| By : Alok Dalvi ( Posted on :28 Dec, 2005 ) | Total Views : 534 | Previous | Next |
Salt dill pickles
Category: Condiments, Pickles, Side-dishes
Yield: servings
Ingredients:
2 lbs Small Cucumbers (1kg)
-blanched and refreshed
2 oz Dry Dill Stems and Flower
-Heads (50g), bruised
5 To 6 ea Fat Cloves Garlic
-peeled, quartered
1 tsp EACH: Black Peppercorns
-Allspice and Mustard Seeds
4 To 5 ea Bay Leaves
X Water
X Salt
3 To 4 ea Small Hot Chillies
-(to taste)
X Vine Leaves
Procedures:
1 .......................................................
2 ...........
3 Jewish inns used to specialize in pickled vegetables and preserves.
4 Many houswives in the shtetl and ghettoes also made pickle and jams to supplement the family income.
5 Being frugal, they did not throw away the pickling juice but used it to flavor and sour many dishes, especially soups.
6 .......................................................
7 ...........
8 Salt dill pickles my mother, a superb pickler, maintains that the crunchiness and good green color of pickled cucumbers are achieved by first pouring boiling water over the cucumbers, blanching them for a few seconds and then refreshing them immediately with cold water.
9 Wash and blanch the cucumbers.
10 Refresh and arrange in a crock or a large glass jar in layers, interspacing them with dill, garlic and spices.
11 Pour cold water, to cover, over the cucumbers in the crock.
12 Pour out the water into a measuring jug.
13 Salt with 1 tb (30g/1oz) salt for each 2 cups water (500ml/1pint).
14 Dissolve the salt well in the measured water and pour over the cucumbers.
15 Place vine leaves on top, then fit a heavy plate or wooden cover inside the crock and place a weight on to hold the cucumbers submerged.
16 Leave in a warmplace to ferment.
17 Skim as needed during the fermentation period.
18 When bubbles disappear, the pickles are ready use; this can take up to 2 weeks or in a warm, sunny place it can take as little as 4-5 days.
19 When fermentation stops, keep the pickles in a dark, cool place or refrigerate
