Pickled Ochre
Ochre in Pickling Liquid
Ochre/ Okra/Lady's fingers and I have had a love/hate relationship for a long time. I remember hating it in soup because it was mushy and slimy but, loving it fried crispy with roti. Pickled Ochre was a mind blowing discovery for me in New Orleans. I had never heard of or conceived, pickled ochre?! I was intrigued, would it be slimy? Mushy ? How would it taste ? I bought a jar and honestly it was fantastic . Briny , salty and crisp with the unmistakable earthy green ochre taste. I know, some folks are going to be like what? Never! I will say keep an open mind because it is pretty easy to make and very easily used like a regular pickle.
I pulled together a quick recipe based on the things I had in my cupboard plus I had ochre in my fridge that were on the verge of being evicted to the trashcan . As always, tweak the recipe based on what you like …add some hot peppers? Dill? Use different pickling spices ? To me it's fun to experiment with ingredients that I am familiar with in different preparations based on new dishes or cuisines I have discovered . Let me know if you will be giving this one a try. PS remember my Chinese Black Bean and Garlic Ochre ..if you tried that one maybe think about trying this ?
Preparation for Ochre Pickling
Ingredients:
10 ochres halved
2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp black peppercorns (whole)
2 sprigs thyme
1/2 tbs salt
1/2 tbs sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
Preparation:
Toast spices in a warm pan for 3-5 minutes .
Place spices, salt, sugar, vinegar, water on medium heat until boiling, 5 -10 minutes.
Place ochre, thyme and garlic in pickling jar.
Pour vinegar solution into the jar ensuring the ochre is submerged.
Allow jar to cool and place in refrigerator and enjoy for 2 -3 weeks.