|
|
|
Cookware what you need and what you don’t !
Cookware is always a rather contentious subject. I have seen chefs turn up to even the simplest of cooking jobs carrying more than it would take to maintain your average oil tanker (though maybe this is not the best use for your cookware), when...
Cucumber Salad Recipes
Cucumbers are a good source of vitamins' C, A and K. They are
loaded with potassium and low in cholesterol, sodium and
saturated fat. That's all the information you are going to get
from me on that subject. These are my own home recipes and...
Duck as a great alternative to Turkey this Holiday Season
Duck as a great alternative to Turkey this Holiday Season
Are you looking for new and exciting dishes to serve to your family or at your next dinner party? Then you must look for a recipe for cooking duck. Duck is a very delicious meal that...
Easy, Tasty Chicken Wing Recipes
You can serve chicken wings hot or cold, for a meal, or for snacks. They're great as appetizers at parties, or when you're just looking for a tasty midnight snack. Try these four easy recipes: Baked Chicken Wings 1/2 c. margarine,...
Parmesan Wafers
The first time I ran across parmesan wafers I was in a steak
house with my dad. He had ordered a salad and immediately began
raving about these strange flat cookie looking things. After a
few minutes of him raving I decided to try one. It turns...
Pesticides, Can we avoid them?
Why, unfortunately, just washing vegetables is not enough to ensure produce clean enough for consumption We all ingest lots of chemicals, one way or another. We breathe them, we drink them, and we eat them. The most troublesome are pesticides in...
Reductions: Proving Less is More
Any liquid can be reduced just by heating it - but why would you do it?
The answer comes back to two of our old friends, flavor and consistency (texture).
By reducing any flavored liquid you intensify its flavor and at the same time thicken it....
Russian Beverages for Russian Brides in the US
Ancient Happy Cherry Honey Description Honey beverage was an obligatory drink of the nobility. Monastery honey beverages were known as the most famous. Many tzars sent their cooks to perfect honey cooking skills to monasteries. To improve the...
Strawberries Anyone
How do you feel about strawberries. I personally like them. They are a treat that we eat whole or sliced with drizzled honey. Did you know that the average strawberry has about 200 seeds on the outside. My kids always contemplate growing...
The Missing Ingredient
You may not have noticed but there is a certain ingredient missing in the foods we eat which could wreck your life. Take asparagus for example. Now what could be missing? I am a chef, I can help you. I know. I know. Vegetables that are purple are...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PICKLES
The true history of the pickle is somewhat of a mystery. Although some believe it dates back to India 4030 years ago. The pickle has been mentioned in the Bible by Jesus and in the Old Testament books Numbers and Isaiah. Napoleon valued its health benefits for his army. George Washington had a collection of 476 different kinds of pickles. In 850 BC Aristotle praised the healing benefits of the pickle, and Thomas Jefferson wrote: “On a hot day in Virginia, I know nothing more comforting than a fine spiced pickle, brought up trout, like from the sparkling depths of the aromatic jar below the stairs of Aunt Sally’s cellar.”
So, what is all the fuss over a pickled cucumber you ask? Who knows…I do know that even today the popular pickle is everywhere. The crunchy tangy pickle is eaten out of jars, on our burgers, and served with our sandwiches. It is sliced, speared, whole, diced for relish, spicy, sour, and sweet. We just love the amazing, multi-talented pickle!
The health benefits of the pickle are incredible:
Raw, lacto-fermented vegetables (pickles) have good bacteria that inhibit the growth of
harmful microbes in the intestines.
They have a higher concentration of vitamin C.
They help you absorb iron better.
Research shows that vinegar can help with weigh loss.
PICKLE FACTS:
* Americans consume 26-billion pickles a year. That’s about nine pounds of pickles per person.
* More than half the cucumbers grown in the U.S. are made into pickles.
* Amerigo Vespucci, for whom America is named, was a pickle merchant before becoming an explorer.
* Pickling has been used to preserve food for almost 5,000 years.
* The pickle is both a fruit and a vegetable
No matter how you feel about pickles…they aren’t going anywhere. So, grab a dill, sit down, and get crunching.
Dill Pickles:
4 dozen fresh, crisp, pickling cucumbers – DO NOT use the commercial, waxed kind!
Fresh dill, to taste (approx. 1- bundle)
1 qt. Apple cider vinegar
8 c water
1 c salt
10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2-4 garlic cloves, peeled, and crushed
Several Jars
Wash cukes and cover with cold water. Refrigerate overnight.
Pack cukes into jars, tightly. Stuff equal amounts of dill into each jar.
Meanwhile, bring remaining ingredients to a boil. Boil for 2 min.
Evenly divide whole garlic cloves into jars. Pour hot brine into the
jars. Seal. Makes 12 pints. After processing and cooling, jars should be
stored 4 to 5 weeks to develop ideal flavor.
Bread-and-Butter Pickles:
6 lbs of 4- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
8 cups thinly sliced onions (about 3 pounds)
l/2 cup canning or pickling salt
4 cups vinegar (5 percent)
4-l/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp mustard seed
l-l/2 tbsp celery seed
l tbsp ground tumeric
Wash cucumbers. Cut l/l6-inch off blossom end and discard. Cut into 3/l6-inch slices. Combine cucumbers and onions in a large bowl. Add salt. Cover with 2 inches crushed or cubed ice. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours, adding more ice as needed. Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot. Boil l0 minutes. Drain and add cucumbers and onions and slowly reheat to boiling. Fill jars with slices and cooking syrup, leaving l/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process pints or quarts l0 minutes in a boiling water canner. After processing and cooling, jars should be stored 4 to 5 weeks to develop ideal flavor.
Quick Sweet Pickles
8 lbs of 3- to 4-inch pickling cucumbers (may be canned as strips or slices)
l/3 cup canning or pickling salt
4-l/2 cups sugar
3-l/2 cups vinegar (5 percent)
2 tsp celery seed
l tbsp whole allspice
2 tbsp mustard seed
Yield: About 7 to 9 pints
Wash cucumbers. Cut l/l6-inch off blossom end and discard, but leave l/4 inch of stem attached. Slice or cut in strips, if desired. Place in bowl and sprinkle with l/3 cup salt. Cover with 2 inches of crushed or cubed ice. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours. Add more ice as needed. Drain well. Combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed, allspice, and mustard seed in 6-quart kettle. Heat to boiling. Hot Pack: Add cucumbers and heat slowly until vinegar solution returns to boil. Stir occasionally to make sure mixture heats evenly. Fill sterile jars, leaving l/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids. Process 5 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Raw Pack: Fill jars, leaving l/2-inch headspace. Add hot pickling syrup, leaving l/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process pints l0 minutes and quarts l5 minutes in boiling water canner or use the low temperature pasteurization treatment. After processing and cooling, jars should be stored 4 to 5 weeks to develop ideal flavor.
About the Author
My name is Lara Velez and I am the Editor-in-Chief of The Recipe Finder's online cooking magazine.
Visit today:
http://www.therecipefinder.com
If you need a recipe:
http://www.therecipefinder.com/findarecipe.html
Or join our FREE Newsletter:
http://www.therecipefinder.com/newsletter.html
|
|
|
|
|
|