Making room for wonder

And the easiest bread and butter pickles to elevate your cheese plate

When’s the last time you experienced something for the first time?

I mean, something really wonderful?

Not your first Zoom workout, or wearing a mask to go grocery shopping or bumping elbows instead of shaking hands, or working from home.

But something that, for a moment, gave you a sense of discovery, a frisson of joy? That, perhaps, made you feel the same joy that a child does when they discover something new?

It doesn’t always have to be something new, though, that gives us childlike wonder. Feeling awe in moments both big and small enriches us in ways we may not have imagined before.

Welcome to wonder

“Awe is the wonder we feel when we encounter something powerful that we can’t easily explain. Often the things which bring us awe have an element of vastness or complexity. Think of a starry night sky, an act of great kindness, or the beauty of something small and intricate.”

Ethan Kross, University of Michigan psychologist

Standing in the quiet of our balcony in St. Petersburg, Russia, watching the sun set at 2 a.m. Opening the jewelry box of Paris on our first visit and discovering the tiny perfect Sainte-Chappelle - and then attending a concert there later that evening. Watching Yo Yo Ma perform his magic at his Day of Action at First Street Common in Pittsfield, MA, part of his beautiful global Bach Project. Coming across a school of spinner dolphins in Hawaii and being part of their magical play in the ocean. Waking up from a jet-lagged sleep in Istanbul to hear the call to prayer for the first time.

Too many moments to name, all of them living in a place of wonder in my mind.

These moments are all the more thrilling when they’re born out of the unexpected. And they’ve become even more precious now, when our worlds have become smaller, more circular.

It turns out the idea of making room for wonder and awe has far-reaching benefits we may not have imagined, feeding our energy in significant ways, and bringing us outside ourselves into a larger space and place, as this recent article from Harvard Business Review talks about:

“At its core, awe has an element of vastness that makes us feel small; this tends to decrease our mental chatter and worries and helps us think about ideas, issues, and people outside of ourselves, improving creativity and collaboration as well as energy.”

David Fessell and Karen Reivich, Harvard Business Review

It’s the little things

Of course this would not be Delicious Bits if I didn’t bring this all around to food. And in the little moments of joy that new food discoveries can bring us, we also have the ability to open ourselves up to new worlds that spark our curiosity.

For my husband, tasting my mother’s gnocchi for the first time was a revelation, as was my father’s brodo - chicken broth with tiny pastina. It was an introduction to the extreme simplicity of Italian food, where a few ingredients turn into the extraordinary.

Much more recently I had my own revelatory moment.

It was over a simple weekend aperitivo - a Saturday spread of cheeses, charcuterie, olives, cornichons, bread. A little bit of honey for the cheese. Some truffle chips. Good conversation and the realization that this was going to be dinner, and that was more than okay.

As we snacked, Richard reminisced about eating Oka cheese with bread and butter pickles. Back in the day, the cheese was still made by the Trappist monks in Oka, Quebec. The pickles were nothing fancy - a grocery store staple that was always in the fridge.

Bread and butter pickles with cheese? That didn’t sound quite right, nor did the notion of neon yellow, sickly sweet pickles and sharp artisanal cheese together. And that was that, until I saw baskets full of Kirby cucumbers at the farmers’ market.

And thus a recipe was born, but more importantly, a new experience created. As I piled those precious first homemade pickles onto a lovely piece of cheddar, and took that first bite, I was reminded all over again that wonder at even the smallest of things can make your heart sing the most lovely of ways.

Homemade bread and butter pickles

Yields about 4 500 ml (2 cup) jars

The elements of bread and butter pickles are pretty consistent. Kirby cucumbers, onion, peppers, vinegar, salt, spices (always turmeric). It’s in the ratios and specifics where the variety lies.

It took a bit of trial and error to determine the right combination and that’s where small batch canning comes in handy. While every try yielded great results, it turns out my first attempt was best, according to my resident bread and butter pickle expert.

You may already be a bread and butter pickle fan, but if you’re like most people I’ve asked, cheese and pickles may be the best new taste treat for you to try. Even if you don’t make your own pickles.

Note: I have not included instructions here for prepping your canning jars and my references to the canning process itself assume your knowledge. This step by step guide from Bernadin is a great go-to for first timers!

Ingredients -

2 ½ - 3 pounds fresh pickling (Kirby) cucumbers, washed

1 large white onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

1/3 cup coarse pickling salt

3 cups sugar

2 ½ cups apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon whole cloves

½ teaspoon celery seeds

1. Trim both ends of the cucumbers. Using a sharp knife, or a mandoline with the crinkle cut blade, cut the cucumbers into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place the cucumbers in a large bowl, and add the sliced onions and peppers. Toss with the coarse salt and let marinate for 3 hours at room temperature. Rinse and drain thoroughly.

2. In a large pot, bring the sugar, vinegar and spices to a boil. Add the drained vegetables and bring the mixture to a boil again, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

3. Spoon the vegetables and liquid into prepared hot jars, leaving 1 inch of space at the top. Remove air bubbles with a non-metallic utensil and wipe the rim of the jar with a clean cloth. Centre the lids on the jars and screw the rings on until they are just closed - do not tighten.

4. Place the jars upright on the canning rack in a pot of boiling water, ensuring the jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Cover and bring to a boil again Bring to a boil over and process for 15 minutes.

5. Remove the jars from the water set on a tea towel to cool. Store in a cool place for up to six months.