They are great on their own as a snack as well.
We’ve been eating a lot of leftovers and sometimes you just need a little something extra to elevate them. I love making homemade refrigerator pickles. They take almost no work and will keep for weeks. When I was a kid, my mom made kimchi and garlic pickles all the time. I was always appalled at the smell but was eager to eat them. You don’t need to make a brine here, just combine a few items you probably have in your pantry and some gochugaru, Korean chili flakes commonly used in the making of kimchi. You could also use gochujang, a chili paste instead, just a teaspoon or so.
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- 3 small cucumbers, peeled and sliced ⅛-inch thick
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to combine.
- Add the cucumbers and toss well to coat or put on some gloves and use your hands to work the mixture into the cucumbers.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks but will become stronger the longer they sit.
