Guest Post by Chef Mike

Today I am honored to welcome the great Chef Mike Baruch to my blog with his guest post ~ a wonderful Kosher Dill Pickle recipe for you!  You will recall my posts about his cookbooks:  Street Food Chicago, posted on July 20^th and The New Polish Cuisine, posted on August 9^th. 

Take it away, Chef Mike:

With the heat wave that has been scorching the Midwest; everyone's vegetable garden is overflowing with delicious tomatoes and cucumbers. Unfortunately, it leaves a lot of green ones on the vine.

Most people think that pickles are pressure-cooked to last a year, however I've got a great recipe that enables you to eat them in a week. The process is called "cold pack" which means that the pickles are brined in a solution then refrigerated immediately and take on good taste and flavor within 3 days.

The secret to a good pickle is to pick them early in the morning and process them within 2 hours. Never soak in water, a quick rinse is all that's needed. Store-bought pickles are too mushy so try to find them at a green grocer or farmer's market that can supply you with freshly grown product. The recipe yields 2 quarts.

Kosher Dills in Vinegar Brine

4 cups water

2 T Kosher Salt
2 T White Vinegar
1/2 bunch fresh dill, stems removed
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp. mixed pickling spice
Pinch Black Peppercorns
Pinch Dill Seeds
1 Dried Red Pepper Pod

5 Pickling Cucumbers
5 to 6 Green Tomatoes


Rinse the cucumbers and tomatoes under cold water and dry.

Cut into half inch pieces.

Coursely chop the dill and place in the bottom of a 2 Quart canning jar.

Pack in the pickles and tomatoes and slide in the side, the pepper pod.

Now in a saucepan heat the remaining ingredients to a simmer then turn off and cool.

When cool use a ladle and top the pickles with the brine to 1/2 inch from the top of the jar. (Try to scoop up as much of the spice as you can)

Immediately seal with a lid and leave on the counter for 1 hour.

Refrigerate after an hour and you should enjoy them within 3 to 7 days.

Thanks so much Chef Mike for the guest post and the great recipe that I hope you all try!

Visit my friend, Linda’s wonderful blog, My Kind of Cooking, for a chance to win her great cookbook!