There are many known vegetable snacks and preparations called mother-in-law's tongue and they enjoy an invariable success with the male part of the population, partly because of the name, partly because of the pungent taste with which they are distinguished. Mother-in-law's cucumber tongue is no exception - in its classic version, this rather spicy appetizer is ideal for fried and stewed meat dishes. But since it is predominantly the female part of the population who is engaged in preparing preparations for the winter, they are trying to somehow diversify the classic recipe, to make it a little softer and more tender. And they succeed quite well by reducing the content of hot pepper and introducing additional ingredients. Next, the article will consider several recipes for mother-in-law's tongue from cucumbers, both in classic and improved versions.
Cooking features
Before moving on to the actual recipes for mother-in-law's tongue made from cucumbers, you need to learn some secrets of preparing this dish.
- Young, medium-sized cucumbers are best suited for the Mother-in-Law's Tongue salad. They do not need to be peeled, but only cut into thin slices across and slightly at an angle. If you have to use overgrown cucumbers to prepare a snack, it is better to peel them and cut them lengthwise to remove the largest seeds. Next, they are cut into thin slices along the cucumber.
- For slicing, instead of a knife, it is convenient to use a vegetable peeler or grater, which has a special hole for chopping into thin slices.
- Before using cucumbers for salad, it is advisable to soak them in cold water for one hour. In this case, they will remain strong and will be much easier to wash.
- Despite the spiciness of the snack, all products for it must be initially fresh, only in this case the “mother-in-law’s tongue” salad will have an exquisite taste and can be stored for a long time.
- When making salad for the winter, it is advisable to use medium-sized jars for twisting: from half-liter to liter.
- Before starting to prepare the salad, it is advisable to rub the cucumbers with salt, and it is even more convenient to dip them in a saline solution. This allows them to get rid of excess liquid and soak in the seasonings. To prepare the solution, dissolve three tablespoons of salt with herbs in one liter of water and place the cucumbers there for no more than 10 minutes. After the procedure, the cucumbers are washed under running water and sliced.
Classic recipe
“Mother-in-law’s tongue” cucumber salad is one of the easiest vegetable appetizers to prepare for the winter, which any housewife can handle.
To begin, you will need to find and rinse the following vegetables well:
- Cucumbers – 3 kg;
- Juicy and ripe tomatoes – 1.8 kg;
- Sweet bell pepper of any colors – 0.5 kg;
- Hot pepper of any color - 1-2 pieces;
- Garlic – 0.1 kg.
Among the auxiliary components you will need:
- Vegetable oil – 200-250 ml;
- Table or wine vinegar – 125 ml;
- Granulated sugar and salt to taste.
First, peel all vegetables from all excess: skins, seeds, tails. Cucumbers, as you already understood, are cut into thin slices.
Cut all other vegetables into pieces of arbitrary size and grind them through a meat grinder.
While the tomato mixture is brought to a boil, grind sweet and hot peppers and garlic through a meat grinder.
After the tomatoes have boiled for 5-10 minutes, add sweet and hot peppers, garlic, cucumbers, butter, sugar and salt to the pan. Everything is mixed well and the future salad is first brought to a boil over low heat, and then boiled for about 20 minutes.
At the very end, vinegar is added to the pan and after a couple of minutes the fire under the pan is turned off.
You can use the time during which the salad simmers over the fire to sterilize jars and lids if you plan to use it as a winter preparation.
Recipe with tomato paste and carrots
Among many salads for the winter, this recipe stands out for its piquant taste and original appearance. The result is an excellent appetizer that can also be used as a sauce for potatoes and spaghetti, as well as for dressing entrees.
This version of mother-in-law's tongue made from cucumbers for the winter is a little reminiscent of lecho, probably due to the cutting of bell pepper.
So, the products that need to be prepared are as follows:
- Cucumbers – 3 kg;
- Tomato paste – 500 ml;
- Sweet pepper – 0.5 kg;
- Carrots – 0.5 kg;
- Garlic – 0.1 kg;
- Hot pepper – 1 pod;
- Refined oil – 200 ml;
- Granulated sugar – 0.2 kg;
- Salt – 60 g;
- Wine or table vinegar – 200 ml.
Wash the vegetables well, dry them and trim off any excess.
Cut the cucumbers into thin slices. Grate the carrots. Chop the sweet pepper into thin strips. Grind the hot pepper and garlic through a meat grinder or in a blender.
Take a large saucepan with a thick bottom, pour tomato paste into it, and dilute it in half a liter of water. Then place chopped sweet peppers, carrots, hot peppers, garlic, butter, salt and sugar there. Mix everything well and add cucumbers on top.
After another gentle stirring, leave without heat for two hours.
When the time is up, place the saucepan with the salad over medium heat, bring to a boil and continue cooking for about 30 minutes. In the last few minutes, add the vinegar and stir.
Place the prepared “mother-in-law’s tongue” salad with cucumbers in sterilized jars and immediately seal.
You can store it anywhere, as long as it is kept out of direct sunlight.
The taste of this cucumber snack is very rich, and carrots and bell peppers will give it a slight sweetness, which will go well with the overall spiciness.
