When I was fifteen and learning how to drive it really bothered me that I didn’t know how the car actually worked. If it broke, I want to know how to fix it. I want to know how to change the oil, make it run. How could I be the custodian and driver of this immense vehicle and not know anything about its engineering? I’ve taken that same line of thinking into the kitchen. We’ve exported way too many important kitchen skills. While there’s incredible value in specializing, I think there’s also so much to be gained for knowing how to make things “just in case, not for real,” as I used to say, while reasoning my little girl reasons with my parents.
I had no idea what mayonnaise was growing up. We had commercial, fat free jars of it in the fridge and often I still do. But it’s also something you can make in small batches at home, fairly easily and it’s so worth it. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolks and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. The lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier, which thickens the whole thing when activated by a little (okay a lot of) stirring. I’m actually surprised more people don’t poison themselves while eating mayonnaise, but I’m not that scared.
I added mustard to mine and since I also made pickles at the same time, I thought of making a rémoulade, which is very much like tartar sauce. I was a master tartar sauce maker when I worked as a fish monger during high school (right around the same time when I was learning to drive, actually). People get very finicky about their tartar sauce when buying fish and chips. Rémoulade is often more yellowish (or reddish in Louisiana), and sometimes contains chopped pickles, relish, horseradish, paprika, anchovies, capers and a host of other items. I didn’t want to combine these experiments so let’s just call this mayonnaise.
Pickles, though. I know from pickles. They are my home. They stand for everything I knew growing up, an atavistic homage to my roots. Pickles were the kosher deli my family used to eat at in Brooklyn with Grandma and Grandpa. Pickles were the lower east side below Delancy Street where so many of the utensils I use in my kitchen first hit the shores of this country after their long journey from Russia (every device and utensil pictured in this post). Pickles were one of the things from the market my grandma describes to me all the time– fresh butter and cream cheese in big blocks, cut off in pieces and wrapped in wax paper. Milk with cream on the top. Chickens with feathers on them. Roasted sweet potatoes. Fresh fish. No refrigeration. Just the ice box. You bought what you needed, no more. Pickles were me watching Mom and Dad watching their parents for hints on how to live, how to feed their own children, how to measure your love, dissipate heartache, temper your complaints and dole out immense satisfaction through food. And they go great with a dark brown brew.
My grandparents’ building in Luna Park. Theirs is the one with the two tanks. The elevated F train is at the bottom. I took the picture from the top of the Wonder Wheel where my grandparents had one of their first dates. They were on a white car. I’m on a swinging red car. Way scarier. More fun. I used to see those tanks from the back of my parents’ car and wake up from my nap knowing Grandma and Grandpa would be waiting there to pick me up and feed me. I was always too thin. Everyone was.
I actually didn’t know that pickles were cucumbers that had undergone a process until much later than I should have. I just thought pickles grew like apples. But that there were only two kinds. Dill and sour. Dill much better than the other. Now I know that there’s so much more to it than that. Varieties, fermentation times, vegetables. I added mustard seeds, coriander, hot pepper flakes and caraway seeds to a simple brine of a one-to-one ratio of apple cider vinegar and salt. But you can add garlic and any other flavors you want.
Make these condiments. They add value to your food. They take under 5 minutes each.
Btw, just in case, not for real, if you’re interested, I updated my About page. I feature a little interview with myself. Check it out here if you haven’t already had enough.
Dill Pickles
Ingredients:
Makes 2 medium jars, or 1 large jar + 1 small jar
I’ve used variations of the combinations below, but you’ll get a darn good pickle if you use the first group of ingredients as directed.
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup kosher or maldon salt
- 5 pickling cucumbers (I use kirby)
- 1 bunch dill
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
You could also add:
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
Directions:
Start by measuring out and adding the water, vinegar, and kosher salt to a small saucepan. Set stove to medium high, and heat until salt is fully dissolved in the brine. Turn off stove, and allow to cool fully.
Roughly chop dill, setting aside a few long sprigs to place in the jar(s). If using two jars split the springs evenly among the jars. Split the peppercorns, chili pepper, mustard seeds and any of the other ingredients you choose to use between the two jars.
Wash the cucumbers and slice off the tips on both sides. They contain an enzyme that will cause them to go limp and be less crispy during the pickling process. They will last longer this way. Slice cucumbers lengthwise into quarters if desired. Feel free to leave them whole if they’re small.
