Simple Pickled Crudité

If you’re wondering how you might up your crudité game, here’s a thought: pickle some of the vegetables. For very minimal effort, pickling transforms vegetables from simply being raw to being raw with a bite and a brightness. It softens them ever so slightly, too, rendering them less snappy in texture, but still crisp and fresh.

This time of year, I particularly love pickled carrots and cauliflower, but radishes, turnips, and fennel are good options, too. In combination with un-pickled spears of endive, sturdy Romaine lettuce leaves, wedges of radicchio (or Treviso if you can find it), your crudité platter will never be so delicious or look more inviting.

Simple Refrigerator Pickles How-To:

You can scale this recipe up as needed — I often make 4x or 6x the recipe — and if you wish to add other seasonings such as garlic or pepper flakes, go for it … more and more I can’t be bothered 🙂

1. Bring to a simmer: 1 cup each vinegar and water with 2 teaspoons each salt and sugar.
2. Pack vegetables into clean, glass jars.
3. Pour pickling liquid over top. A funnel helps with this. Let cool to room temperature.
4. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours (though longer is better) before serving.

Pickled vegetables are delicious on their own — so nice to have on hand when you need a little snack — but especially good with some sort of dip. This almost ranch dip made with Greek yogurt has become a favorite, but I have another cashew-based one to share soon (stay tuned).

Here’s the play-by-play:gather your vegetables: I love using carrots and cauliflower.

Slice the carrots lengthwise in half; cut the cauliflower into large-ish florets.

Pack the vegetables into glass jars… whatever you have on hand.

Bring to a simmer: 1 cup each water and vinegar, 2 teaspoons each salt and sugar. Note: I’m doing 6x the recipe here.

Use a funnel to pour the pickling liquid over the top of the vegetables. Let cool completely. Then refrigerate overnight.

Lightly dry off before arranging onto a platter.

Gather other vegetables: Romaine leaves, endive, radish, radicchio (or Treviso).

Heap everything onto a platter and serve with your favorite dip.

Description

This is a simple formula adapted from David Lebovitz’s pickled radish recipe . It can be scaled as needed and used to pickle many a vegetable: peppers, onions, fennel, cauliflower, broccoli, shallots, turnips, kohlrabi … you name it.

Notes:

• Most recently, I pickled 1.5 lbs carrots and 1 large head cauliflower. For this amount of vegetables, I did 6x the recipe, which comes out to be: 6 cups each water and vinegar, and 1/4 cup each salt and sugar.

• Look for slender carrots if possible: halving them lengthwise before pickling makes for a nice presentation.

• I like to cut cauliflower into large-ish florets, also for presentation purposes.

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup vinegar (white, apple cider, white balsamic, champagne—any white vinegar)

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 4 cups (roughly) thinly sliced or roughly chopped vegetables: onions, carrots, turnips, radishes, peppers, fennel, shallots, cauliflower etc.

1. In a large non-reactive saucepan, bring the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a boil, until the sugar and salt are dissolved. ( See notes above for scaling this recipe up. )
2. Meanwhile, place the sliced vegetables in glass jars.
3. Pour the brine over top. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Store for weeks in the fridge if not longer.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Pickle
• Method: Refrigerator
• Cuisine: American

Description

This is a simple formula adapted from David Lebovitz’s pickled radish recipe . It can be scaled as needed and used to pickle many a vegetable: peppers, onions, fennel, cauliflower, broccoli, shallots, turnips, kohlrabi … you name it.

Notes:

• Most recently, I pickled 1.5 lbs carrots and 1 large head cauliflower. For this amount of vegetables, I did 6x the recipe, which comes out to be: 6 cups each water and vinegar, and 1/4 cup each salt and sugar.

• Look for slender carrots if possible: halving them lengthwise before pickling makes for a nice presentation.

• I like to cut cauliflower into large-ish florets, also for presentation purposes.

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup vinegar (white, apple cider, white balsamic, champagne—any white vinegar)

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 4 cups (roughly) thinly sliced or roughly chopped vegetables: onions, carrots, turnips, radishes, peppers, fennel, shallots, cauliflower etc.

1. In a large non-reactive saucepan, bring the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a boil, until the sugar and salt are dissolved. ( See notes above for scaling this recipe up. )
2. Meanwhile, place the sliced vegetables in glass jars.
3. Pour the brine over top. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Store for weeks in the fridge if not longer.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Pickle
• Method: Refrigerator
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2020/02/01/simple-pickled-crudite/

This vegetarian broccoli-cheddar soup is made with water rather than stock and tastes super flavorful thanks to onions, garlic, spices, Cheddar cheese, and a small amount of yogurt. It’s a one-pot, prep-as-you-go job and is so comforting on a cold day.

