Pickle Themed Dinner: Pork Chops Brined in Pickle Juice and...?

I love pickles.  Really love them.  They were pretty much the only vegetable I would eat until I was, ohhhh, 23?  My mom sometimes brings me these delicious pickles from the Pop-up General Store in Oakland.  They are classic dills made by Studebaker Pickles.  They are amazing.  

Yes, I love pickles, and it breaks my heart every time I finish a jar and I have to pour the juice down the drain.  I mean, yes, sometimes I'll take a spoonful of it before sending it down the drain, but mostly it gets wasted.  So imagine my joy when I saw a twitter post with a link to A Gazillion Ways to Use Leftover Pickle Juice.  Why I never thought of using the juice is beyond me, but there it was, a bunch of ways to use it!

All of the options on the list sound pretty great, but the one that really jumped out at me was to use it as a brine for pork.  I happen to have a freezer-full of pork and love brined pork chops.  Done and done.

I took chops out of the freezer last night to defrost, and ever since I have been thinking of what to make alongside the brined chops.  By the time I got home, I had fully committed to a pickle themed dinner.  But what does that exactly mean?  Pickles aren't exactly a prime ingredient in anything.  Then I thought, FRIED PICKLES!  I love fried pickles, and after looking up a couple of recipes, decided they are easy enough to make.   I don't consider two items a themed dinner, but another food item seemed unnecessary, so a pickle martini will round out the meal.

Pork Chops Brined in Pickle Juice

Pork chops

Pickle juice

Freshly ground black pepper

Brine the pork chops in the pickle juice for some amount of time.  Mine got brined for 2 hours.  I flipped them after one hour.

Take the chops out of the brine and pat dry.  Grind some black pepper onto each side.

Cook the pork chops.  I grilled them on my trusty cast iron stovetop grill.  Surprised?

Fried Pickles

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Optional: dash of hot sauce (I used Crystal)

1 cup plain cornmeal

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Some pickles, spears or chips work best, cold and dried with a paper towel.

I didn't use the Studebaker pickles because it seemed wrong to fry them.  They are SO good on their own.  (I made 5 pickle spears of Whole Foods brand.  Had I made more spears, I would have needed more cornmeal coating, but I had plenty of egg wash.)

1.  Make an egg wash:  Whisk egg and milk (and dash of hot sauce if you like things spicy) together for about 30 seconds using a fork. Set aside.

2.  Make cornmeal coating: Mix remaining ingredients together and set aside.  By the way, you can put pretty much anything you want with the cornmeal for the coating.  I used whatever spices I had and sounded good.  

3.  Coat each pickle with egg wash.

4.  Coat each pickle with cornmeal coating.

5.  Repeat steps three and four to double-coat your pickles. The breading will adhere better if you give it a double dunk.

6.  Place each battered pickle on a cookie sheet that is lined with wax or parchment paper and freeze for at least 30 minutes. If you neglect to freeze your pickles, the pickle batter will not adhere and you'll end up with a naked pickle and a bunch of batter floating in the oil.

7.  Heat cooking oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  I used peanut oil because it's the only non-olive oil I have in the house right now.

8.  Carefully drop each frozen pickle into the preheated oil. Stir occasionally and let cook until pickles float on the surface of the oil and turn golden brown. Generally, pickle slices take 2 to 3 minutes; spears take 3 to 4 minutes; and whole pickles take 6 to 7 minutes.

9.  Remove pickles from oil and allow them to drain on paper towels.

10.  Transfer to serving plate and serve with your favorite dip!

Pickle Martini

2 parts gin

1 part pickle juice

Put in a shaker with ice, shake, and serve straight up with a pickle garnish.

I have already written way too much in this post, but I have one note.  The average person might feel a little pickled-out after this meal.  Not me!  After I finished, I had another pickle martini and ate one of the Studebaker pickles for dessert.

Bon appetit.

All-American Brats and Potato Salad

I didn't make this meal on July 4th, but I feel it is good post for the holiday.  I had even titled this weeks ago.  How fortuitous.


I am not a fan of american-style potato salad, but while perusing my Martha Stewart cookbooks one day many summers ago making menus for a trip to Nantucket, I came across a potato salad that sounded just to my liking: no egg, not a TON of mayo, and pickles.  And I was going to Nantucket.  I think that called for some potato salad and Martha.  


Now I am wishing I had this meal to eat today.


