Think outside cuke for prime pickles in a jiffy

Where have all the pickles gone?

It wasn't so long ago that every well-dressed American dinner table was bejeweled with an assortment of them - emerald-green tomatoes, ruby-red beets, and opalescent pearl onions, as well as less glamorous okra, mushrooms and watermelon rind. The pickle tray was a standard part of a Sunday supper.

Nowadays, almost the only pickle you'll find is cucumber. And while there's nothing wrong with your basic bread-and-butter, half-sour or dill, there are so many other possibilities to explore.

What about radishes, pickled pink, with a refreshing sweet-tart bite to match their crisp texture? Or tangy peppers, yellow turmeric-stained zucchini, or even surprisingly savory pickled grapes?

These are more than mere curiosities. They are perfect for the way we eat in the summertime. A bite of crisp tart pickle is as cooling as an evening breeze.

Their acidity cuts right through the smoke and richness of grilled meat, just as their sweetness and spiciness balance and complement it.

Pickles also make great antipasti. Like olives (technically, yet another kind of pickle), their punchy flavors prime the palate for the bigger dishes to come.

But while many traditional pickles take weeks of aging to mellow and mature, there are very good pickles you can make in a single day.

You don't need fancy equipment or advanced cooking skills. If you can slice a vegetable and boil water, you can make a pickle.

First, a little definition: A pickle is a fruit or a vegetable that is preserved through acidity. Because most harmful bacteria have a hard time surviving in a low-pH environment, pickling was an important part of preserving the harvest in the days before refrigeration.

There are two main ways of making a pickle. The first is by salting the food to draw out its moisture, which is rich in sugars that are fermented by naturally occurring bacteria to create lactic acid (the same acid that preserves yogurt, cheeses and salumi).

This is how pickles as diverse as sauerkraut and olives are made. The flavors are complex, but the process is long - weeks or even months.

A simpler form of pickle can be made simply by soaking food in an acid liquid, in most cases, a flavored vinegar mixture. All that's necessary is to first soften the fruit or vegetable, by blanching it briefly in boiling water or by salting it for an hour or two.

The latter has the added benefit of slightly dehydrating the fruit or vegetable, allowing it to absorb more moisture from the vinegar mixture, saturating it with flavor. This technique allows plenty of room for the creative cook to mess around.

While ordinary white distilled vinegar can be used for most, you can get a different effect by substituting apple cider or Asian rice vinegar. And don't feel bound to the common spices of mustard, peppercorns and dill. Try cloves, allspice or cinnamon, fresh ginger or dried chiles.

The two ingredients you'll want to include are a little salt to bring out the flavor of the vegetable and sugar to soften the harsh edges of the vinegar.

However you flavor the pickle, there is likely to be a bit of a learning curve when you start experimenting. Soon, though, you'll develop a palate for tasting pickles early. The first couple of times you experiment, don't go overboard with the spicing. Give the pickles a day to develop before adjusting the recipe for the next attempt.

One classic cookbook on pickles, jams and jellies is Fine Preserving, by Catherine Plagemann. Published in the 1960s, it was largely forgotten until its reissue in the 1980s with annotation by M.F.K. Fisher.

I tried a couple of pickles of my own invention. I love torshi, the Middle Eastern turnip pickles, and found my radish pickles to be every bit as crisp, but with a subtle spice underneath.

I found Japanese shishito peppers to be one of the easiest pickles I made: crisp, sweet and tart - and ready to eat in eight hours or so.

All of these pickles can be canned, if you like, following the standard instructions. But they'll keep their texture and flavor for weeks simply stored in the refrigerator.

Of course, delicious as they are, it's doubtful they'll be around nearly that long.

Makes 2 cupsEndTextStartText

2 bunches radishes (about 3/4

   pound with tops removed)

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 tea   -         spoon kosher salt, divided 1 teaspoon whole mustard

   seed

1/2 teaspoon whole black

   peppercorns

3/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

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1. Trim the tops and tails of the radishes and quarter them lengthwise. In a large, nonreactive bowl, toss them with 1 tablespoon kosher salt to coat well. Add water to cover and several ice cubes. Set aside until the radishes have softened slightly but are still crisp, about 2 hours. (Alternatively, transfer the salted radishes without the water and ice cubes to a Japanese pickle maker and screw down the top. See note.)

2. While the radishes are softening, toast the mustard seed and black peppercorns in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar, one-half cup water, the sugar, and the remaining one-fourth teaspoon salt and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool until the pickling mixture is just warm to the touch.

3. Rinse the radishes well and pat them dry with a towel. Place them in a small, nonreactive container and pour the warm, pickling mixture over them to just cover. Seal tightly and refrigerate at least 1 day to mature.

Note: The Japanese tsukemono-ki, a plastic pickle press, is

available at Asian markets for about $20.

The Los Angeles Times

Per quarter-cup serving: 11 calories, no protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, no fat, no cholesterol, 270 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber EndText

Makes 3 cups

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1 pound zucchini

1 small yellow onion

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 cups cider vinegar

1 cup sugar

11/2 teaspoons dry mustard

11/2 teaspoons crushed yellow

   or brown mustard seeds

Scant 1 teaspoon ground

   turmeric

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1. Wash and trim the zucchini, then slice them one-sixteenth-inch thick; a mandoline works best. Slice the onion very thin as well. Combine the zucchini and onions in a large but shallow nonreactive bowl, add the salt, and toss to distribute. Add a few ice cubes and cold water to cover, then stir to dissolve the salt. Alternatively, transfer the salted zucchini and onion slices to a Japanese pickle maker and screw down the top; do not add any water or ice cubes.

2. After about 1 hour, taste and feel a piece of zucchini - it should be slightly softened. Drain and pat dry.

3. Combine the vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, mustard seeds and turmeric in a small saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes. Set aside until just warm to the touch. (If the brine is too hot, it will cook the vegetables and make the pickles soft instead of crisp.)

4. Return the zucchini to a dry bowl and pour over the cooled brine. Stir to distribute the spices. Transfer the pickle to jars, preferably ones that have "shoulders" to hold the zucchini and onions beneath the surface of the brine. Seal tightly and refrigerate for at least a day before serving to allow the flavors to mellow and permeate the zucchini, turning them a brilliant chartreuse color.

Per quarter-cup serving: 27 calories, no protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, no fat, no cholesterol, 74 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

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