Recipe: Mexican Pickled Vegetables

Many recipes call for cooking vegetables before pickling them, but this version from local food blogger Kathryne Taylor makes the most of fresh veggies — and honey! — right from the Lenexa Farmers Market. It’s modeled after Mexican jalapeños en escabeche (pickled jalapeños).

Recipe credit: Cookie and Kate

Ingredients

1/2 medium cauliflower, florets cut into small, bite-sized pieces
2 medium carrots, cut on a sharp diagonal into ⅛-inch thin rounds
1 small white or yellow onion, sliced into very thin rounds
2 medium jalapeños, sliced into thin rounds
6 garlic cloves, quartered
1 cup plain white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon salt
1 ½ tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Layer onions, carrots, jalapeños, garlic, and cauliflower into a quart-sized wide-mouth mason jar. Tuck the bay leaf into the side of the jar.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, water, salt, honey, bay leaf, oregano and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Simmer over high heat, then carefully pour the hot mixture into the jar, covering the vegetables completely.
3. Let the pickles cool to room temperature (about 1 ½ hours). Gently tap the jar to remove air bubbles. The pickles can be eaten now, or securely fasten the lid and refrigerate for up to a month.