A spicy pickled vegetable fantasia.
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Combine all the ingredients except the vegetables themselves in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Let simmer for five minutes, then let cool while you prep the vegetables.
Cut the stem ends off the jalapenos and slice the rest into quarter-inch rounds, including seeds. Do the same with the carrots. Slice the onions in half and then into slim wedges; maybe 10 to 12 wedges per onion. I was very lucky to find a mix of heirloom green and watermelon radishes this time around, but ordinary round red radishes will do - just stem and slice like the other vegetables. Put all the sliced ingredients in a large bowl.
Bring the saucepan liquid to a boil again, if it's not still simmering, and pour over the vegetables. Let steep until fully cooled, then refrigerate or serve. These will keep for weeks.
This recipe by Richard Parks III is lifted, with minor additions (especially the radishes) and tears of gratitude from Wesley Avila's fabulous Guerilla Tacos. If you like this, you need the book.
Among the things that inspire me to make this dish are the presence of multicolored hot peppers in my super, bundles of yellow, purple and orange-red carrots, and heirloom watermelon pickles in the farmer's markets. The latter have a green rind and a tequila sunrise interior. Speaking of radishes, I think daikon would be weird in this dish, but suit yourself. The star anise does add a little Asian flair, but this pickle has the thumping Latin heartbeat of a guitarron.
Hey, btw - if you don't have star anise, add a teaspoon of fennel seed. If you don't have fennel seed, add a half teaspoon of dill seed. But if you don't have any of the above, make it anyway.
This escabeche can and has survived in my fridge, in a big sealed glass jar, for months, but - does it get better with age? Taco truck guys would say no. They want it fresh and crispy, and make it up daily or weekly. They are not wrong, but neither would I ever throw this stuff out, so long as the liquid is clear and the carrots have snap.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine all the ingredients except the vegetables themselves in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Let simmer for five minutes, then let cool while you prep the vegetables.
Cut the stem ends off the jalapenos and slice the rest into quarter-inch rounds, including seeds. Do the same with the carrots. Slice the onions in half and then into slim wedges; maybe 10 to 12 wedges per onion. I was very lucky to find a mix of heirloom green and watermelon radishes this time around, but ordinary round red radishes will do - just stem and slice like the other vegetables. Put all the sliced ingredients in a large bowl.
Bring the saucepan liquid to a boil again, if it's not still simmering, and pour over the vegetables. Let steep until fully cooled, then refrigerate or serve. These will keep for weeks.
This recipe by Richard Parks III is lifted, with minor additions (especially the radishes) and tears of gratitude from Wesley Avila's fabulous Guerilla Tacos. If you like this, you need the book.
Among the things that inspire me to make this dish are the presence of multicolored hot peppers in my super, bundles of yellow, purple and orange-red carrots, and heirloom watermelon pickles in the farmer's markets. The latter have a green rind and a tequila sunrise interior. Speaking of radishes, I think daikon would be weird in this dish, but suit yourself. The star anise does add a little Asian flair, but this pickle has the thumping Latin heartbeat of a guitarron.
Hey, btw - if you don't have star anise, add a teaspoon of fennel seed. If you don't have fennel seed, add a half teaspoon of dill seed. But if you don't have any of the above, make it anyway.
This escabeche can and has survived in my fridge, in a big sealed glass jar, for months, but - does it get better with age? Taco truck guys would say no. They want it fresh and crispy, and make it up daily or weekly. They are not wrong, but neither would I ever throw this stuff out, so long as the liquid is clear and the carrots have snap.
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