I have a weakness for pickles. It doesn’t matter what kind: sweet, sour, dill, garlic, spicy, it doesn’t matter to me. Nor am I picky about what vegetables to pickle though I am most partial to cucumbers, the “traditional” pickle, green beans and mushrooms. The only think I demand from a good pickle, especially a cucumber pickle is that it be crispy.

A few weekends ago we headed down to the Bristol Renaissance Faire, one of my favorite summer time activities. We have a great time each time we go and spend a lot of time eating and drinking our way through the festival. Dotted throughout the faire are pickle sellers selling giant pickles. You can’t go wrong for $1.50 and I usually really like them, but this year the pickle I bought was soft and mushy on the inside, and although the flavor was really good, I couldn’t get past that softness. Pickles should be crisp and there is just something wrong with a soft pickle in my opinion.

Of course, I’ve had more than my fair share of pickles that have failed on this point. Hopefully this year’s batch of fermented pickles won’t suffer from this common malady. Luckily, I have one full proof recipe that makes crisp pickles every time. It’s a recipe for refrigerator pickles that my parents have used since I can remember. I’m not sure where it came from originally.

While the upside to this recipe is that it always produces nice, thin, crisp pickles, the downside is that because the jars are not processed and sealed they must be refrigerated at all times and should be eaten within a few months (most extension offices will tell you that refrigerator pickles should be consumed within 2 months, but I have often eaten them at 4-6 months old – they never last longer than that no matter how big a batch I’ve made).

When making pickles it is important to use the proper type of cucumber. Those large, waxy skinned that are sold at most supermarkets are not good for pickle making. No matter what you do, they will always end up soft and mushy. Look for the smaller, bumpy skinned variety. They often go under the name Kirby cucumbers. Pickles will be at their best if the cucumbers have been freshly picked or are no more than a few days old. Make sure to use only unblemished cucumbers in pickle making. Save any bruised ones or ones with small amounts of mold for slicing and using on salads.

While I really like my family’s recipe, this time I decided to change it up just a bit. I left out the turmeric that is in the original and added some fresh jalapenos. I wanted a spicy pickle this time around, and to be honest I left the turmeric out because I was out and was too lazy to go to the store to pick some up. While I like the subtle flavor the turmeric lends to these pickles, they also tasted fine without it.

Since no cooking is involved this is a great, hot August day pickling activity. No stoves or pots of boiling water to heat up the kitchen and house!

Spicy Refrigerator Pickles

2 quarts pickling cucumbers, thinly sliced
1-2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2-4 jalapenos, thinly sliced (depending on the heat level you want)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. pickling salt
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Pack cucumbers, jalapenos and onions into a nonreactive jar (glass, stainless or a crock). Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over cukes making sure all the vegetables are submerged. Place in refrigerator and allow to mature for at least 1 week. During the first 3 days, occasionally invert the jar to make sure that all the vegetables are getting covered with the pickling solution. After 1 week start to taste the pickles. While they are ready in 1 week, I usually allow 2 full weeks before I break into them. Keep refrigerated.

This has been a great summer, here in Wisconsin,for a lot of farmers. We have had a relatively mild summer, with plenty of rain. It’s been years since I’ve seen corn and soy bean fields look as lush and green in the middle of August, and the corn is taller than I remember seeing it in ages. This has also been proven by the the shear abundance of produce at our local farmer’s market. Not only is there more of it, but everything is looking absolutely beautiful, from the large, sweet muskmelons, to the beautifully fragrant herbs, to the ripe, juicy peaches, it’s hard to beat the local produce this year!

It’s August and that means tomato season up here. We’ve harvested a few off of the couple of plants we put out this year, and have already received our first batch from my brother, with plenty more to be had at the farmer’s market. I can’t understand why anyone would even consider buying a grocery store tomato this time of year. Sorry, but there is no comparison between a grocery store tomato, that travelled hundreds of miles and a beautifully vine ripened local tomato.

When you’ve got such great local produce simple is often the way to go. Why mask produce, picked at the peak of ripeness, in lots of layers and heavy flavors. Let the food speak for itself, besides, in the heat of summer who wants to slave over a stove for hours. Keep it fast and simple, is often my motto this time of year, as opposed to my favored long braises that I enjoy in fall and winter.

This simple pasta meets all these requirements. It’s fast. It’s simple. And it takes full advantage of the ripest, most flavorful local and homegrown produce. This pasta, is by no means innovative, but sometimes falling back on the tried and true is the way to go, besides, who can resist that classic combination of tomato, basil and garlic!!!

