Pickled Peppered Asparagus Food

PICKLED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Place asparagus spears tips-down in a 1-quart lidded jar. Add garlic, peppercorns, dill and crushed red pepper, if using.
• Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Carefully pour the vinegar mixture over the asparagus mixture in the jar; screw the lid on tightly. Immediately place in the refrigerator. Chill for at least 8 hours.

QUICK-PICKLED SPICY ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Place trimmed asparagus in a quart-sized canning jar. Add garlic, pepper flakes, mustard seed, and peppercorns.
• Combine vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn heat off.
• Pour vinegar mixture over the asparagus. Screw on the lid and let sit until lid has sealed, about 1 hour.
• Place in the refrigerator until pickled, at least 2 days.

PICKLED PEPPERED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• * Special equipment needed: four 1-quart jars, four rims, four brand-new lids (don't use lids over again), a large canning pot with a removable wire rack or a large stock pot and a jar lifter utensil.
• Prepare for water bath canning. I use one of those big black-and-white-speckled enamelware canning pots with the removable wire rack that holds the jars. This recipe uses quart jars, which are tall, so you need a tall pot that allows the water to cover the tops. A tall stock pot would work, too. But if you don't have a removable rack to lift the hot jars out of the boiling water, a jar lifter utensil would be extremely helpful. Wash four quart jars, then set them in your pot, using the removable wire rack if you have one. Fill pot with enough water to cover the jars with one inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. My large pot took about 25 minutes to boil, so get this started right away. Covering the pot with the lid will speed up the process, too.
• Put your lids in a small pan with enough water to cover them. Bring to a slow simmer and keep hot until you fill the jars with asparagus.
• Fill a medium size stock pot or large pot about half full with water. Bring to boiling. While the water is heating up, trim the asparagus to 6″ lengths. (You'll end up with a pile of asparagus "scraps". Don't throw them away! I roasted some with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and enjoyed them with some eggs. And I made an asparagus guacamole with the rest!) Once the water is boiling, add the asparagus.Bring back to a boil and then immediately drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well.
• In a medium pan, combine the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil.
• Using the removable wire rack (I maneuver it up out of the hot water using 2 wooden spoons) or a jar lifter, remove the jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a folded towel.
• Place two teaspoons each of crushed red pepper flakes and dill seed into each hot jar, followed by two sliced garlic cloves for each jar. I had some time, waiting for the water to boil, so I pre-measured these.
• Divide the asparagus between the jars. I found it helps to switch the position of the jar back and forth, from upright to on its side, to pack in the asparagus. Go ahead and pack them as tight as easily manageable.
• Ladle the hot vinegar mixture into the jars, leaving 1/2″ headspace at the top. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars clean, then put a hot flat lid and a ring on each jar, adjusting the ring so that it's just finger-tight.
• Return the filled jars to the canning pot, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1″. Bring to a boil. I put the lid on the pot to speed up the boiling. Then remove lid and boil for 10 minutes to process.
• Remove the jars to a folded towel and do not disturb for 12 hours. After one hour, check that the lids have sealed by pressing down on the center of each one. If the lid is dimpled and can be pushed down, it hasn't sealed, and the jar should be refrigerated immediately. Label the sealed jars and store.

PICKLED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Trim the cut end of the asparagus spears, and cut them into 3 inch lengths. Place them in a large bowl with 1/3 cup salt, and cover with water. Let stand for 2 hours. Drain and rinse under cool water, and pat dry.
• Sterilize two pint size wide mouth jars in simmering water for 5 minutes.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the vinegar, sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, mustard seed, dill seed and onion rings. Bring to a boil, and boil for one minute.
• Pack the asparagus spears, tips up, in the hot jars leaving 1/2 of space from the rim. Tuck one dill sprig into each jar, and sprinkle in 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Pour hot pickling liquid into the jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the rim. Wipe rims with a clean damp cloth, and seal with lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
• Cool to room temperature. Check seals when cool by pressing the center of the lid. It should not move. Label and date; store in a cool dark place. If any jars have not sealed properly, refrigerate and eat within two weeks.

PICKLED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Cut bottoms off asparagus to make them fit upright in a pint jar. Asparagus tips should be at least 1/2 inch below lid. (Reserve bottoms for another use.)
• Pour about 2 inches water into a skillet large enough to hold asparagus lying down; bring to a boil. In batches, blanch asparagus: place in skillet, bring water back to a boil, and then immediately remove and run under very cold water or dunk in ice water. Set aside to drain.
• Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan with 2 1/4 cups vinegar and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally and cook just until salt dissolves; turn off heat.
• Prepare 4 clean, hot pint jars and bands, and new lids. (Dip in boiling water, or run through dishwasher.) When jars are dry but still hot, pack asparagus into them, wedging spears in tightly. There should be enough for 3 or 4 full jars: do not half-fill jars.
• Pour in vinegar solution, just to barely cover tips of asparagus. Make sure to leave 1/2 inch air space above vinegar solution. Distribute garlic slivers and spices evenly among jars. Wipe rims with a clean paper towel dipped in hot water, place lids on top and screw on bands. (Not too tight, just firmly closed.)
• Prepare a boiling-water bath in a deep pot with a rack. Place jars on rack and pour water over them, making sure water covers jars by 2 to 3 inches. Bring water back to a rolling boil over high heat, start a timer for 10 minutes, then reduce heat and gently boil. When timer goes off, turn off heat and wait 5 minutes before removing jars with jar lifter or tongs. Let cool on counter, untouched, 4 to 6 hours. After 12 to 24 hours, check seals: lift each jar up by the lid, and press the lid to make sure the center is sucked down tightly.
• Store in a cool, dark, dry place (not refrigerator) for 4 weeks before using, or up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening. To serve, drain off pickling liquid and arrange asparagus on plates. Add hard-boiled egg, drizzle with oil and shower with black pepper.

DILLY PICKLED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Wash, drain and trim asparagus; cut into 4-1/2-in. spears. Discard ends or save for another use. Place asparagus in a large container; cover with ice water. In each of six 1-pint jars, place half of a garlic clove, 1 teaspoon dill seed, 1 teaspoon mustard seed and six peppercorns., In a Dutch oven, bring the water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil. Drain asparagus; pack in jars to within 1/2 in. of top. , Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 20 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

PICKLED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring the water, vinegar, and salt to a boil for 15 minutes.
• Remove all the cloves from the pickling spice (or as much as you can).
• Wrap the remaining spice in a cheese cloth or tea holder and hang in the vinegar mixture.
• Break off the ends of the asparagus and blanch for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, then plunge into ice water.
• Place 1 garlic clove and 1 pepper into each quart jar. Pack the asparagus into the jars standing on end, then pour the vinegar mixture into the jars making sure its very hot at the time to ensure a good seal on the jars.
• Wipe rims, place lids and screw on bands fingertip-tight.
• Process in a boiling water bath for ten minutes.
• Store in pantry for 2-1/2 to 3 months before use.

WONDERFUL PICKLED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Place several slices of onion in the bottom of two 1-quart jars.
• Trim the asparagus to fit in the jars; pack them in with the cut-end facing down.
• Place the pepper strips in between asparagus.
• Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan, and boil over moderate heat for 10 minutes.
• Pour into the jars, leaving 1/2-inch head space.
• Seal the jars according to the manufacturer's directions; process for 20 minutes in boiling water bath.