BEHIND THE BRINE
RICKLES PICKLES
A story about our brine and how we got here.
It’s easy to get excited about pickles with all their crunchy and juicy character and zesty acidity, but sometimes we forget about the liquid that pickles are bobbing around. It looks a little mysterious & often gets tipped down the drain, but the brine is essential in making a good pickle and can have a purpose after you eat all the pickles.
I acquired a taste for acidic foods at a young age, being fed lots of home made pickles and preserves made by my Nonna and Nonno. At the beginning of my career as a chef I didn’t do much pickling, a stint at Taxi Dining Room taught me about Japanese pickles, but it was up me to discover the fine intricacies of the art. After moving to the West Coast, I started making batches of cucumber pickles at a popular Fremantle cafe. Some customers caught wind of this and started buying whole pickles with their meal.
A few years on and I was working as head chef at small bar Strange Company. The menu here centred around Mediterranean food that had to be delicious and quick to serve, various pickles and preserves were prominent on the menu. It was here that a local gardener, beer enthusiast and friend introduced me to a small batch of Boston Pickling cucumbers he had grown. These cucumbers blew me away with their crunchy texture and low water content, why hadn’t I seen them before on suppliers produce lists and where could I get more?
Diving deeper in to the world of pickles I realised I had a lot more to learn, and a lot more pickles had to be eaten, from American deli kosher style to European gherkins. I critiqued and took note of the best qualities of all of them. While getting my hands on the right cucumbers became one mission, I also had to create the ultimate brine and wanted to use West Australian ingredients where ever possible.
I experimented with different vinegars and acidity percentages, apple cider vinegar was the winner hands down, for its health benefits, flavour and tartness from the apples. In the early days I went to town adding lots of herbs and spices, but it took away from the subtle flavours of the dill and cucumbers. No more thyme, no more pepper, but a bit of bay leaf remains which is said to release its tannins and help keep the pickles firm. I bring the vinegar to the boil with lots of West Australian garlic and onion, and Australian grown mustard seeds, then let it cool and infuse to the flavours.
Through time and trial I have create the perfect RICKLE brine, it’s about the balance of acidity, sweetness and saltiness with added complexity and depth from the herbs and spices. I’m still on the journey of finding a reliable source of Australian grown fennel seed to make our pickles 100% Australian made. So next time you finish a jar of pickles, don’t throw away the brine, its full of flavour and good things.
Here are a few ways that we like to use our brine,
EASY JAR SALAD DRESSING /
If you want to pimp out the basic dressing recipe below you can grate in a clove of garlic or add some chopped herbs. A little bit of honey, lemon zest, capers or even finely diced pickles are all great additions.
3Tbs RICKLES brine
4Tbs quality olive oil
1Tsp whole grain mustard (*we use our whole grain honey mustard)
a couple of pinches of salt & pepper
1) Put everything in an empty jar and shake it up.
2) Pour over any salad, toss and eat.
SECOND ROUND PICKLES /
You can use our brine to make your own pickles with any vegetables you have at home.
1 x jar of RICKLES brine
2Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar (white vinegar will also work)
Sliced or julienned seasonal vegetables (carrots, cabbage, beans, radish, onion, and cucumber all work well).
1) Slice or julienne the vegetables of your choice (you can use the veggies you have at the bottom of your fridge but if they are already looking limp they won’t produce a crunchy pickle, still tasty though!)
2) Add the apple cider vinegar to the jar of brine, add in your chopped vegetables. Ensure they are submerged under the brine.
3) Leave the jar in the fridge for about a day to absorb the brine and flavour and then they are ready to eat.
*Adding vegetables to a brine will dilute it slightly from the water from within the vegetables so we suggest only topping up you empty pickle jar once, or adding additional vinegar to the brine if you like your pickles extra zesty.
OVERNIGHT BRINED CHICKEN /
Soaking chicken in brine before cooking creates a more tender and juicy meat, it also absorbs some of those delicious flavours.
1 x jar RICKLES brine
4x chicken whole legs, thighs or any cut of chicken you prefer.
Pinch of salt and pepper
1) Combine everything in a bowl over night in the fridge.
2) Cook chicken how ever you please, crumbed or battered and fried, grilled, on the barbecue or even roasted.
Iceberg lettuce topped with our RICKLES brine salad dressing, diced pickles, shallots, fresh herbs and capers.
