Need some spice in your life? Some zip in your step? Got a hitch in your gitalong? If you answer yes to any of these, then maybe you need some pickled vegetables. Pickled veg, (as my chef friends call them) are the best for adding just the right amount of je ne sais quoi to your everyday meals, especially sandwiches and flatbread wraps.
If you’d made any of the recipes on this site, you know how tasty picked red onions can be to giving your flatbread meals crunch and zing. They’re so easy to make, too: I just slice up a whole red onion, stuff it into a glass jar, and pour in white vinegar. In mere minutes, the onions turn bright pink, lose some of their hotness, and become delicious additions to everyday flatbread cookery. They keep so easily in the fridge and can be added to tacos, salads, and pizzas, too.
Escabeche, on the other hand, takes a few more steps, but gives you the satisfying pickled crunch of cauliflower, peppers, and carrots: the most perfect blend of sandwich pickles you’ve ever had.
Got a few minutes? Then make your own escabeche today!
Cauliflower florets from one head
1 red pepper, seeded and trimmed, sliced lengthwise
4 jalapeño chiles, seeded and trimmed, sliced lengthwise
6 cloves of garlic, whole
3 carrots, chopped into thick, coin sized pieces
2 bay leaves
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of dried thyme
pinch of dried chili flakes
Olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 cups water
1 cup white vinegar
In a pan over low heat, sauté the vegetables with the salt gently, to cook them without browning. After 8-10 minutes, add the herbs, chili flakes, sugar, water, and vinegar, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let cool, then pour the mixture, veggies and all, into a glass container and add the bay leaves. Store in the refrigerator for a couple days before eating, to let the flavors meld.
That’s it! Use these as a great addition to your flatbread wraps, this awesome Foldit panini, a side dish for your tacos, or even just a low calorie snack that’s good for you.
I guarantee that you’ll love these healthy, crunchy, zippy veggies. Now gitalong!
-Amy at Flatout
