Luckily I picked up a nice, little, backyard harvest yesterday since Hurricane Arthur is in town today. Once the cucumbers (or pickles, doesn’t really matter which) come in full force, it will be time to can them. For now, when there are only one or two at a time, refrigerator pickles are a quick and easy use of them.
My favorite Chinese restaurant in Frederick, MD, is China Garden and they have this great little pickle appetizer they put on each table after you’re seated. That’s really why it’s my favorite Chinese place, and where I got the idea for these pickles.
You may find them to be quite spicy, so start with a small amount of the chili garlic sauce and add additional based on your taste. Even if they’re a bit spicy on their own, they’re super added to sandwiches. Today I had a pile of them on an almond butter, blueberry jelly, and cheddar cheese sandwich – mmmmm. If you don’t like the spiciness you can leave out the chili sauce. You could also add carrot peelings, onion slices, or jalapeno pieces if you want to jazz things up.
Spicy Refrigerator Pickles
1-3 fresh-picked pickles or cucumber, depending on size
2 T rice vinegar
1/2 T brown sugar
½ t chili garlic sauce
You don’t have to peel the cucumbers, just prepare them as you would for cucumber salad: thinly slice them, sprinkle with sea salt, stir, and give them about 15 minutes to weep. Meanwhile mix the vinegar mixture well in a separate bowl. Squeeze the water out of the cucumbers a small handful at a time and add to the vinegar mixture. Stir well and refrigerator a while for best flavor. You can add more vinegar if you use more cucumbers/pickles, and add more chili sauce if you want them hotter.
