Necessity is the mother of invention and, as inventions go, pickling is right up there with the best of ‘em. The preservation method has a storied history that traces back thousands of years to Mesopotamia and to the Tigris Valley of India. People needed a way to preserve cucumbers and, according to legend, Cleopatra needed a way to stay pretty.
This may be news to hipsters, but extolling the virtues of pickling is nothing new. What is novel is using it as a money saving/investment hack. By taking the brine from store-bought pickles or making your own you can use up all your veggies and turn them into snack and condiment options for your meals.
This pickled cauliflower needs no recipe as it’s just what you see: store bought brine with some leftover shallot and thyme thrown in. After this brines for 2-4 days, I’ll throw in some brown sugar and use the brine yet again for a pork tenderloin. Since this cut of pork has so little fat on it, it needs a nudge and brining meat works wonders to change the structure of the protein. Give the pork sleepover in the brine and pat dry before searing and slow roasting. The added sugar will make it caramelize nicely and you’ll have tender meat in about half the cooking time.
Look here for the origin of the phrase, “in a pickle.”