The dill with Picklesburgh

There’s a new food festival coming to town and it’s going to be a really “big dill”!

That’s right, a flavor packed food and music festival called Picklesburgh, is coming to Downtown Pittsburgh July 17th and 18th!

The annual summer festival will go beyond the dill pickle to celebrate all things pickled and will have something for everyone.

Get your pickling on with how-to demos and DIY canning, sling back a selection of artisan cocktails, enjoy live outdoor music and entertainment and snap the perfect pickle selfie with a giant 35-foot pickle balloon in the city we love most!

Our catering division has always made a “big dill” out of delicious pickled treats! Vibrant colors, crisp textures, and bold flavors are on the menu.
Delight your guests with chef pickled garden items such as gardeneria, dilly beans, bread and butter pickles, pickled ramps and radishes and pickled fiddlehead ferns.

Catering: JPC Event Group
Photography: Kelsey Kradel Photography

 If you are just excited as we are, it might be hard to wait until July to get your salty-sweet fix.
Here are some delicious pickle worthy recipes to help hold you over until Picklesburgh.

Dill Pickles from Food & Wine Magazine

These incredibly simple pickles have just the right amount of garlic and dill and are intensely crunchy and refreshing right out of the refrigerator.

Recipe and Image from Food & Wine Magazine

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon dill seeds
2 cups hot water
2 pounds kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cup coarsely chopped dill
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1. In a large, heatproof measuring cup, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and dill seeds with the hot water and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let the brine cool.
2. In a large bowl, toss the cucumbers with the dill and garlic. Pour the brine over the cucumbers and turn to coat. Place a small plate over the cucumbers to keep them submerged, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the pickles overnight, stirring once or twice. Serve cold.

Make Ahead

The dill pickles can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Pickled Pineapple with Habanero, Mint and Basil

This pickle recipe manages to be sweet, spicy and refreshing all at the same time, getting heat from habaneros and a cool kick from mint. At this hot spot, all pickled dishes—like Brussels sprouts with garlic and dill, or mangos with allspice and lime—are served in jars.

Found on Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Recipe courtesy David Rotter, chef, Boulton & Watt

Ingredients:

1 star anise
¼ stick of cinnamon
1 clove
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon mustard seed
3 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2 quarts distilled vinegar
3 quarts water
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1 whole pineapple peeled, cored and cut into bite size chunks
½ habanero pepper
2 sprigs basil
5 sprigs mint

In a large bowl, combine herbs and spices with vinegar, water, sugar and salt to form pickling liquid. Bring mixture to a boil. Then lower flame and let simmer for
15 minutes. Strain and reserve liquid.

In a separate bowl, combine pineapple chunks with habanero, basil and mint. Pour the strained pickling liquid in. Cover and let sit for an hour before placing in the refridgerator to chill for a few hours. Pickles keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Wine Recommendation:

Beverage Director Jamie Felber suggests a rosé to match with the pickled pineapple, specifically the light and fruity Moulin De Gassac 2011 Guilhem Rouge from Pays d’Hérault in the Languedoc. “It’s Grenache based and has simple but pleasant, ripe red fruit characteristics with a touch of rose petal,” says Felber. “The wine would serve mostly as a refreshing foil to the dish rather than an accent to any particular flavors.”