The inspiration for this recipe for pickled cherries comes from one of my many, many, many cookbooks and one that holds much historical weight (while the story of the impetus for staring To Feed You is a tale for another time, my collection of cookbooks is at the heart of it).

The book I'm referring to is What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking and was published in 1881. This is one of, if not the, first cookbook(s) by an African-American cook or chef.

Abby Fisher was born in South Carolina to a South Carolinian mother and a French father. While not confirmed, it is believed that Abby Fisher was an enslaved woman until the close of the Civil War. By 1880, census records show Mrs. Fisher living with her husband in San Fransisco and working as a cook. Her husband, Alexander, was a "pickle and preserves manufacturer." Likely influenced by this, the section on pickles from her cookbook is pretty deep--a perfect place for inspiration.

So thank you, Ms. Fisher, for your fortitude and persistence in bringing us this little book. I treasure it. And I hope you don't mind that I've made a few tweaks.

Connecting Through Spices

Mrs. Fisher's recipe is for a longer cooking "chutney." I've created an alternative "quick pickle" as I like that it keeps the cherries more firm and I can enjoy them sooner.

Historically, this recipe used a straightforward combination of white vinegar, cayenne, and cinnamon to flavor it, but in researching what I might like to make for my imaginary dinner with Ms. Angelou, I thought about how I might adjust the flavorings to link back to the African continent--a place Maya Angelou had the opportunity to visit on several occasions.

Unbeknownst to her, Zoe Adjonyo led me to my answer. With a simple tweak of the vinegar being used along with a shift from cinnamon to a spice blend for a Ghanian plantain dish called Kelewele. This blend typically includes ginger, nutmeg and/or cinnamon, and chili powder and/or cayenne and adds wonderful depth to Mrs. Fisher's original recipe.

Pickled cherries (fruits in general) make a Lucious partner for a rich piece of meat such as my Herb & Garlic Roast Pork Shoulder. These are also delicious as part of a charcuterie platter or as a welcome addition to a grilled cheese sandwich.

My partner accuses me of being a "maximizer." Someone who always feels the need to plus up a meal so that it can be that much better. This Pickled Cherry Chutney will be a plussing-agent for you, too.

Making the Pickled Cherries

Once you've gathered all your ingredients, you'll want to begin with washing and pitting your cherries. This can be done with a cherry/olive pitter but it is just as easy to poke the pit out with a chopstick. Poke from stem end through to the opposite side. Easy peasy.

Once you've peeled your onion, you'll want to slice them thinly. I prefer the texture of this to chopped onions. They're easier for me to grab with my fork, which I like. They sort of drape in submission--I'm not fond of stabbing at little bits of vegetables on my plate. It's demoralizing.

Languid. That's how I think of sliced onions.

Add the cider vinegar brown sugar and spices to a small saucepan. Let this simmer over low-medium heat until the sugar has dissolved--the vinegar odor will become quite powerful when heated so you may want to use a fan or at least resist the urge to stand with your head right over the pan. Let this simmer for about 5-8 minutes to let the flavors get to know one another.

Add the cherries to the mixture and let them simmer for 2-3 minutes--you don't want to soften the cherries too much at this point as they will soften over time once they're in your fridge. Let this mixture cool on the counter slightly.

Place the sliced onions in the bottom of your canning jar. Scoop the cherries on top of the onions and then strain the liquids into the jar, leaving about ½" of space at the top of the jar. The heat of the liquids will be enough to soften the onions slightly without destroying their will to live.

Screw on the lid and let the jar cool further on the countertop, placing them in the fridge once room temp.

If you have leftover vinegar "broth" save it. It is great as the base for a salad dressing or for use as a shrub. If you aren't familiar with shrubs, they're an old-timey fruit-based vinegar drinking syrup that can be added to soda water or cocktails. I love them. My partner, Ben, not so much! In any case, it's nice to remember that the "dregs" of cooking can have other lives. All is not lost.

As I mentioned earlier, these ruby red moons are really great partners to grilled or roasted pork or chicken and they work great as a part of a cheese or charcuterie plate.

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