 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food preservation:
|
|
|
|
Some rules to be followed
 |
| Description |
|
|
 |
|
|
These rules are given specifically for vinegar preserves, though they are mostly valid for all type of preserves :
Choose fresh and quality food.
If you want to preserve vegetables, take care to gather them at the very right time, when they are ripe but not too tender.
Make sure vegetables are wholesome and tender; those who have their own vegetable patch will gather them in the morning, as soon as they have been bathed by the first sun rays.
The containers to be used will be well washed and perfectly dried. When rinsing them for the last time, add some drops of vinegar or of lemon to the water to disinfect.
As it is better to exceed in cleaning matters than to fall short, it would be appropriate to boil the containers and lids for 10 minutes and leave them to dry upside down on a kitchen towel.
To use jars of glass, ceramics or mud without varnishing (it is necessary to reject those of plastic and the metalists because the acetic acid of the vinegar could attack them).
When the covers are provided with rubber hoops, to control that they stay in good state.
Use glass, porcelain or unglazed clay jars (do not use plastic or metal jars as they might be attacked by the vinegar΄s acetic acid).
If lids are equipped with rubber rings, make sure to keep them in good condition.
Choose jars (or other types of containers) of different capacities in order to adapt them to the different products; it is advisable to consume the product within a brief period of time once the container has been opened.
To take part of the preserve out of the jar, always use absolutely clean spoons, wooden if possible; any scraps of other food would favour the appearance of mould on the surface of the preservative liquid and the food could spoil.
*SOURCE: AEV
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pickled gherkins
|
| Preparation |
|
|
|
|
|
½ kg fresh and little gherkins
1 white wine vinegar
coarse salt
3 small onions cut in half
3 sliced cloves of garlic
1 teaspoonful of tarragon
Clean the gherkins by rubbing with a damp cloth. Place them on a damp tea towel, scatter some handfuls of coarse salt on them and rub them together; let them stand for 12 hours wrapped in the same tea towel.
Passed the 12 hours, put the gherkins in a salad bowl and throw out the salt left on the tea towel.
Heat a casserole (pyroflam, stainless steel or enamel porcelain) with half the vinegar. Once it has started boiling, pour the vinegar over the gherkins. Cover the salad bowl with a cloth and leave the gherkins to macerate for 24 hours.
Passed this time, drip the vinegar into the casserole previously used, put it on the heat and when the vinegar reaches the boiling point, put the gherkins and the 3 little onions cut in half into the casserole.
Boil for 3 minutes and strain the vegetables (this way gherkins recover the brightness of their original colour, lost during the previous maceration in vinegar).
Once strained, arrange the gherkins together with the sliced garlic in glass jars and sprinkle with tarragon.
Pour the rest of the vinegar over the gherkins, seal the jars and store them in a dark, cool and aired place.
*SOURCE: AEV
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pickled artichokes
|
| Preparation |
|
|
|
|
|
Ingredients
2kg very fresh artichokes
white wine vinegar (as much as needed)
lemon juice to avoid artichokes from turning black
Preparation
Clean the artichokes; if they are small, leave them whole, if they are medium-sized, cut them into quarters.
Boil the artichokes for 5 minutes in a pyroflam, stainless steel or enamel porcelain casserole containing boiling water with salt to taste and the juice of half lemon.
Dissolve the salt in the vinegar (50 g per each litre) and pour it over the artichokes, previously strained; also put the bay leaves into the maceration container. Put the lid on the container.
Passed 10-12 days, throwing out the bay leaves, strain the artichokes and arrange them in jars. Cover them with new vinegar to which you will have added salt and next seal the jars tightly.
*SOURCE: AEV |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mushrooms in vinegar
|
| Preparation |
|
|
|
|
|
Ingredients
½ kg fresh, same-sized mushrooms
7.5 dl white wine vinegar
15 g salt
100 g grained black pepper
8-10 small pieces of mace (failing that, grated nutmeg)
Preparation
Start by flavouring the vinegar. Simmer in a pyroflam, stainless steel or enamel porcelain casserole together with the crushed grains of black pepper and the pieces of mace placed inside a gauze bag.
When the vinegar starts to boil, put the fire out but leave the aromatic infusion in the vinegar for 2-3 hours.
Passed this time, take the bag out of the vinegar, which will be cold.
While the vinegar gets flavoured, clean the mushrooms and remove the stems (which you will use for other preparations such as mushrooms cream or mushrooms and ham cake).
Strain and dry with a cloth the mushroom heads, put them in a pyroflam, stainless steel or enamel porcelain casserole, sprinkle with salt and cook on a high flame stirring often with a wood spoon until all the water has boiled away.
Pour the vinegar inside the casserole over the mushrooms, bring it to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Put the mushrooms and the cooking vinegar inside the jars and wait until the jars and the contents are completely cold before sealing them.
Leave for 3 weeks minimum before consuming.
*SOURCE: AEV
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pickled peppers
|
| Preparation |
|
|
|
|
|
Ingredients
3 kg firm, fleshy peppers (green and red)
white wine vinegar (as much as needed)
grained black pepper
3-4 cloves
2-3 bay leaves and salt
Preparation
Seed the peppers and cut them into strips
Scald the strips in boiling water with salt; strain them keeping some of the boiled water and put them in jars once they have cooled down.
Mix the vinegar with the water in which you have scalded the peppers (3/4 vinegar to Ό water); add some pepper grains, the bay leaves and the cloves; bring the liquid to the boiling point and take off the heat.
When the solution of vinegar has cooled down, pour into the jars covering the pepper strips.
Seal the jars and keep in a dry and cool place.
SOURCE: AEV
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
