cold pickling potatoes

[Owly055]

I've been making a pasta salad that has basically everything in the house in it. Celery and onions of course, sweet mini peppers, kalamata olives, jalapeno slices, avocado pieces, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, and dressed with Italian dressing, and Tabasco sauce, as well as salt and pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. It's really hard to stay away from with it's rich succulent sauce and delightful blend of flavors. The Tabasco gives it a nice kick, but not excessive.

The other day I decided to try cold pickling raw potato cubes to include. They went into a container with Italian dressing, additional vinegar and spices, and most important, a generous amount of alum. This is completely cold, though I heated the liquid to dissolve the alum better, then cooled it. So far I'm getting great flavor penetration into the spuds, and they are nice and firm and crunchy (48 hours into the process). I'm going for the texture of water chestnuts, but they won't quite do it.

There are a few mentions of pickling potatoes on the net, but all of the processes involve cooking........ I want these completely raw. Potatoes contain indigestible starches that if eaten raw cause intestinal gas and discomfort supposedly, BUT vinegar is known to break this down. Potatoes if they are at all green contain a toxin which is toxic to humans, and IS NOT BROKEN DOWN BY COOKING. Never eat green potatoes, or sprouts. This experiment looks like a success thus far, and I hope to include pickled potato in my next salad.

H.W.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

This pasta salad sounds good will you be willing to share the recipe get a better idea of the ratio of everything you put in it?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

If you want the crunch of potato and the softer texture of water chestnuts try pickling raw Jicama.

 

[Owly055]

The Jimica suggestion is a good one......... Potatoes are cheap, and in a salad, it's kind of a non issue. I like Jimica, or kohlrabi...... very similar really, turnips fall into the same class.

H.W.

 

[Owly055]

This pasta salad sounds good will you be willing to share the recipe get a better idea of the ratio of everything you put in it?

Tex:
I never document anything.......... I cook by the "dump method". It's hard to go wrong with salad. The pasta is in the minority. My previous batch is running down slowly, and I'm chopping up various things for the next. The new batch includes cauliflower and broccoli, various sweet peppers, jalapenos, kalamata olives (a critical component IMHO), sliced cherry tomatoes, diced zucchini, onions, celery, marinated raw potato, and whatever else tickles my fancy. The dressing is cheap Walmart "zesty Italian". When I serve it, it's with Feta cheese, and I often put a bit of ranch dressing in first to make it a touch creamy. About the only things I have not put in were meat and fruit. Imitation crab meat might go very well. I put avocados in my last batch.... because I had to use them or lose them. Nuts might be a worth addition.
The idea is a meal in a bowl. This is something you could probably live on. Problem is that the pasta loses texture over time. I may save it separately and add it when I serve this next time.

H.W.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Yeah, I bet those olives bring a nice salt balance I love those too. Maybe some bacon for a meat addition...i'll try this out.