Quick Pickled Asparagus

Either by themselves or as part of a mixed tray of appetizers, these pickled asparagus spears are a quiet hit.  First they'll try one (just to be polite), and then they realized they've eaten half a dozen.  The title says "quick", and that is true of the prep time, but you really want a good 24+ hours of time marinating in the refrigerator before serving.  Of course, I like mine a bit tangy, so if you have some really fresh picked asparagus and want to showcase their flavor, you could cut back on that a bit.

This recipe is the merging of several on-line recipes, along with some minor tweaks of my own.  However, the bulk of it is based on the recipe at Love and Lemons, so you might want to check out their version as well.

Equipment:

• 12 - 16 oz canning jar or 1.5 qt glass or ceramic loaf pan.  Avoid metal pans as they may react with the vinegar based marinade.

Ingredients:

• • 1 bunch asparagus, thin spears

  • ½ shallot, very thinly sliced

  • 1 garlic clove, sliced

  • A few dill sprigs

  • 1 cup distilled white vinegar

  • 1 cup water

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 tablespoon sea salt

  • 1 teaspoon multicolored (aka rainbow) peppercorns.

Directions:

• 1. Trim and discard the woody ends of the asparagus and then trim the spears so that they fit vertically in jars or lengthwise in the pan that you will be marinating them in. Sprinkle in the shallot, garlic, and dill. You may need to adjust the amount of brine used depending on the size and shape of your jars or pan.

  2. Heat the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve, about 1 minute. Pour the hot brine over the asparagus, making sure it's fully submerged, then sprinkle in the peppercorns. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and chill overnight. Store pickled asparagus for up to two weeks in the fridge.

Note: The flavor added by the whole peppercorns is often so subtle as to be non-existent, particularly given the short time under heat and then cooling in the refrigerator. I suspect that the original recipe used them primarily as a visual garnish.  They do add a bit of class to the presentation, so I recommend adding them as described above.