Pour cooled brine into the jar(s), making sure that the cucumbers are fully covered. Bang the jar gently on the table a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. Tighten lids, and allow to sit in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. The longer the better. Pickles will keep for up to 6 months. Enjoy!
Mayonnaise
Active time on this recipe is about 5 minutes. If you refrigerate it, it should last more than a week, but this recipe makes about a cup at a time so you can use it up quickly.
Ingredients:
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cold water
- ¾ cup neutral oil such as safflower or canola, but they also use olive oil in Spain or Portugal, so your choice
Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, salt and 1 teaspoon cold water until frothy. Whisking constantly, slowly and I mean SLOOOOOOOWLY dribble (like a few drops at a time) in the oil until mayonnaise is thick and oil is incorporated. When the mayonnaise emulsifies and starts to thicken, you can add the oil in a thin stream, instead of drop by drop. Instead of whisking, I actually pulled out my grandma’s old eggbeater. It made it much easier.
Great post Amanda, loved getting a glimpse into your family history and I totally agree we should all have the knowledge to make basic foods that we most often buy in the supermarket, homemade mayo is the best and I love pickles also. I never knew about cutting the tips and the enzyme they contain. Fascinating, great information and beautiful photo’s.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your comment. Yes the pickles stay really crunchy if you cut off the tips. And I’m glad you appreciated the family stuff. It’s so much a part of who I am. 🙂
I love fresh mayonnaise and homemade pickles – it’s amazing just how different they taste to the commercial preparations too! For anyone lacking elbow power, your mayonnaise recipe should work in a food processor 😉
Good point about the food processor, MD. I hadn’t even thought of it. I pulled out my grandma’s old egg beater after my arm got tired. My food processor is a mini one and I have to climb on a stool to pull all of the components down from above the cabinets above the stove. Then I have to wash it and put it back. I really should use it more to justify the real estate. But yes, this tastes so different from what you get in the store. So much better. I was eating it by the spoonful.
You sound like a friend of mine who’ll eat all the home made allioli before the fish is cooked. I have to hide it until the other food is ready 😉
Oh how I loved New York pickles. Can’t get anything like them in a jar or anywhere else in the US. Definitely have to try your recipe.
Homemade mayonnaise is so delicious and doesn’t contain any preservatives.
Thanks, Jovina. Yes, there is something special about New York pickles. Maybe it’s in the history! I really ike mayonnaise and the fact that you can change the recipe to your liking.
Two great recipes, Amanda. Just this morning I was thinking of making a batch of bread & butter pickles but your dills sound so good that a change may be nice. Love, homemade mayo, too, and always feel a tinge of guilt when, for convenience sake, I buy a jar off the grocer’s shelf. 🙂
Wow that’s so cool that you were thinking of making pickles this morning. Thanks for your lovely comment. I have that same feeling with mayonnaise. I think it’s great that these things came about…they’re useful and have their place and I usually have a jar in my fridge too. It’s nice that we don’t let go of the “do it yourself” option too.
Amanda, this amazes me! I just made a batch of pickled jalapenos last month. I love this idea. Gonna pin for later and tweet!
Aw thanks, Debbie. OMG pickled jalapenos are soooooo good. I’d like to make a batch myself and throw them in salads. What do you do with them AND more importantly, did you post them? I’m going to go check.
You already know about my obsession with pickles and fermented foods, so I can only say that I love your recipe for dill pickles, it looks and sounds fabulous, and I love the idea of doing a “condiments” post. Pierre hates vinegar which is why I have started lacto-fermenting this year, but I would love your pickles! As to mayo, I have always hated it, until my mom started making her own dilled-mayo, to serve with small potatoes. Then I moved to Lille, where French fries are traditionally served with mayo, and discovered what real home-made mayo is like. So I still hate the store-bought stuff, but LOVE the home-made. I have yet to make it myself; I’ve made Béarnaise sauce which is more technical, so why I am scared of messing up mayo is a mystery!
I totally hear you. I would love to try all of the pickle experiments I’ve heard you talk about! Even yesterday’s mushrooms! I need to start learning what you know. That’s so cool about how you came to like homemade mayo. I don’t think you can mess this up. It’s not possible! I’d love fries and mayo. I think I need to move to France, if not just hang out for a bit. I’ve been talking for too long. I’m just going to do it soon. I love the idea of dill in mayo too! Brilliant. Thanks, Darya. 🙂
I agree that knowing your ingredients is the key to good cooking. Your pickles and mayonnaise look super. I didn’t know about cutting off the tips of the cucumbers, although it makes sense as I know this is usually the softest part after pickling or fermenting. I wrote about adding tannins in the form of grape (or some other) leaves or black tea to keep them crunchy, but will add this technique. Pickles can’t be too crunchy!
