My dad always prepared his "encurtido" as a quick pickle, never using brine but water and vinegar. I adapted that recipe to be brine-based:
- 5 carrots
- 2 onions
- 1-2 fresh jalapenos
- (optional) 1/2 a cabbage
- salt, about 2 tablespoons
- pepper and cumin - about 2 tablespoons total
Chop the vegetables either coarsely (spoon sized) or finely, to your taste. Add water to cover. When I use cabbage, I tend to wait until the next day to add water since cabbage produces its own brine and I've had it overflow on me.
My dad used to make it quite chunky and we use it as a taco or pupusa garnish. I noticed that the Mexican recipe linked above includes oregano, and I saw that added to other recipes online; I guess Honduran cuisine prefers the taste of cumin.
Does anyone else have a family curtido/encurtido recipe?