There’s a joke in the foodie community that once you learn to pickle something, there’s not a piece of produce you’ll look at without exclaiming, “Hey!! I could pickle that!!”
And it’s true. Everything is just better—pickled. You’ve met a few of the Food La La hostess crew, but I want to introduce you today to a very special one, Joanna, who shared her brilliant pickled apple recipe for us this week.
the need-to-know on Jo:
1. Where were you born? In England (our parents—I have a twin!—were traveling around Europe during that time in a VW camper van, but moved to the states, Greensboro, NC, when I was 4.
2. Favorite foodie treasure in San Francisco? Brenda’s Soulfood! Best creole shrimp and goat cheese stuffed omelette (go for weekday brunch to avoid the crowds if you can!)
3. Most underrated kitchen appliance? A great (sharp!) chef’s knife.
4. Favorite way to use pumpkin spice? Classic pumpkin pie (our grandmother is from Mississippi, nothing better than a homemade pumpkin pie in the fall!)
5. Most memorable Halloween costume? iPod dancers from the Apple commercial (she’s the green one!)
Scroll down for her pickled apple recipe (I’m hiding them in a ricotta grilled cheese this afternoon, but you could also add them to a cheese platter, toss into a salad, use with crostini, or make a big batch and gift them for the holidays (because who needs more stuff?!)
Food La La Recipe: Pickled Apples
Ingredients:
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 TBS salt
3 cinnamon sticks
3 whole star anise
1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced
1 large shallot
½ jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 rib celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Steps:
In a large pot, combine the sugar, water, and vinegar and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
Reduce heat to a simmer, add cinnamon and star anise and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.
Fill a large mason jar with the sliced apple, shallot, jalapeno, celery and rosemary.
Pour solution into the jar(s), seal and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before consuming.
Psst! A few recipe notes:
Note: If you don’t have jars, just make it in glass storage containers or a mixing bowl!