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Spicy Pickled Beans

Cooking Light
Spicy Pickled Beans
Photo: Jan Smith
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Worthy of a Special Occasion

Keep these crunchy, sweet-sour-spicy beans on hand for snacking, set them out on a relish tray at a cocktail party, or use in place of celery for bloody Marys.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 ounce beans)

Ingredients

  • 2  quarts water
  • 1  tablespoon  salt
  • 1/2  pound  green beans, trimmed
  • 1/2  pound  wax beans, trimmed
  • 1 1/4  cups  red wine vinegar
  • 1/2  cup  sugar
  • 1/2  cup  sherry vinegar or cider vinegar
  • 1/2  cup  vodka
  • 2  tablespoons  mustard seeds
  • 1  tablespoon  black peppercorns
  • 2  teaspoons  fennel seeds
  • 1  to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
  • 4  garlic cloves
  • 4  fresh dill sprigs
  • 2  bay leaves

Preparation

Bring 2 quarts water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add beans; cook 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; place in a large bowl.

Combine red wine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Pour over beans; cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 24 hours. Discard dill and bay leaves. Drain, if desired.

Note: Refrigerate beans in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Nutritional Information

Calories:
21 (13% from fat)
Fat:
0.3g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.1g)
Protein:
0.8g
Carbohydrate:
3.8g
Fiber:
1.3g
Cholesterol:
0.0mg
Iron:
0.5mg
Sodium:
47mg
Calcium:
18mg
Julie Grimes, Cooking Light, JULY 2005

Member Ratings and Reviews

5 stars
ChefSarahB
LOVE this recipe! I have made this recipe over and over again. They make a fabulous "free" snack- perfect crunch and spice. I use 1 tsp dill weed instead of the fennel, a little less sugar, and add a sliced hot red jalapeno pepper without the seeds to add just a bit more spice.08/20/06

5 stars
hopgoddess
I guess if you like sweet things that are overwhelmed by the flavor of fennel you would like this, but it was way too sweet and had an off after taste. I think if you reduce the amount of fennel and sugar it might be okay, but I'll be looking for another pickled bean recipe for the future.08/01/05