Pickled Garlic

By LittleValley

I like to pickle many different things, but I never thought to pickle garlic. I discovered this delicious idea while traveling in Russia, where the tangy vegetable often appears on hors d’oeuvres trays. Pickling mellows the garlic flavor a bit, and makes it slightly sweet. You can pop the garlic cloves from their skins and eat them as is, toss them in salads, or chop them up and put them on bread. The pickling process is quick and easy. Here’s how it’s done.

Ingredients

• 6 heads of garlic
• 4 cups white-wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 small dried chili peppers
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lemon

Preparation

Step 1

Start with the heads of garlic. Keep them whole, but carefully peel off all but one layer of the papery skin. Next, in a medium, non-reactive saucepan, combine white-wine vinegar, sugar, black peppercorns, cloves, chili peppers, bay leaf, and the rind of one lemon, cut into strips. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and boil for 2 minutes to blend the flavors. Then, add the garlic heads and boil for 4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and allow it to sit overnight in the refrigerator. Transfer everything to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Pickled garlic is a real treat for any garlic lover—crunchy, tangy, and delicious!