With heaps of cheese, half-and-half, butter, and sometimes bacon, recipes for broccoli-cheddar soup often resemble Super Bowl queso more than soup.

Not this one, which calls for water, as opposed to stock or milk, and which is thickened by puréed broccoli stalks and potato, as opposed to a roux. A small amount of Greek yogurt, stirred in at the very end, gives it a lovely tang.

What’s more, it’s a one-pot, prep-as-you-go job: while you sweat the onions and garlic, you chop the broccoli and potato; as you simmer the broccoli and potato, you grate the cheese. It all comes together in about an hour.

I love this soup because it tastes like — wait for it — vegetables! But there’s a richness and heartiness to it, too, thanks to a good amount of Cheddar cheese and the puréed potato-broccoli base. It has some nice heat, too, thanks to crushed red pepper flakes and as much freshly cracked black pepper as you wish.

PS: ALL the Soups .

How to Make Broccoli-Cheddar Soup, Step by Step

First, gather your ingredients.

Chop up some onions and garlic, and sweat them slowly, covered, with crushed red pepper flakes and butter.

Meanwhile, trim the florets from the broccoli stalks. Roughly chop the stalks.

Peel and roughly chop a potato.

After 15 minutes of sweating, add the broccoli stalks, potato, and water to the pot. Simmer for about 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Add half of the florets, and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes.

Purée until smooth.

Add the remaining florets and cook, covered, for another 3-5 minutes.

Add 2 cups of grated Cheddar cheese.

Add 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt. Stir to combine. Taste. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste. Keep soup over low heat while …

… you toast up cubes of days-old bread in olive oil in a skillet.

Ladle broccoli-Cheddar soup into bowls, top with croutons, and lots of freshly cracked black pepper.

Description

This vegetarian broccoli-cheddar soup is made with water rather than stock and tastes super flavorful thanks to onions, garlic, spices, Cheddar cheese, and a small amount of yogurt. It’s a one-pot, prep-as-you-go job and is so comforting on a cold day.

Notes:

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

As with so many soups, this one tastes better by the day, so don’t be afraid to make it ahead of time.

If you are making this for children, omit the crushed red pepper flakes or cut it back to 1/4 teaspoon.

For the soup:

• 3 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted is fine
• 2 onions, roughly chopped (to yield about 4 cups )
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, see notes above
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ pounds broccoli (2-3 heads, roughly)
• 1 medium russet potato (9-11 ounces, roughly)
• 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated to yield about 2 cups
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt

For the croutons:

• day-old bread
• olive oil
• flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes (or less or none at all if serving to children). Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then cover pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to take on color, 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, trim the bottoms of the broccoli stalks. If stalks are thick, peel the outer layer. Using a knife, separate the hefty stalks from the florets (the thin, little stalks attached to broccoli tops are fine to leave intact). Set aside florets. Coarsely chop the stalks.
3. Peel the potato, and coarsely chop it.
4. Add broccoli stalks and potato to pot and stir to combine. Pour in 5 cups water, add 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and keep at a simmer. Cover pot and cook until broccoli stalks and potatoes are completely tender (test with a paring knife), 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, chop reserved florets into small pieces. Add half of the florets to pot, cover, and cook until bright green, 3–5 minutes. Purée soup with an immersion blender or, if using a traditional blender: transfer soup in small batches to the blender, let cool for 5 minutes, and purée until smooth, taking care to remove the center lid from the cover, and to use a kitchen towel to cover and allow steam to escape (and avoid explosions) while you blend.
6. Return soup to medium heat and add remaining florets. Cover pot and cook until bright green, another 3–5 minutes. Add 2 cups cheddar cheese and stir until smooth. Reduce heat to low.
7. Remove soup from heat and stir in ½ cup plain Greek yogurt. Season generously with black pepper; taste for salt.
8. To make the croutons: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat a hefty splash of olive oil (2 to 3 tablespoons). Add the cubed bread and a good pinch of sea salt. Let cook, undisturbed, for one minute. Check one cube. If it’s beginning to turn golden, give the cubes a stir or flip each one over with tongs or forks. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until cubes are evenly golden and beginning to crisp. Pile into a bowl and serve alongside the soup.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American