Bruce Kalman, chef and proprietor at Union in Pasadena, holds up blood oranges, giardiniera and pickles. Pickle plates started popping up right around the time “gastropub” entered our culinary vocabulary, but some restaurants are taking their brine-submerged vegetables to new heights. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Kalman cuts fennel to prepare his pickled fennel with thyme and pink peppercorn. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Pickled fennel, thyme and pink peppercorn at Union. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Kalman cuts colorful baby carrots to prepare escabeche. His is a mix of baby carrots, Fresno chile, red onion and honey. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Kalman prepares the liquids for his escabeche. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
The escabeche mixture is left to pickle. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Red wine-pickled carrots and pickled Persian cucumbers. Many dishes at Union have pickled items in them, including antipasti boards and duck agnolotti. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Jarred giardiniera and pickles at Union. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Giardiniera, bottom; red wine-pickled carrots and pickled Persian cucumbers, left; pickled fennel, thyme and pink peppercorn, top; and escabeche. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
