- one of the popular dishes on the holiday table. They are loved by adults and children; they are great for side dishes, meat dishes and drinks. There are many snack recipes, but the most popular are those that are prepared quickly and simply. Let's figure out how to make this simple appetizer so that the gherkins are crunchy and everyone will like them.
Lightly salted cucumbers in cold brine
The first summer cucumbers appear in the garden beds in mid-summer. From this moment you can begin culinary experiments, namely pickling cucumbers using cold and hot water. This is the simplest snack that will diversify your diet and delight you with its unusual taste.
The first priority is to choose the right vegetables: small, strong specimens, freshly picked from the garden, are best suited for pickling. They should be approximately the same size, then they will salt more evenly.
Ingredients
Servings: – +
- cucumbers 1 kg
- garlic cloves 3 pcs.
- horseradish 1 sheet
- dill 3 inflorescences
- salt 2 tbsp. l.
- sugar 1 tbsp. l.
- water 1 l
Per serving
Calories: 28 kcal
Fats: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 6.1 g
30 min. Video recipe Print
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Advice: To make cucumbers pickle faster, you can cut off their ends. But any vegetables take longer to cook in cool water than in hot water, you need to take this into account.
Lightly salted cucumbers in hot brine
If you don’t have much time for salting, you can use the classic method. These cucumbers taste like barrel cucumbers: just right for picnics and holiday dinners.
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Number of servings: 5
Energy value
- calorie content – 31 kcal;
- fats – 1 g;
- proteins – 0.1 g;
- carbohydrates – 6.5 g.
Ingredients
- cucumbers – 1 kg;
- dill - 3 inflorescences;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- horseradish leaves – 6 pcs.;
- allspice – 1 tsp;
- red pepper – 0.5 tsp;
- currant leaves - 6 pcs.;
- salt – 3 tbsp. l.;
- water – 3 l.
Step-by-step preparation
- Soak fresh vegetables in water for several hours.
- Place some of the horseradish and currant leaves, as well as spices and other herbs, on the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with a layer of cucumbers. Thus, stack all the ingredients until they come to an end. Cover with currant and horseradish leaves.
- Put 3 liters of water on the fire. After boiling, dilute salt in it and fill the saucepan with gherkins to the top. For brine, use only rock salt. The optimal amount is 2 tablespoons per liter of water.
- Press with a press and leave for several days. To do this, use a plate of suitable diameter, on top of which place something heavy, for example, a jar. Tart, crispy, slightly sour cucumbers as in the photo are ready.
Advice: You can pickle cucumbers in any convenient container, even in a bag. But if the recipe requires the brine to completely cover the vegetables, then it is better to use an enamel pan. There is no need to take a bottle, because you don’t need to roll it up for the winter anyway.
Secrets of crunch and piquant taste
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in the recipes. But sometimes the cucumbers are not as elastic as we would like. To make cucumbers crunchy, you need to know a few secrets on how to prepare lightly salted crispy cucumbers at home with cold brine, and then nothing can overshadow the upcoming lunch!
So, for the “crunch”, cucumbers need to be soaked in cool water for about 3-4 hours. During this time, even slightly limp vegetables will become stronger and more elastic.
The next important factor is water. It is better to take spring or well water, but if this is not possible, then store-bought from a bottle or filtered at home will do.
Some housewives use silver to purify tap water. Whether it will become cleaner or not is debatable, but metals will improve its taste.
To add an interesting aroma and a slightly tart taste, red or black currant berries are added to the cucumber brine. But you need to put it in moderation, since the taste of pickling can be very different from the classic one.
Workpiece storage
Lightly salted cucumbers should be stored in a cool place. Try to eat them within 2 weeks, otherwise they will turn sour. For a small company, two kilograms of vegetables is enough.
Recipes for preparing cucumbers are similar and boil down to soaking with salt and adding spices. But still, every home uses its own favorite option. Try a few classic recipes, then add your favorite herbs and spices. It is quite possible that delicious lightly salted cucumbers will become the highlight of your holiday table.
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