Two types of pickled garlic. Pickled garlic, you ask? Well, it's great to munch as is and add to other dishes; save the brine for salad dressing.

Pickled Garlic with Sweet Red Pepper

1/2 lb garlic, peeled (you can buy them peeled or peel your own*)

1 sweet red bell pepper, chopped

2 cups white vinegar

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp celery seed

cheesecloth

Place garlic cloves in a medium bowl. Large cloves can be cut in half. Mix in the red pepper.

Mix together the vinegar and sugar in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Wrap the dry mustard and celery seed in cheesecloth and tie off. Add spice packet to vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil, then boil 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and red pepper. Continue boiling 5 minutes. Discard spice packet.

Place garlic and peppers in sanitized canning jars** (boil jars in a large pot for 5 minutes or the highest hot setting on your dishwasher) to within 1 inch of the top. Fill with remaining liquid to within 1/4 inch from the top.

Cover and store in the refrigerator approximately 3 weeks before serving***.

* I peel my own fresh garlic, but it is an onerous task. You can buy peeled garlic, but I always question it's freshness/potency.

**Canning jars are cheap and available at most grocery stores or hardware stores. How many you need depends on how much you pickle : ) I generally sterilize 4 pints of jars or 2 pints and 4 1/2 pints so I'm covered for whatever I'm cooking up. I often double up the recipes above and below.

***Brine can be added to salad dressings.

French Pickled Garlic

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup dry white wine (remember, good wine makes good flavor, don't use crappy wine, ever)

1 small dried chile pepper

1 small thyme sprig

1 small rosemary sprig

1 small bay leaf

10 black peppercorns

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp pickling salt*

1 cup peeled fresh garlic cloves

Put all ingredients except garlic into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then gently boil for 5 minutes.

Add garlic, return to a boil, cover the pan, remove from heat, and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil again, then transfer to a sanitized canning jar.

Seal and store in the refrigerator 1 week to one year.

*no iodine or anti-caking agents (so keeps the liquid clear) added, find it next to regular salt

Pork Chops and gravy...one of my boys' favorites.

Braised Pork Chops Serves 6

6 loin pork chops, 1 inch thick (make as many or few as you need, but don't skimp on the gravy)

3 Tblsp canola oil or bacon fat (c'mon...you know which I'd use)

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp flour (add more if gravy doesn't thicken enough)

1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)

freshly ground pepper

2 tsp prepared mustard

1 cup beef stock, heated (can substitute partially with white wine or vermouth if desired)

2 Tblsp chopped pickle/pickle relish (I like the sweet type)

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of fat, add chops and brown on both sides. Remove from pan.

Heat remaining fat in pan, add the onion and sauté 3 minutes. Whisk in the flour, salt, pepper and mustard till well blended, being sure to scrape up all the brown bits in the skillet, then gradually add heated stock (deglazing). Stir in chopped pickle or pickle relish and simmer 5 minutes.

Return the chops to the skillet and spoon the sauce over them. Cover and simmer very slowly until the chops are tender, about 30 minutes.

Delicious and easy home-cured Corned Beef, great for a dinner, a sandwich or for a charcuterie board.

Brine and Brisket

1 gallon water
2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 tsp pink salt *
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tblsp Pickling Spice (homemade** or store bought)
One 5 lb (appx) well-marbled beef brisket

Combine brine ingredients in a pot large enough to hold the brisket comfortably. Bring to a simmer, stirring till the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate brine till it's completely chilled.

Place brisket in brine and weight it down with a plate to keep it submerged. Refrigerate for 5 days. Check every day to be sure it remains submerged. If your brisket is a bit larger, halve the recipe again, and leave it in the brine another day or two.

Remove brisket from brine and rinse it thoroughly under cool running water.

That's it! Now you can cook it as you would a packaged corned beef.


* What is pink salt? Pink salt (Insta Cure #1) is 93.75% sodium chloride (table salt) and 6.25% nitrite. Nitrites are found in green leafy vegetables, and in small quantities are not at all harmful, but in large quantities, are. Thus the curing mixture is dyed pink to prevent accidental consumption as pure table salt. Nitrite's positive contributions to meat: it changes the flavor, preserves the meat's red color, prevents fat from developing a rancid flavor, and prevents many bacteria from growing (think Clostridia botulinum, the bacterium responsible for botulism poisoning). I order mine from SausageMaker.com.


**Pickling Spice Recipe (or buy a store-bought mix; Penzeys.com is a great source for herbs/spices either way)

1 1/2 Tblsp black peppercorns
2 Tblsp mustard seeds
2 Tblsp coriander seeds
2 Tblsp hot red pepper flakes
2 Tblsp allspice berries
1 Tblsp ground mace
2 small cinnamon sticks, crushed or broken into pieces
24 bay leaves, crumbled
2 Tblsp whole cloves
1 Tblsp ground ginger

Lightly toast peppercorns, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds in a small dry pan, then smash with the side of a knife just to crack them. Combine the cracked spices with the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Store in a tightly sealed container.


Cooking Corned Beef

Cured brisket
2 Tblsp Pickling Spice

Place the cured brisket in a pot just large enough to hold it and add water just to cover the meat. Add Pickling Spice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 3 hours, or till the brisket is fork-tender. Water should always cover brisket, so add more during cooking if necessary.

Remove the corned beef from cooking liquid (which can be used to moisten the meat and vegetables, if you're serving a dinner). Slice the beef and serve warm or cool, then wrap and refrigerate for up to one week.