The Recipe: Quick Cucumber Pickles

from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates by The Moosewood Collective

3 twelve-inch english cucumbers (or you can use kirby cucumbers - enough to make 8 cups sliced cucumbers)
1 medium onion, cut into quarters and thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh dill sprigs
3 or 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups distilled white or rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1 1/2 tablespoons salt, preferably coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar

Cut the unpeeled cucumbers (be sure to slice off and discard the blossom end of the cucumbers as they can make pickles soggy) crosswise into 1/4-inch slices and place them in a large heatproof bowl along with the sliced onions, dill, and garlic. Place the vinegar, coriander, mustard, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, and sugar in a nonreactive saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve.

Pour the hot mixture over the vegetables in the bowl and mix gently. Let stand for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight for optimal flavor.

Serve chilled or at room temperature. The cucumber pickles will keep pickling in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.

Yields 8 cups