Picles Comitecos

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-quart glass jar with tight lid
• •Small saucepan for the vinegar brine
• •Sharp knife or mandoline
• •Clean spoon for packing the vegetables

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the jar

   Wash a 1-quart glass jar and lid with hot soapy water, then rinse well. The jar does not need to be fancy. It needs to be clean. Picles are make-ahead food, and careless jars ruin good vegetables.

2. 2

   Slice the vegetables

   Slice the red onions into thin half-moons and the carrots into thin coins, about 1/8 inch thick. Keep the cuts even so the vinegar reaches everything at the same pace. Thick carrot pieces stay raw in the center. Thin ones bend without turning soft.

3. 3

   Blanch the carrots

   Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the carrot coins and cook for 90 seconds, just until their orange color brightens. Drain immediately. Do not cook them tender. The carrot should still snap under your teeth. That crispness is the point.

4. 4

   Build the brine

   In a small saucepan, combine the white vinegar, water, salt, sugar, bay leaves, Mexican oregano, black peppercorns, crushed garlic, and chile serrano if using. Bring just to a simmer, stirring until the salt dissolves. The smell should be sharp with vinegar and rounded by oregano. If it smells flat, your oregano is old. Buy better oregano.

5. 5

   Pack the picles

   Layer the red onion and blanched carrot into the clean jar. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables, making sure the garlic, bay, peppercorns, and oregano go in too. Press the vegetables down with a clean spoon so they sit under the liquid. Add the optional oil now if you want the softer finish some Chiapas market cooks use.

6. 6

   Cool and rest

   Let the jar cool uncovered until it reaches room temperature, then seal it and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. The onions will turn pink, the carrots will take the vinegar, and the garlic will stop shouting. Eat them too soon and you taste separate ingredients. Wait and you taste picles. Así se hace y punto.

7. 7

   Serve cold

   Serve cold or cool, spooned over pan compuesto, tortas, grilled meats, beans, or a plate of chicharrón. Use a clean spoon every time. The vegetables should be glossy, tart, crisp, and fragrant with bay and oregano.

Chef Tips

• •Use white vinegar for the clean Chiapas bite. Apple cider vinegar makes the brine rounder and darker. That is a different flavor. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •The chile serrano is optional because these picles are not defined by heat. The required flavor is vinegar, red onion, carrot, garlic, oregano, and bay. Not all Mexican food is chile first.
• •Mexican oregano matters. Mediterranean oregano tastes sweeter and softer. If that is all you have, use it, but know what you are missing.
• •Do not replace this with Yucatecan cebolla encurtida. That belongs to cochinita pibil and sour orange. These picles belong to Chiapas and to pan compuesto. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the picles at least 24 hours ahead. They are better after 2 days, when the onion has softened and the carrot has absorbed the brine.
• •Keep refrigerated and use within 2 weeks. Always use a clean spoon so the jar stays clean.
• •For a picnic, keep the jar chilled until serving. These are vinegar pickles, not shelf-stable canned preserves.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 120g)