Pickles: The Ultimate Sandwich Helper

For Ian Rynecki, nothing takes a picnic sandwich to the next level like the texture and zing of a homemade pickle. “I’m always chasing the summertime crunch of just-pickled vegetables,” says the executive chef at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards in North Garden, Virginia. “I love pickling anything. My first homemade pickles may have launched my love for vinegar.” While pickling may sound complicated, it can be quite simple—and quick. The key, according to Rynecki, is to nail the spice balance for your preferred flavors. And with pickling cucumbers at their late summer peak, now’s an excellent time to give it a try. While you can use any cucumber to make a pickle, the advantage of pickling cucumbers is that they typically have fewer seeds, thinner skin, and drier flesh, which allows them to soak up more of the vinegary brine. If you’re grabbing them at the farmers’ market, give the cukes a squeeze to make sure they’re firm, and check for any soft spots or blemishes. During the hot summer months, Rynecki likes to use pickles to impart acid to an otherwise fatty dish, whether burgers, grilled lamb, or pastrami sandwiches. To shake up the typical sandwich pickle, he adds caraway seeds (see recipe) to create the perfect complement to a Reuben or a Rachel. And if you’re adding fresh pickles to a Labor Day sandwich spread, don’t forget the vino. Rynecki recommends a slightly sweet rosé or a blanc de blancs to counter the acid-forward pickles. “The transformation from garden produce to a complex element on a sandwich is really something special,” he says. Cheers to that.