Spicy Pickled Beans

These pickled beans make for a great snack to have on hand during the summer – just keep in an airtight jar in the fridge and pick out a few every once in a while! They’re also great on a platter of appetizers during cocktail hour.

Make this at least the day before you want them ready. Bring 2 quarts (8 cups) of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add half a cup trimmed green beans and half a cup trimmed wax beans, and cook for four minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan, combine one and a quarter cups red wine vinegar, half a cup raw sugar, half a cup sherry (or cider) vinegar, half a cup vodka (I used Absolut), 2 tablespoons whole mustard seeds, one tablespoon black peppercorns, 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 4 whole garlic cloves, 4 dill sprigs and 2 bay leaves.

Bring to a boil, then cook for one minute, until the sugar dissolves.

Pour over the beans. Cover and let marinate in the fridge at least 24 hours. Remove the dill and the bay leaves (the recipe didn’t specify to remove the garlic cloves, but I discarded those , too). You can drain the beans if desired, or store them in a jar with the liquid.

One ounce of beans is 30 calories.

Cost:

green beans $0.70

wax beans $1.29

mustard seeds $2.25

dill $1.99