Homemade Pickles

My husband and I were having a great time in Vegas. We had one dollar margaritas at 11 am, and searched for a nice brunch spot and ended up in Grand Lux in Palazzo. My husband ordered a bloody mary, his second drink before noon. Ah, that's vacation. His drink didn't come with the usual celery stick that he usually surrenders to me. Instead, there were two pickled asparagus sticking out from the glass. They were tart and slightly spicy, and we just loved them. “You should make your own pickled asparagus,” said my husband. So I took that on as a project, and here is the result. My pickles turned out very different from the ones we had in Vegas, but they were good in a different way. My pickles eats like a salad: sweet, sour and crunchy. My plan was to keep it for a week or two, but all was gone within three days.

Homemade Pickles Print Recipe Quantity Ingredients 1/2 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar    1/2 cup white wine   1/4 Tbsp sugar 1 1/2 tsp salt  1 tsp whole black pepper  1 tsp mustard seed 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes  1 bay leaf A 10~15 asparagus  2~3 carrots 5~8 garlic cloves 1/4 onion Directions Prepare Pickling Liquid: In a small pot, combine all ingredients except vegetables below A, and bring to boil.  Lower the heat to medium and cook for 2~3 minutes.  Turn off the heat and cool down to room temperature. Set aside.  Prepare Vegetables: Asparagus: Cut and discard the tough end of the stems.  Blanch them in salted water for 1 to 2 minutes.  Shock them with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Carrots: Peel off the skin and cut into sticks. Garlic: Peal of the skin and cut of the ends. Onion: Peel of the skin and slice.  Place the vegetables in a jar (or a tapperware), pure in the pickling liquid.  Cover and refrigerate for at least a day.