Block & Grinder chef gets creative with pickles

To say chef Ben Philpott of Block & Grinder is obsessed with pickles is an understatement. His co-workers tease that he would “pickle his shoes if he could.”

I was having lunch at B&G with friends and out came a lovely assortment of pickled vegetables. Since my friends read my column (thank you), the entire table chimed in and asked if I could get the recipe.

Philpott is board chair of the Piedmont Culinary Guild and is extremely proud of his involvement. The guild is a gathering of chefs, farmers, culinary educators and other dedicated food professionals who are committed to sharing resources and promoting education to support our local food system.

So it wasn’t surprising that he jumped at the chance to share his knowledge of pickling with us. Like the guild’s philosophy, it’s one more way he can help bring his culinary community together.

Philpott’s enthusiasm for pickling was evident as he sat down at our table and explained the process. The best part is that his method of refrigerator pickling is so simple. It’s so simple, in fact, you will likely regret not making them sooner. You can use any variety of vegetables: Kirby cucumbers, carrots, radishes, cauliflower, green beans, kohlrabi, jalapeños … you name it.

The recipe can be easily tailored to your taste. Do you like a sweeter pickle? Add a little more sugar. Do you like it spicy? Add another tablespoon of red pepper flakes or extra cloves of garlic. You can be creative and experiment.

When prepping your vegetables, keep in mind that you will be eating the entire pickle. Trim off the inedible ends of onions, for example. Also, if you’re cutting your vegetables into pieces, make sure they are somewhat uniform in size to ensure consistency in the final product.

As an added bonus, Philpott handed over the recipe for our favorite condiment on the Block & Grinder menu. It’s a bright and creamy aioli with fresh cilantro and a hint of spice from pickled jalapeños. Smear it on a sandwich, use it as a dip for fries, dollop it on fish tacos. It’s one of the best spreads I have ever tasted.

One warning, though: Philpott uses commercial equipment, which has higher power. When I tested the aioli in my blender at home, a simple Waring, I had trouble getting it to come together. I ended up whisking the oil mixture into the egg yolks by hand, which worked. Or you can make it even easier and simply whisk the ground-up pickled jalapenos into store-bought mayonnaise. (Duke’s would be Philpott’s preference, of course.)