Quickled Purple Carrots with Scandinavian Flavors

These can be part of a salad, tossed into sandwiches, or just eaten as is. The white vinegar, dill, and dill seed/caraway are the Scandinavian influence.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups white vinegar

½ cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt, crushed

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

5 sprigs fresh dill

¼ teaspoon dill seeds or caraway seeds

¼ teaspoon coriander seeds

2 cups purple carrots, scrubbed, cut into 3/16^th inch coins

METHOD:

Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil until the sugar and salt disappear, then add coriander seed, pepper and dill seed/caraway. Boil 1 minute.

Add the fresh herbs and the carrots, and boil 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Cover the carrots and refrigerate until cold. If you are going to keep the carrots for more than a 3-4 days, remove the fresh herbs from the solution and discard.

Remove carrots from solution and drain before serving. Carrots should keep around 2 weeks. If you wish, cut up a little dill and scatter over the carrots before serving.

Chef’s Notes:

If you like a more vinegary pickle, decrease the water by ¼ to ½ cup. If you like them a little sweeter, raise the sugar content as far as 1 cup.

Yield: Around 2 cups

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen