Italian Gourmet Spice Blend

Pickles in a "Pinch"

I've made this really great and SIMPLE pickled cucumber salad a couple times recently. Using the recipe from Southern Food, instead of the "salt & pepper to taste", I used a generous teaspoon of Pinch, Italian Gourmet Spice Blend. Please, double or quadruple this recipe!!! Hardly any extra work, and more to enjoy longer.

I've always liked the combination of garlic and dill (which is what inspired me), and am a big fan of rice wine vinegar - WOW! It worked really well!

I make the "dressing" in a sealable bag before I start the cukes - more time for the great, simple flavors to blend; I tried it with dried dill (1 tsp per batch) the second time I made it and it was just as good as the fresh, but it took a little longer to fully emerge, so this is a good tip!

You can make the recipe as described, but if you have a little extra time, my preference is to slice the cukes very thin (no need to peel that way - use a food processor or mandolin?) and sprinkle with a couple teaspoons of table salt or Tablespoons of kosher salt and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to overnight. Drain the liquid, rinse, drain again - and rinse and drain again if you choose. This process gets rid of the excess liquid that can easily accumulate, and dilute the flavor (and, no, it doesn't make them salty).

It takes very little time for the marinade to soak in (whether you salt the cukes or not) - and if you "salt", they'll taste better longer (assuming you have some left?). Just keep them refrigerated.