I totally agree with you. What a cool tannin idea. I just bought grape leaves in a jar. I should have stolen some from the vineyards I was at this summer and preserved them myself. I think that’s trespassing though or maybe theft and I don’t want to lose my legal license 🙂
Love this!! You’re speakin’ my language in this one! 😀
Thanks, Tracy! And thanks for dropping by!
A wonderful look at your life in pickles. Do you have to process the jars first or are they fine as long as they are clean?
Thanks, Stacey. They’re fine as long as they’re clean. I wash them with soap and warm water in the sink and let air dry. So far I haven’t poisoned myself 🙂
Nice. Jody and I are both big fans of homemade fermented anything (4 different homemade pickles in the fridge now + 3 kinds of preserved citrus) and homemade mayo. And of course photography… and yours only gets better and better. I always enjoy checking in to see what you’re up to (not often enough) and I always find a source of pleasure. Ken
Thanks so much, Ken. What a thoughtful comment. I need to start preserving more citrus again. I’ll almost out. I totally see why you’re a fan of all of these things. I’ve learned a lot from you guys.
Beautiful soliloquy on pickles. I can still taste my grandmother’s dill pickles straight from the earthenware crock she would make them in. Good tips regarding washing and trimming the cucumber. Somewhere I read that the tannin in grapevine leaves also helps keep pickles crisp, though I have not yet tried this. Love the utensils!
What a beautiful memory. Someone else just mentioned the tannin in grapevines! She also said tea helps. I’m telling you though, if you cut off the tips, they’re soooo crispy even after a couple of weeks. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment.
Also, after your recipe yesterday, I happen to have a HUGE jar of grape leaves. It’s worth a shot to throw one in.
Possibly my favourite post of yours thus far! Your mayo looks damn good, but the pickles are the pièce de résistance! When I was little (under 3 ft sort of little) I had a storybook about pickles. I thought it was the funniest thing that what some people called pickles, I knew as gherkins. I found it even funnier that someone would write an entire storybook about pickles. Then I got a couple of years older and discovered that I loved the things. Never been able to get enough since.
I didn’t get around to making your pickled radishes, but I will be making these and eating them en masse with rye bread and butter…
Thank you so much Karinna. I’m glad you like this. I was looking forward to releasing it since I wrote it this weekend. This one was highly personal for me. I love your book of pickles. I’ve been searching for gherkin cucumbers, but I haven’t seen anything so small at any of the farmers’ markets. I’ll have to stick to big pickles. I love the idea of a pickle story 🙂 Rye bread and butter sound like a perfect match. I”m off to check out your latest eggplant recipe, btw.
I enjoyed reading your personal history and photos behind the condiments. It was a long time for me also before I knew what pickles and mayonnaise really were. Very nice.
Thanks so much, Gerard. That’s why it’s so important to bring it back! Simple and easy things like this should be common knowledge! I really appreciate you reading.
You have convinced…well, inspired me to make our mayonnaise. I have been thinking about this every time I pick up another jar of safflower mayo. I say “another” because we really are mayonnaise folks and go through quite a bit. My mom used to make our mayo but I didn’t really pay attention and the idea didn’t follow me out of the house. I’ll make your recipe for sure because I have already made your pickles and love them! I followed the same recipe as your radishes and used cucumbers instead. It’s a matter of fact we just polished off another jar last week! Lovely post Amanda. 🙂
I love that you used the radish recipe for pickles. You’ll seriously love these. I do. As for mayo. Since you eat it so much you’ll really be glad you did it. Every sandwich will have that much more pride about it. Thank you so much, Seana for your kind comments. Xo
Oh my, love the updated About page and interview! I feel like I got to know you a bit more through it (not in a creepy way). Pickles I can do; as an honorary Jew, I can say I’ve had my fair share of yummy kosher pickles, as sides, as snacks, as dinner…! Mayo, though, don’t like the stuff too much. 🙂
Thank you so much, Ngan. I really appreciate your reading it! I love that you’re an honorary Jew and I’m learning how to bake from you. I’ve seen your post on pickled everything and your challah and everything else! You’re a total inspiration.
