recreating a favorite pickle - part 1

One of my favorite pickles was called "Cowboy Medley", made up until about 2007 by a company based in Lone Pine, CA called Swab's High Sierra. They sadly went out of business due to family issues. After having the jar for 2 years unopened in my fridge, I finally decided to crack it open and taste it...

...MMM...damn good. The pickled garlic really infuses everything. The vinegar isn't sharp, but it definitely tastes pretty salty, but not in a bad way. The flavors just blend sooo nicely. I taste a tad bit of sweetness, but I don't see it on the ingredients. It's entirely possible there's a tiny bit of sugar in there.

So I dissected about 1.5 cups of pickle mix:

24g red peppers, sliced (about 8 thin slices)

58g small green olives (about 27 small olives)

24g peeled whole garlic cloves (about 26 cloves)

71g pepperoncini peppers (about 6 medium pepperoncinis)

The pickling liquid, as far as I could tell is made from:

spring water

distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)

dried oregano

dried basil

minced garlic

salt

Regarding the quantities for the pickle liquid, I don't know. Using the interwebs for some research, I think this might work, although I'd have to try it to verify the taste:

1c distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)

.5c spring water

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried basil

1/2 tsp minced garlic

Bring vinegar and water to boil in non-reactive pot.

What are some other ratios? 

Heres one I found:

2 quarts (8 cups) white vinegar

 1 cup pickling salt 

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup mustard seed 

2 tbsp. celery seed 

1 small dried hot pepper

Here's another:

1 cup water 5 cups vinegar (5%)

4 tsp canning or pickling salt

2 tbsp sugar

2 cloves garlic

And another:

2 quarts (8 cups) water

1/4 c. vinegar (5%)

1/2 c. salt

flavorings

Wow, being a baker I have really learned to hate volumetric measurements.

I'll work on it...more to come!

Kale and Bread Soup

I bought some kale a week ago, and I wanted to make a hearty and delicious soup, and use up a bunch of leftover bread. I made the garlic confit the night before, and it will last probably a week or more in the fridge, and is great just spread on bread, or mixed in with potatoes or other dishes.


Kale and Bread Soup

1/4 cup Garlic Confit (recipe follows)
2 tbsp oil from Garlic Confit (recipe follows)
2 tbsp caramelized onions*
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 bunch kale, rinsed well and julienned
1 cup stale bread, cut into 1/2" cubes
3 cups chicken stock
Black pepper and salt to taste.

1. In a large pot, add oil, red pepper flakes, onions, over medium heat for 20 seconds.
   
2. Mash garlic confit, and add, cooking 10 seconds.
   
3. Add kale, and toss to coat, cooking for 2 minutes. Season with black pepper.
   
4. Add bread, and cook for 30 seconds.
   
5. Add chicken stock, turn heat to high, and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.
   
6. Remove from heat
7. Serve immediately.
   

I had these as a leftover. Made a huge batch, with a lot of butter and some brandy. Froze it, and I use it for flavoring as needed.

Garlic Confit

1 entire head elephant garlic (or 2 large heads garlic), peeled
50-50 olive oil and canola oil to cover

1. Put peeled heads in small ovenproof saucepan. Add oils to cover garlic cloves completely
2. Roast at 300 degrees for 1.5 hours.
3. Let cool, cover and refrigerate. K
4. To use, remove as needed with a clean fork. Use as a spread or mash.