Why? Because you can! And pickle, and jam, or otherwise celebrate the resurgence of the domestic arts our forebears held so dear. Put on your best apron and step into our kitchen, won't you?
Sweet and tart cranberries are spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and make a fantastic accompaniment to a turkey sandwich, fall salad, beautiful sparkling cocktail, or any other application you can dream up!
Rendering my own lard was not part of the plan in a quest to making the perfect pie crust, but it turned out to be an easy and worthwhile skill to learn!
Taking a flavor note from a popular gin and bringing it to the front, I experimented with pickling cucumber slices using a brine of gin, mint, lime, and juniper. Like a eating a classic cocktail in delicious pickle form.
This sultry slather is currently used to sauce costillas tacos, built from mole barbecue-braised short ribs with grilled celery root and crispy leeks at Chicago's Mercadito, Executive Chef Patricio Sandoval.
Tavernita's Ryan Poli poaches the fennel in olive oil and fragrant spices, brings the mixture to a simmer, then turns the heat off. A last-minute addition of red wine vinegar brings an acidic element to the licorice-flavored vegetable.
Leela of SheSimmers.com explains how to make a Thai sausage that is most often associated with low quality street food the way it was meant to be made. Read her describe how to prepare the traditionally fermented Thai sausage Sai Krok Isan.
.jpg "Pickled Spiced Cranberries")
.jpg "Rendering Leaf Lard")
