Five-Spice Pickled Carrots

This recipe scales like a champ—I’m showing you how to make one jar, but it’s easy enough to make a dozen (and this is the only recipe in this collection that works for canning). I’m a big fan of the combination of five-spice’s warm flavors lightened by fresh lemon juice; try it on cooked buttered carrots and you’ll see what I mean. This pickle, while not traditional, is a beautiful and piquant appetizer; or a few spears will snuggle up nicely to your sandwich. Chopped fine, it’s also a nice addition to a warm bowl of congee.

Makes 2 cups

TIME: 3 DAYS

12 to 14 ounces carrots

1 small clove garlic, smashed

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (not from Meyer lemons)

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

½ cup cool tap water

Peel and trim the carrots, then cut them into sticks approximately 4 inches long and ½-inch thick. (If you plan on canning this pickle for shelf storage, sterilize the jars and prepare the lids.) Place the garlic in the bottom of a 1-pint canning jar. Then, standing them upright, pack the carrot sticks into the jar as tightly as possible. (If canning, make certain that the carrotsaren’t any taller than the rim of the jar.) Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over high heat, combine the five- spice, salt, lemon juice, and vinegar. Stir together and bring the brine to a boil. Immediately pour over the carrots. Then boil the water in the same pot and pour as much of it as necessary over the carrots to fill the jar. (If canning these, leave ¼ inch to ½ inch of headspace at the top.)

Cap and shake the jar gently to combine the ingredients. (If you’re canning, process the carrots in a hot-water bath for 15 minutes, let cool, and check for a proper seal.)

Allow the carrots to sit in the brine for 3 days to develop their flavor, shaking from time to time. Canned carrots can be stored on the shelf up to one year, but open jars should be refrigerated and they will last at least 3 months.

hancheng

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