Refrigerator Pickles

You know how you can show someone you care about them?  Cook them something they love to eat.  You know how you can show someone you REALLY care about them?  Cook them something they love to eat, but that you hate.  This, my friends, is a true sacrifice.  Occasionally I will saute mushrooms for my mom and husband to add to their pasta, or their stir fry.  I have to, like, touch them.  And smell them.  My kitchen smells like them when I'm done.  And I have to live knowing that my skillet once had mushrooms touching it.  And yet, somehow, I plow forward, for the benefit of those I love.

This past Father's Day, I made authentic New Orleans style muffaletta sandwiches for my dad, because apparently some people don't think olives are gross.  Weird, right?  The smell of them almost made me hurl.  But, again, I powered through, for my dad's sake, because it was such a delight to see how much he enjoyed it.  I felt like a god damned saint.

This recipe is one of those moments where I made something I would never eat--pickles.  I do not eat pickles.  I do not like pickles touching my food in any way.  I do not like pickles to have been on my food and then been picked off.  IT LEAVES JUICE, YOU GUYS.  I do not like pickles to be in the same room as my food.  I don't even like the word pickle.  It's just SILLY, that's why.

But, hey, my family all likes them.  So, because I have a garden growing cucumbers like crazy, and because my husband asked me to make Cuban sandwiches, I thought I'd give it a go.  This is a recipe from my Grandpa's side of the family that has been tucked into my mom's recipe box for decades.  I've never known her to ever make them, but I bet that will change now, because she raved about them.  So did my dad; he said they were perfect on the Cuban sandwich.  But of course, you can make them yourself if you don't trust the opinion of someone who likes olives.

Uncle Gene's Refrigerator Pickles

As the name probably implies, these are not meant to be processed and canned for long term storage.  They are not cooked, which keeps them really crunchy.  But that does mean you need to store them in the refrigerator, so this doesn't make a huge batch.  I ended up with 2 (very full) pint sized jars.  I used pickling cucumbers, so I did not peel them.  Of course, that part is personal preference.

6 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
1 medium onion, sliced
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. pickling salt
1 tsp. dried dill weed
1 cup cider vinegar

Combine onions, sugar, salt, dill, and vinegar.  Give it a really vigorous whisking to try to dissolve as much sugar as possible.  Pour over cucumbers and refrigerate at least overnight before eating.