4 lbs (about 8) russet potatoes
1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 cup mayo
1/2 tsp whole celery seeds
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 celery stalks, strings removed, cut into 1/4" dice
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" dice
10 cornichons (I use regular pickles), cut into 1/4" dice
2 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tsp paprika


1. Put potatoes into large pot with enough water to cover by several inches.  Bring to boil over high heat, add 1 Tbsp salt, and reduce to a simmer.  Cook until tender with pierced with the tip of a knife, about 25 minutes.  Drain into colander.  Using gloves or a towel to protect your hands, peel potatoes and cut into 1" dice while hot.  Drizzle with vinegar.  Set aside.


2. Combine the mayo, celery seeds, mustard, 2 tsp salt, and black pepper in a bowl, and whisk to combine.  Add potatoes to mayo mixture.  Add celery, red pepper, pickles, and chopped parsley.  Stir to combine.  Chill for 30 minutes before serving.  Garnish with paprika.


Bon appetit.

Mexico Month - Ground Beef and Pickles Tacos

One of my favorite things to do other than cook is shop. In fact, I have often considered featuring both fashion and cooking in this blog, but I really hate taking pictures of myself, let along posting them for all the world (okay, for the 3 people who read this blog) to see.  In a quest to dress well, I read a lot of fashion websites.  My favorite is Style by Santina, of course, but I also love Refinery 29.  I read each of those sites pretty much every day.  


Earlier this week, or maybe not this week but some time recently, I was perusing Refinery 29, and saw an article entitled ground beef and pickle tacos.  I love tacos, I love beef, and I REALLY love pickles, so of course I clicked the link.  Some chef I've never heard of is - I guess - famous for making them at some restaurant in LA I've never heard of.  And he talked to some radio station or something and gave his recipe.  All this information doesn't matter... except the giving the recipe part.


It's pretty rare to discover a great recipe through reading about fashion, let alone a gem like this one.  And during Mexico month?  Perfect.  


I made them tonight for dinner, and my goodness they're good.  Not that I had any doubt, but wow.


1 lb ground beef
2 boiled russet potatoes (I did not include potatoes in mine)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dry oregano
2 Tbsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste


8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
Pickle chips or sandwich pickles
Soft corn tortillas


1.  Cook the ground beef with the dry spices.  Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.
2.  Heat the tortillas then fill with the beef.
3.  Close both ends of the tortilla with toothpicks.
4.  Fry in canola oil about 2 minutes on each side.
5.  Once cooked, place on paper towels, open and add cheese and pickles.
6.  Eat.


I was really worried about the frying part.  I am terrible at frying things, but these were actually really easy.  I put about a 1/2 inch of oil in the skillet, warmed it up, and since you can just lie the taco on its side, it was really easy to fry.  2 minutes on each side was too long, though.  It needed more like a minute and a half or so each side.


Bon appetit.

deux déjeuners à Montréal, parte deux

Gerard, my Iranian-quebecois cabbie, gave three restaurant suggestions while driving me from Elliott Trudeau to my hotel last Wednesday:  L'Entrecote St. Jean, Restaurant L'Express, and Schwartz's.  The first two are bistros, basically, and the last an 80 year old jewish deli specializing in smoked meat.  Not surprisingly, my mouth watered for Schwartz's.  I woke up late-ish on Sunday morning and decided that a walk around Parc Mount Royal before heading to Schwartz's for a late lunch was a good way to spend Sunday's daylight hours.

After getting lost on Mount Royal, which, by the way, is more of a hill than a mountain, and walking approximately 12 km, I was very hungry when I finally found Schwartz's.  To my dismay, despite it being 3 in the afternoon, there was quite a line.  Gerard had warned me of the ever present line, but I thought he meant there are always lines at regular mealtimes.  I waited for about 35 minutes before I lucked out with a single spot at the counter.  Sometimes, it's great to be alone.

The wait was totally worth it.  The smoked meat is tender and oh so flavorful, and the pickle ranks among the best pickles I have ever tasted.  I love pickles, and eat them a lot, so that is quite a statement coming from me.  (Quick side note:  Until I was about 13, pickles were just about the only "vegetable" I would eat.  Just solidifying my love of pickles for you readers. Quick side note #2:  Yes, the preceding makes me feel a bit like Snookie.)  I don't really know how to give more of an endorsement for Schwartz's.  It was very very very good.

Bon appetit.