A good old fashioned sandwich deserves slices of these good old fashioned Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles, or ‘khiar shoor’, as we call them in Farsi. These pickles are crunchy and spicy with a hint of tarragon flavor. These pickles take only 5 minutes to prepare, and they can be enjoyed in a few days. You will want to eat them right out of the jar. Have you ever had to remove every tasteless slippery sliced pickle out of your sandwich and discretely toss it away before someone catches you doing it? Not these pickles. If you like spicy pickles you are going to love these.
No, this is not a recipe for homemade pickles; I will leave that to the experts for now. I buy my favorite crunchy baby dill pickles (Costco baby dill pickles) and spice them up with perfect flavors and a kick. I usually make several jars at a time because they are so easy to make and even easier to disappear once the jar is opened.
Peel the garlic cloves, slice the serrano, or jalapeno peppers (leave the core with seeds in), wash and dry the tarragon sprigs; that is all it takes
Tightly close the lid and store the jars of pickle in the refrigerator for a week or so, until the peppers lose their bright green color. The pickles will be infused with the flavor of garlic and tarragon, and the kick of the hot peppers. Enjoy these spicy pickles with your favorite sandwiches. I strongly recommend using these pickles in Salad Olivieh, which is a Persian favorite, chicken/potato/egg salad.
- 1 jar of your favorite crunchy baby dill pickles (I've used the Costco brand)
- 3-4 large garlic cloves peeled and cut in half
- 1-2 serrano peppers (or jalapeno peppers) with seeds
- Three 4-5 inch long fresh tarragon sprigs.
- Open the jar and take out 3-4 pickles from the top and set aside.
- Add halved garlic cloves to the jar and use the handle of a spoon to press them down.
- Remove and discard the stems of the serrano peppers. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise. Do not remove the seeds. Add the pepper halves to the jar and push them down into the spaces between the pickles. Wear gloves any time you are handling hot peppers.
- Wash and pat dry the tarragon sprigs with a paper towel and slip them down into the jar.
- Put back as many of the reserved pickles into the jar as you can. Remove a few tablespoons of pickle juice if you need to make more room.
- Screw back the lid tightly on the jar and store in the refrigerator for about a week. The peppers will change color and the pickles will be flavorful and spicy.
What a great idea! I really like it. I shall give it a try. 🙂
Fae, if you like spicy food, like I do, you’re going to love this easy fix. I have become a pickle snob and seriously can’t enjoy bland pickles anymore 😉