It’s that time of the year when I am craving for some pickled veggies to eat with my breakfast omelette or some roasted potatoes, and I can’t help but thinking of those that my mom makes every autumn: crunchy, with a pinch of spiciness which makes them perfect as a snack too.
Autumn really hit us, here in Munich, and I have to say I love it. I love all the fresh products I find at the farmers market (almost as good as the ones I was used to in Romania), the crisp air in the morning and the Oktoberfest for the next coming weeks 🙂 Can you ask for more while living in Bayern? Well..less rain will help, but there’s nothing a warm pumpkin soup can’t fix.
Well, going back to our pickled veggies, yesterday was all about them: I went to the nearest farmer’s market and I got lots of goodies starting with radishes, autumn apples, cauliflower from the region, and ended with juicy grapes, which all will end up in my big jar, getting ready for the winter. The recipe I followed is the simplest possible, using only a good mixture of vegetables, brine, mustard seeds and peppercorns.
All you need now is patience and a shaded and cool place where to store the jar.
I am a fan of the traditional recipe in this case, and I had never tried the fast recipes for quick pickles so I can’t tell you how that goes, but those seem a good way of enjoying the pickles much faster. But, in any case, all the recipes for pickled veggies require fresh products, keeping the bruised or softened ones for soup or something else.
- 1 medium sized cauliflower
- 5 carrots
- 8-10 cornichons
- 1 bunch radishes
- 1 big beetroot
- 3 small apples
- celery leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 20 grapes
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp peppercorns
- 2.5 liters of water
- 2.5 tbsp sea salt
- Wash a 4 l wide-mouth jar and lid and set aside to dry.
- Wash thoroughly the vegetables and dry them with a pepper towel. Peel the carrots, cut them in half. Cut the cauliflower in small florets. Trim the ends of the radishes and cut them in half if you wish. Divide the apples in 4 equal slices.Peel the beetroot and slice it.
- Pack the vegetables into the jar on layers, as tight as possible, but without smashing them. Pour the mustard seeds, peppercorns and the bay leaves.
- Prepare the brine from 2.5 liters of water and 2.5 tbsp of sea salt. Boil the brine and transfer it over the veggies. The warm brine will speed up a little the fermentation process.
- Put the lid on and make sure this is tightly closed.
Love,
Cori
//
Muraturi ca la mama acasa
Este din nou periaoda aceea din an cand as manca omleta de dimineata sau o portie de cartofi copti cu muraturi asortate si nu ma pot gandi decat la muraturile mamei: crocante, usor picante, numai bune de servit si ca o gustare.
Toamna ne-a lovit serios aici in Munchen si trebuie sa recunosc ca imi place tare mult. Pietele cu fermieri sunt pline de produse locale si proaspete (aproape la fel de bune ca ale noastre din Romania), aerul e mai intepator dimineata si Oktoberfest tocmai ce-a inceput 🙂 Nici ca-ti mai poti dori altceva cand stai in Bavaria. Ok, poate mai putina ploaie n-ar strica, dar nu e nimic ce o supa calda de dovleac n-ar putea rezolva.
Dar sa revenim la oile..pardon, muraturile noastre, pentru ca ieri a fost despre ele. Mi-am facut proviziile din cea mai apropiata piata si am adus acasa ridichi, conopida, mere de toamna, morcovi crontanti, struguri zemosi, iar toate au sfarsit in borcanul de muraturi, steady ready pentru iarna. Am urmat o reteta foarte simpla, cu o saramura facuta din apa si sare de mare, boabe de mustar si piper.
Tot ce-ti ramane de facut acum este sa astepti rabdator si sa depozitezi borcanul intr-un loc umbros si racoros.
Imi place foarte mult reteta traditionala pe care o foloseste si mama mea, nu le-am incercat pe cele care promit muraturi rapide la microunde, insa cel mai probabil sunt utile atunci cand poftesti la niste muraturi si le vrei gata in cateva zile. Orice reteta ai urma, insa, asigura-te ca folosesti cele mai proaspete fructe si legume, iar pe cele ceva mai moi, lasa-le deoparte pentru supe sau alte retete.
1 conopida medie
5 morcovi
8-10 castraveciori
1 legatura de ridichi
1 sfecla mare
3 mere mici
frunze de telina
20 boabe de struguri
2 lingurite boabe de mustar
2 lingurite piper boabe
2 foi de dafin
2.5 litri de apa
2.5 linguri sare de mare
Spala borcanul si capacul si lasa-le la uscat.
Spala legumele si usuca-le cu un servet de bucatarie. Curata morcovii de coaja si taie-i in jumatate. Taie conopida in florete potrivit de mari. Taie coditele ridichiilor si imparte merele in patru. Curata sfecla si feliaz-o. Aseaza legumele in borcan pe straturi, lasand cat mai putin loc intre ele, insa fara sa le strivesti. Adauga semintele de mustar, boabele de piper si frunzele de dafin.
Pregateste saramura din cantitatea de apa si sare si lasa sa dea in clocot. Toarna saramura peste legume si inchide cat poti de strans capacul.
Depoziteaza-le intr-un loc umbros si racoros pentru 2-3 saptamani, sau pana ce observi ca zeama s-a limpezit.
Love,
Cori
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