Monthly Archives: June 2009

>Grillo’s Pickles: Turn on, Tune in, Drop out

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By chance I saw that a company called Grillo’s Pickles had joined my Pickle Freak Facebook group. I immediately googled the website and then sent them a quick note.

After a lovely round of emails I had a box on my doorstep filled with pickles, sun-dried tomatoes, stickers and even a t-shirt!

Grillo’s Pickles are “Italian Dills” made from an 80 year old Italian recipe. The current Grillo keeping this traditional family recipe alive is one Travis Grillo, a young man passionate about pickles. Travis sells his pickles online and in about 50 different stores in the Boston area. He also started selling them from his very own pickle cart about a year ago and says he “has never looked back”. 2 spears for $1 all summer long just as you get off the train at the Park Street stop in Boston.

Travis is out there bringing pickles to the people and the very thought makes me place my hand upon my heart and wipe away a salty tear.

I’d never heard of an “Italian Dill” before but I would describe these “like a kosher pickle…but GOOD”! Which is really just to say they have a wonderful fresh flavor that goes beyond the basic kosher pickle. Grillo’s pickles are bathed in a vinegar based brine and are packed with fresh garlic and DILL. The taste is fresh, crunchy and crispy but the garlic and dill linger and make you want another and another and another. I actually finished my container of pickles so quickly I wasn’t even able to photograph them.

Travis informed me that Grillo’s Pickles are a lifestyle and a movement and that he hopes he can “turn me on”. Pretty hot talk for an 80 year old (recipe). Well, trust me, I turned on and tuned in a LONG time ago. But if drinking martinis called The Green Mile using Grillo’s pickles and juice at the upscale Boston bar Alibi is part of the movement, I’m willing to pull my share. You can do YOUR share by ordering from Grillo’s or by stopping by the pickle cart and giving our fearless pickle brother a dollar and a hearty salute!

Twitt

>I’m a Believer

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Back in May I took a pickling class at The Brooklyn Kitchen with pickling wizard, Bob McClure. That’s him in the picture, and if it looks a little blurry that’s because he’s standing behind a vaporous curtain of steaming vinegar and water.

June is Pickling and Canning Month at The Brooklyn Kitchen. They offer all sorts of great classes and have everything you could possibly need for whatever it is you like to conjure up in the kitchen.

Bob really impressed me with his ability to talk about the scientific side of pickling (pH balances etc) all the while sterilizing jars and packing them with mustard seeds, chopped bell peppers, jalapenos and asparagus. Yes, that’s right, we made pickled ASPARAGUS. If you had asked me before I took this class if I liked asparagus I would have said NO. Firmly. But when I opened the pickled pint I got to take home after the class I couldn’t believe it myself! I like ASPARAGUS…or pickled asparagus at least and if you know me and my unreasonable distaste of vegetables, then you know, THIS IS MAGIC!

When Bob McClure is not performing magic with vinegar, he’s actually out there, well, performing. He is Jed in the hilarious The Burg and the writer and creator of Alls Faire. I have to say Bob McClure IS a wizard “which is funny because I’m pretty sure there were no wizards in the Renaissance…or ever.”

Twitt

>Cochon B & B Pickles

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>I came home recently and found a package from my friend Brad. Brad lives in Florida but visits New York frequently to hobo around town and eat and drink. Earlier in the year he emailed me and said:

Did I tell you I started culinary school? And by “culinary school” I mean “community college.” We have a culinary program here, and I managed to take the classes for free, so what the hell. It’s pretty great. The chef is a crazy Hungarian guy in his late 60′s who used to have a fancy-schmancy restaurant out near Seaside. He’s a Vietnam vet and former Green Beret, so he yells a lot. The other day he critiqued one girl’s dish by saying “Eet eez so bad, not even my dog would eet zhis! And my dog eez very big, with head like cow!” It was awesome. We also got to cut up a whole pig last week. We used a saw. We had to saw open the head and spoon out the brains. Again, awesome. So, yeah, anyway I’m trying to cook and eat more “real” food too. But I still plan on stopping by the Winn-Dixie deli to get some fried chicken and mac&cheese for lunch today.

So, as you can see, Brad has taste I can trust. Not afraid of the high brow, but never too good for the low brow. I found in the package a small jar of Bread & Butter Pickles from a place in New Orleans called Cochon. I’d never heard of it before but I was just in Mississippi last week and several of my friends were familiar with it and made it a frequent stop on their trips to New Orleans. I googled it and immediately saw the draw… whole pigs, house made meats, moonshine and yes, they make their own pickles!

I’ve never really embraced Bread & Butter pickles before but since starting this blog, I’ve tried to really be open and thorough in my approach to ALL pickles…and hey, they were FREE. This approach is teaching me that I have a capacity for pickle appreciation waaaay beyond what I ever thought possible. The Cochon B & B pickles have a great fresh taste- pickle-y but with a tiny hint of cucumber taste lingering behind. The jar is packed with onions and coriander seeds too, which I love to bite down on. I went through most of the jar last night, just with a fork, as is my style, but Brad reports they are mighty tasty on a sammich. I believe him but I’m gonna need to try the Spicy Grilled Pork Ribs with Watermelon Pickle (for $9!!!!) myself! Hello head like cow!

Twitt