On Aug 27, 5:32*pm, aem > wrote:
> These were given as a garnish for the Bloody Mary recipe I linked to
> earlier from the L.A. Times. *For those with a backyard harvest or a
> good farmers' market, these also look like a great refrigerator
> munchie even if you're skipping the drinks.
>
> Spicy pickled green beans
>
> 1 pound green beans, trimmed
>
> 1 cup red wine vinegar
> 1/2 cup cider vinegar
> 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
> 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
> 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
> 2 tablespoons salt
> 1 tablespoon sugar
> 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
> 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
> 8 garlic cloves, chopped
> 8 fresh dill sprigs, chopped
> 4 bay leaves
>
> 1. Boil the beans until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and cool
> in a bowl of ice water. Drain and set aside in a shallow baking dish.
>
> 2. In a medium saucepan, combine remaining ingredients and bring to a
> boil. *Cook for 1 minute, stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
>
> 3. Pour the vinegar solution over the beans to cover completely.
> Marinate, refrigerated for at least 24 hours. *The beans will keep
> refrigerated for 3 to 4 weeks.
>
> Note on the last two sentences: *it's not clear to me whether you
> drain the beans before storing them for the longer term, or store them
> in the pickling juice. *Which would you do? *-aem

I'm gonna make these but not use that much crushed red peppers, I
will leave the "juice" on the beans - otherwise they will wrinkle up
and start looking like the Wicked Witch's Dead Green Fingers.
(What a good idea for Halloween!)
Lynn in Fargo
Nearing the end of affordable fresh green bean season . . .