Southern Style Cooking: Smashed Pickles, Homemade Seasonings, and More

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Smashed Pickles, Homemade Seasonings, and More

This Winter, I'm All About DIY Cooking Projects

My grandmother used to have a section of her basement stacked floor to ceiling with canning jars full of ruby red tomatoes and blushing peaches – late summer captured and sealed in a jar. There was also a section devoted to rows of homemade applesauce and apple butter from the apple trees out back. And, like any good Eastern European immigrant, sauerkraut and garlicky pickles to round out the stash. I loved "going shopping" on these shelves back then, and that do-it-yourself ethos still carries on in me.

DIY projects are a great way to spend chilly and grey winter afternoons. And there are plenty of ways to get a little crafty in your kitchen beyond canning pots and jars.

Quick pickles like these spicy Korean cucumber pickles or these smashed pickles require only one to two hours in the fridge before they are ready for snacking. People often think of fermentation as a process that requires special equipment like crocks and weeks or months of patience. But, with recipes like this quick red cabbage sauerkraut, this easy take on kimchi, and these lacto fermented carrots, all you need is a few days.

Infusions make for another great DIY journey. Making lemon infused olive oil, for example, gives you a jump start on flavor the next time you roast potatoes, chicken, or make a salad dressing. Infusing salt with herbs like rosemary or the tingly bite of Sichuan peppercorns will also pay off dividends when future you steps in the kitchen for meal prep. And once you make a spice blend from freshly ground whole spices, you will likely never look twice at that dusty jar of Jerk seasoning on your grocery store shelf. This blackened seasoning and its lesser-known relative, beau monde seasoning, are both pantry staples that lend flavor to any protein or potato you may be craving.

Don't ignore your home bar either. Italian classics like amaretto and limoncello would be perfect to from scratch this winter. They're forgiving recipes that require the most basic of ingredients and are perhaps the easiest of the bunch.

While my Brooklyn apartment may not have the space for me to "put up" a bunch of canned goods like my grandmother did, seeing a little jar of homemade seasoning when I open the cupboard or the quick pickles perched on the shelf in my fridge brings me a sense of accomplishment and a smile to my face.

Kristin Stangl
Editor