Classic Tomato Basil Pasta
serves 4

1 pound pasta (linguine or fettuccine)
2 large tomatoes (the freshest, ripest ones you can get your hands on)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, hand torn into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water. Cook to al dente. Do not overcook! Meanwhile core and dice the tomatoes into 1/4-1/2″ cubes. In a large saute pan, add the olive oil, garlic and black pepper. Gently heat until the garlic just starts to cook. Once the pasta is cooked quickly drain and toss into the saute pan. Turn off the heat underneath the saute pan and add the tomatoes and basil. Toss until everything is well combined and the tomatoes and basil have been warmed through. Season with salt, tossing again to mix then divide among 4 plates. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and more freshly grated black pepper.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, yet again. Sorry, but between work and the hot, humid weather we haven’t been doing a whole lot of cooking recently. I promise to change that here really soon!

Local peaches have been showing up for the last 2 weeks or so. I made my first trip to the Little Farmer, one of my favorite places here in Wisconsin, and they start their season the beginning of August with early season apples and peaches that they get from a farmer over in Michigan. The peaches were superb and I had to pick up a bunch, both for eating and for cooking. I really like this year’s crop, sweet and super juicy, yet they seem to have a nice tart kick to them, even when fully ripe.

Normally, if I am going to pair peaches with any fruit it is usually raspberries, but since we are between raspberry crops, here in Wisconsin, I went with the next best thing and paired them with blackberries this time.

Cobblers come in various different forms. Some use a cake like batter poured over the top for a smooth topping, some people make a more biscuit like batter, and others use biscuit like dough and some even pour the batter in first, place the fruit on top and allow the batter to rise through the fruit as it cooks. It all depends on what part of the country you are from. I like them all and have recipes for numerous types of cobblers. This time I went with the more traditional biscuit like dough that I cut out and placed on top of the fruit.

Some people are intimidated by having to peel peaches. It really is quite easy if you know the trick. It is just like peeling tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut a shallow “X” in the bottom of the peach and place in the boiling water for about 15 seconds. Remove and quickly dunk in an ice bath. The peels will then easily slip off.

Blackberry Peach Cobbler

4-5 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 cup blackberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar + more for sprinkling on top
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup butter, diced and chilled
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss together peaches and blackberries in a large bowl.

In another bowl combine the sugars and the cornstarch. Sprinkle over the peach mixture and toss to combine. Transfer to a 9×9 baking pan or deep dish pie pan and set aside. To make the top, combine the salt, flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the butter.

Using a pastry cutter or a couple of knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and stir just to bring the dough together. Do not over stir. Pour out onto a lightly floured surface and knead once or twice to bring it all together. Pat out, into a circle about 1/2″ thick. Cut out into 2″ rounds. You might have gather up the dough and pat it out again. You should end up with 9-10 rounds. Place evenly on top of fruit mixture.

Sprinkle with a little sugar and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Allow to cool and set up for about 10 minutes before serving.

Meatloaf just doesn’t get any respect. It has never been able to rise above the ranks of “home cooked meal.” While other comfort foods such as mashed potatoes and mac and cheese have found their ways onto all but the most snobbish of menus, meatloaf hasn’t made many inroads. Sure, it has seen brief moments of popularity, and there are a few chefs out there that regularly menu meatloaf, but on a whole it has never caught on beyond home cooking.

That’s too bad, because meatloaf is one of those infinitely variable dishes. It can be made “old school” like Mom used to, with “ketchup glaze” and Lipton’s French Onion Soup mix or it can be flavored with any variety of herbs and spices, recalling the flavors of a world of cuisines, from Mexican to Indian to German.

Meatloaf is also great for busy families. It can easily be put together in the morning and left in the fridge all day long, while people are at work, then when someone arrives home, all that needs to be done is to toss it in the oven to bake. You can’t get much more simple than that.

I have to admit though, as much of a fan as I am of the humble meatloaf, I definitely prefer it the day after. It makes the perfect sandwich and it is one of the few leftovers that never spoil when I am around. This recipe makes exceptionally good sandwiches and my wife didn’t get much of a chance to eat this, beyond the first night.

Italian Meatloaf

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs
3/4 cup bread crumbs
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz. sundried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Saute the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil until they release all their juices. Add garlic and continue to saute until dry. Cool to room temperature. Combine with all remaining ingredients and form into a free form loaf approximately 5-6″ wide and about 12-14″ long.

Place in a preheated oven and bake, at 350°F, for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a thermometer, inserted into the center, reads 155°F. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

As many of you know, I spend a good bit of time helping my friend Nicko with his site Chef Talk. In fact, Nicko is the one who got me started on this whole food writing thing.

First off, I just finished a 3 part series on grilling. The 3rd part is on barbecuing and indirect grilling and can be found here

Also this month, Nicko, Chef Talk and Mad Cow Cutlery are giving away a 3 piece set of F Dick knives. Check it out for the Offical Rules.

And as always, if you have never checked out Chef Talk, it is a wonderful resource for all things cooking related and we have one of the most welcoming community forums around. Come check us out!!!