Sweet Pickled Carrots and Cauliflower

I absolutely love, love, love, this Sweet Pickled Carrots and Cauliflower recipe and I wish that I could credit myself with it, but instead, credit where credit is due, it comes from Food and Wine. It could easily have been overlooked in the magazine. The photos aren’t stunning, but the flavors, oh, the flavors. I have to say, these Sweet Pickled Carrots and Cauliflower are probably my favorite pickles to date. They’re sweet, they’re spiced, they’re a touch spicy, they’re so flavorful and they make cauliflower, what is in my opinion one of the most boring vegetables, absolutely come alive with flavor and texture. I can’t rave enough about these Sweet Pickled Carrots and Cauliflower. So while you may have to make a run to the store for some of the spices, I guarantee you’ll be glad you did. And since they’re a quick pickle, this recipe is actually really straight-forward and fast. And the Sweet Pickled Carrots and Cauliflower are so delicious that you won’t need to worry about long term-storage for them- they’ll be long gone before you could even begin to think about them going bad. Even if nothing else from my Scandinavian Thanksgiving Menu inspires you, I’m pretty sure this rave review of Sweet Pickled Carrots and Cauliflower will have you salivating and getting ready for cocktail hour.

Print Recipe

Sweet Pickled Carrots and Cauliflower

Sweet Pickled Carrots and Cauliflower with fennel, juniper berries, cumin and cointreau are sweet, spiced, spicy and savory for a cocktail hour treat.

Prep Time1 day d 10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time1 day d 20 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• ½ teaspoon anise seeds
• One 2-inch cinnamon stick broken
• 1 tablespoon fennel pollen
• 1 tablespoon juniper berries
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup sea salt
• ¼ cup Cointreau or other triple sec
• 1 bag baby carrots or about 6 carrots sliced into small pieces
• 2 bags of pre-cut cauliflower florets or 1 head
• 4 half-pints jars for carrots
• 4 half-pints jars for cauliflower
• 1 quart jar for cauliflower

Instructions

• In a large saucepan, combine the fennel and coriander seeds, allspice berries, clove, anise seeds and cinnamon stick; toast over moderate heat until fragrant, 1 – 2 minutes.
• Transfer to a small bowl to cool. Stir in the fennel pollen, bay leaf and crushed red pepper.
• Wrap the spice mixture in a double layer of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string or use a spice ball like I did (thanks, Dad).
• Add the water to the saucepan along with both vinegars and the sugar, salt and Cointreau.
• Add the spice bag and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cover and simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes.
• Add the carrots to the simmering liquid and cook until just tender (2-3 minutes). Transfer carrots to a bowl to stop the cooking.
• Repeat the process with the cauliflower and transfer to a separate bowl. Discard the spices and let the pickling liquid cool.
• Pack the pickles into jars. Pour the pickling liquid over the carrots and cauliflower.
• Cover and refrigerate the pickles overnight.
• Drain the carrots and cauliflower before serving. Oh, so good.