Beautifully written Amanda. Food stories are the real stories of our lives, aren’t they. And they start so young and stay with us forever. My father was reminiscing about food from his childhood even as he lay dying of cancer. Such a big part of our lives. I will try the pickles. I already make my own mayonnaise. But I also love Hellman’s. And not the fat-free kind. 😉
I just finished to read your updated About page, it is so well written Amanda. It was a real pleasure to reading your posts and thank you for sharing your passion of cooking. I prepared my own mayonnaise, my own aïoli nothing better than homemade recipes 🙂
Thanks so much! I love looking at all of your baked goods and salivating. I also really appreciate you taking the time to spend time on my page. It is difficult sometimes when you read so many, but it’s cool to see everyone’s different angles. Oh I’d love to try you aioli. Homemade mayo really is the best.
Pickles are truly one of my most favorite things in the world to eat. Homemade ones are even extra-special! Your pickles and mayonnaise both look wonderful.
Thanks so much for commenting! Pickles really are so good. It took me a while to really appreciate the value in condiments, but it’s almost like wrapping paper on a gift. The gift itself could stand alone, but a good sauce or accompaniment elevates something good to something better.
Your mayonnaise looks so good! I really want to try to make it!
Thanks so much. You should definitely try. You’ll be as pleasantly surprised as I was.
I love so many things about this post. The pleasure of making things by hand and knowing how to make them. That’s really important. The fact that the utensils you feature came all the way from Russia. Family heirlooms! Gives me chills thinking about it. The lovely photos and the story. Beautiful, beautiful post! (as always!)
Thanks so much, Azita. So nice to hear from you. You leave such lovely, thoughtful comments. I also know how much you appreciate history and personal history and know how you relate. I had no idea my grandma had all of these utensils, but when I tell her about my experiments in the kitchen she’ll slowly reveal things to me.
Amanda, you should get your grandma talking and record your conversations! Treasure hunting!
I know. I’ve thought of that before. 🙂
I made pickled cucumbers.. hm a year ago may be 😀 yumuum crunch-crunch 😀 Here cucumbers are not very firm and good to be pickled, I miss tasty Russian cucumbers.
I almost don’t eat mayo, and definitely prefer homemade, yours look pretty good!
Thanks. Oh yes! My grandma lives in a very Russian neighborhood, near Brighton and the pickles you can get there are unreal. There were kind of inspired by those. I’m not a huge mayo eater either, I just was in the mood for a sandwich one day and figured I’d give it a shot. It does sound like those cucumbers are perfect for pickling.
what a fun post! Love that you’re highlighting foods that don’t usually get a lot of play.
Thanks, Liz. They were simple and fun to make too.
I’ve got a lot of respect for anyone who makes their own mayonnaise… and dill pickles too? Two of my favourite things in the world right there! Nice work 🙂
I thought it high time to give condiments center stage 🙂
They deserve it!
Curiosity is the best trait of all. Lovely memories. Lovely photos (as always).
Thanks so much, Michelle. I agree with you about curiosity though it did kill the cat.
Lovely post, really enjoyed the recipes and the memories!
Delish!!!
my asian licking asking for a little bit of chillies on it….
Hilarious. You always want the heat. Pickled jalapeños and hot spicy mayo coming right up, sir!
Love your memories about your grandparents and the Lower East side, I can nearly smell the particular & intoxicating smell of the streets. And pickles, I subscribe to every morsel and must open one of the glasses of this summer’s bounty this instant. You still have Kirby cucumbers – jealousy. N xx
Lovely, lovely post. I love the fact that you use things in your kitchen that have a history and even more so a family history.
Thank you, Maria. I know you treasure your memories and stories in the same way.
Damn deliicous, comforting condiment ever!!!
i love to add some chopped chilies too…
I know you’d add chilis 🙂 Good stuff. Thanks for dropping by.
Oh yum! I have always adored dill pickles but I have never made made them but I reckon I will now!
Thanks! They’re so worth it.
I really appreciate this touching and beautifully written post, Amanda. You are honoring the generations of cooks in your family in such a lovely manner by sharing here. Knowing how something works is indeed fascinating and creating it yourself so very satisfying. Homemade pickles and mayo – yes please! Your photos are quite tempting. I enjoyed reading your interview, too. 🙂
Thank you so much, Hannah. That really means a lot to hear it from you. Thanks also for reading my interview. Hilarious. 🙂 It’s thoughtful readers like you that make this whole journey so rewarding. xo