Pickled Grapes with Rosemary and Chiles

Featured on the December 12, 2009 episode

Reprinted from The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor by Matt and Ted Lee. Copyright © 2009 Published by Clarkson Potter

makes 1½ quarts | time: 10 minutes preparation, 30 minutes cooling, 1 hour refrigeration

Pickled grapes look a lot like olives, and we use them a lot like olives, too, tossing them in cold salads or just serving them in a ramekin as a cocktail nibble, with toothpicks (no dish for pits required!). Their playful sweetsour flavor, their crispness, and their gentle chile heat make them super-addictive.

• 6 cups stemmed mixed red and green seedless grapes (about 2 pounds)
• 2 cups distilled white vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
• Leaves from 1 four-inch sprig rosemary
• ½ teaspoon crushed dried red chile flakes

Pack the grapes into 3 pint-size glass containers with lids. Pour the vinegar and 1 cup water into a saucepan, set it over medium-high heat, and add the salt, sugar, garlic, rosemary, and chile flakes. When the mixture starts to simmer, remove the pan from the heat and divide the hot brine among the pints of grapes. Cover loosely and let cool to room temperature. Cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before serving. The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

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