Cauliflower is a unique vegetable. Gardeners love it not only for its nutritional value, but also for its decorative value. Cauliflower fits perfectly into the garden landscape. And cauliflower snacks on the table are always a holiday. Of course, it cannot surpass the popularity rating of white cabbage, but preparations for the winter are becoming more and more in demand. The unusualness of the curly heads, the extraordinary color, the spicy taste with a hint of spice - this is the dish we will talk about in the article. Of course, this is salted cauliflower in Armenian style.
It is very convenient and easy to prepare for the winter, so that you can have beautiful, delicious cauliflower on your everyday or holiday table.
Features of cooking cauliflower
Boiled heads of cauliflower are used for food. These are modified inflorescences that everyone loves to eat with butter or sauce. The heads are pre-boiled, and then they can be salted, stewed, fried, or pickled. Any type of processing is already done in a mixture with other vegetables, meat, eggs, potatoes. They marinate and salt it alone or in combination with other healthy vegetables. Any dish turns out very tasty and nutritious.
Let's start preparing salted curly cabbage in Armenian style. Having tried this preparation once, you will try to make it every year at least a little. Pickling cauliflower does not require special knowledge and skills, so even novice cooks can cope with it. It is important to choose the right main ingredient. Ripe cauliflower is taken to be firm, without darkening or black spots.
The inflorescences should be white, uniform, firmly attached to the cuttings.
Let us remind you that the vegetable must be boiled first. But for this recipe for Armenian pickles, you don’t even have to do that. What do we need? The amount of ingredients is given for 2 kg of cauliflower:
- one kilogram of juicy and brightly colored carrots;
- one package (20 g) of dried celery;
- approximately 4 heads of garlic (take the amount according to your preferences);
- ten pieces of bay leaf;
- a few peas of bitter black pepper;
- two tablespoons of regular table salt;
- six liters of clean water.
In addition, select containers. Anything goes:
- glass bottle;
- kitchen pan;
- Plastic container;
- small bucket;
- small barrel.
Wash thoroughly, clean the dishes and wipe dry. It's good if you put it in the sun. And the microbes will scatter, and you will saturate the container with light.
For marinating, you will need oppression or weight. A glass bottle of water will do if we are marinating in a pan or bucket, or a stone that has been previously washed for the rest of the container.
Vegetables (cabbage, carrots, garlic) need to be washed. Peel the carrots and garlic and cut into pieces. Remove the green leaves from store-bought cauliflower and divide it into inflorescences.
Prepare the brine. Add seasonings, salt, garlic to the water and bring the mixture to a boil. Then marinade cool a little. It is not recommended to throw vegetables into hot water; the optimal marinade temperature is 40°C.
Place the vegetables in glass jars or other containers and pour in the marinade.The water should cover the contents.
Cover the workpiece with a plate or a wooden circle, lay a clean cloth on top, and apply pressure.
The Armenian appetizer needs to be infused for a week at room temperature. Then store it in a cool basement or refrigerator. That’s it, now in winter you can enjoy spicy cauliflower yourself and treat your guests to it.
Armenian dish options
Of course, there is not only one recipe for an Armenian snack. All of them have a sharp spicy taste. But adding boiled cauliflower to the seasonings makes the dish completely unique. Pickled curly cabbage will add tenderness and unusualness to the usual spiciness of Armenian cuisine. How else can you prepare a salty cauliflower appetizer in Armenian style?
Using these products:
- two kilograms of medium “heads of cabbage”;
- 700-800 grams of juicy carrots;
- 180-200 grams of peeled garlic;
- 200 ml each of vegetable oil and vinegar;
- 40 grams of table salt;
- 100 grams of sugar;
- 11 grams each of ground red and black pepper.
Let's start the process. Separate the cauliflower and blanch the inflorescences in boiling water for no more than 3 minutes. How to blanch the inflorescences correctly? To do this, pour water into a saucepan and salt it. The optimal amount of salt is 1 teaspoon per liter of liquid. As soon as the brine boils, carefully lower the prepared vegetable into the water.
Keep the inflorescences in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them into prepared jars for pickling.
While the inflorescences are blanching, we have time to grate the carrots on a medium grater.When placing the boiled cauliflower in a container, layer it with grated carrots and garlic.
Prepare the marinade for pouring. Mix vinegar with vegetable oil, salt, sugar and ground pepper. Mix well and pour over the vegetables. We close the jars with nylon lids and put the Armenian snack in the refrigerator.
Armenian salted cauliflower with beets looks very beautiful. The unusual shade of the dish instantly attracts the attention of guests.
For 4 kg of vegetables we will prepare:
- 1.5 kg carrots;
- 3 medium-sized beets;
- 3 pods of hot pepper;
- 2 heads of peeled garlic;
- one large horseradish root;
- one bunch of dill and parsley;
- 10 pieces of bay leaf;
- peppercorns to taste.
We will definitely need brine. It is prepared from one liter of water and two tablespoons of salt.
Divide the cauliflower into inflorescences, cut the remaining vegetables into large pieces, and chop the greens finely. For this recipe, it is better to take a tub or bucket. Place all the ingredients in layers, sprinkling with spices. As soon as we place everything, fill the vegetables with brine, which we prepare by boiling. Water should cover the layers. Press down with pressure, keep warm for 3-5 days, then move to a cooler place. After a week we serve it.
Any recipe will not take much time to prepare, and will provide more than enough pleasure. Try it and add your own ingredients.
Try it on a small quantity first, perhaps you will find your own unique recipe for marinating cauliflower in Armenian style.
