Content
There is nothing easier than preparing lightly salted cucumbers for the table. This is a great snack! But this business also has its secrets, which not all housewives know about. We present to your attention several recipes for lightly salted cucumbers and a video for detailed information. They will be useful not only for young housewives, but also for those who like to experiment in the kitchen.
Cooking secrets
In mid-summer it's time for cucumbers. Some of them are used in traditional fresh salads, some can be pickled, but we cannot fail to mention lightly salted cucumbers. They are very easy to prepare, it doesn’t take long for them to become salty, and they are simply irreplaceable as a snack.
For pickling, you can use your own cucumbers from the garden or store-bought ones. The most difficult question is how to choose them correctly? There are three signs of good cucumbers:
- strong;
- fresh;
- with thin skin.
It is better if they are freshly picked from the garden. The best cucumbers for pickling are small, hard fruits with pimples.
If you pickle or salt vegetables for the winter, this will not matter, because the period of time in brine is quite long.
The quality of water is of great importance when preparing. Since in some regions it leaves much to be desired, we recommend giving preference to spring, filtered or bottled water. You will need very little, but the quality of lightly salted cucumbers in a jar, barrel or other container will be excellent. Some housewives advise additionally placing a silver spoon in the water for lightly salted cucumbers for 15-20 minutes to improve the taste.
Often wondering how to cook lightly salted cucumbers at home, housewives think about what kind of container to pickle them in. For this you can use:
- glass jars;
- enamel pan;
- ceramic dishes.
Preparing to cook
Before you start talking about how to pickle lightly salted cucumbers, you need to prepare the ingredients, herbs, dishes and pressure. Everything must be clean.
Even if the fruits have just been collected from the garden, this process should not be ignored. The cucumbers won’t get worse, but they will definitely get better. This will give them strength. This is also important if some of the fruits feel a little soft to the touch.
Recipes
It is difficult in our country to find a person who, in the summer season, would refuse lightly salted cucumbers, which combine the taste of a summer morning and spices. This is the most popular snack. Despite the relative simplicity of the recipes, preparing lightly salted cucumbers is a real art. We present to your attention several universal, time-tested recipes.
Quick recipe for spicy cucumbers
If you have little time left before the feast, for example, a day or two at most, this does not mean that you cannot prepare lightly salted cucumbers. Their recipe is quite simple. For this you will need:
- cucumbers - 2 kilograms;
- hot pepper - 0.5-1 piece;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- horseradish - 10 grams;
- tarragon, thyme and dill - 1 bunch each (about 50 grams).
When everything is ready, you can start cooking. The cucumbers are pre-soaked, the garlic is peeled and finely chopped, and the same goes for hot peppers. The herbs are thoroughly washed and everything is laid out in a saucepan in layers along with the cucumbers. Finely chopped garlic and pepper are also placed evenly.
Now you need to prepare the brine for lightly salted cucumbers. Per liter of water you will need 50 grams of salt (that’s two level tablespoons). Hot brine is prepared, the cucumbers are poured with it, without waiting for the water to cool. These lightly salted cucumbers will be ready within a day.
Cucumbers in a bag
Perhaps the simplest recipe for lightly salted cucumbers for a feast. To prepare them, the housewife will need:
- cucumbers - 2 kilograms;
- dill - half a bunch;
- garlic - 1 head;
- salt - 2 teaspoons.
Use a large plastic bag as a container. The cucumbers are pre-washed, the butts are cut off and placed in plastic. Add salt, then close the bag and shake thoroughly so that the salt is distributed evenly.
The garlic is passed through a press or finely chopped. Do the same with dill. After this, the remaining ingredients are added to the cucumbers in the bag and shaken thoroughly again. The closed bag is left at room temperature for 4 hours. That's it, the cucumbers are ready! The huge advantage of this method is not only its simplicity, but also its time savings.With this recipe you can salt many cucumbers at once.
Lightly salted cucumbers with apples
With apples, you can prepare lightly salted cucumbers in a jar, especially if they are small in size. For the recipe you need:
- cucumbers - 1 kilogram;
- green apples (preferably sour) - 2 pieces;
- garlic - 1 head;
- dill and parsley - a bunch each;
- black peppercorns - 10 pieces;
- black currant leaves - 5-8 pieces;
- cherry leaves - 2-3 pieces.
Cucumbers are washed and soaked, apples are washed and cut into quarters without removing the core. Cucumbers and apples are placed tightly in a jar, currant and cherry leaves are placed between them. Chopped garlic, dill and parsley are also placed evenly in the container.
Cucumber brine is prepared in the standard way: take two level tablespoons of salt per liter of water, boil for 1-2 minutes, add peppercorns and pour over the cucumbers. This recipe for preparing lightly salted cucumbers requires waiting at least 12 hours before eating.
If you pickle cucumbers in cold brine, the cooking time will extend for 3 days, although this also affects the taste.
Every housewife tries to experiment with different recipes before finding her own.
Classic lightly salted cucumbers
To prepare you will need the following amount of ingredients:
- cucumbers - 2 kilograms;
- horseradish leaves - 4-5 pieces;
- horseradish root - to taste;
- garlic - 4 cloves;
- hot pepper - 1 piece;
- dill - greens and umbrellas.
The cucumbers are pre-soaked and the butts are trimmed. Horseradish, dill, pepper and garlic are chopped. If someone does not like the garlic flavor in cucumbers, the amount can be reduced.
Whether you cook lightly salted cucumbers in a saucepan or jars, it doesn’t matter, the main thing is to maintain the proportions of the ingredients. Everything is placed evenly in the container except the horseradish leaves. The brine is prepared according to a standard recipe, which requires 50 grams of salt per liter of water. Sometimes it may seem that the brine is very salty, but in view of the fact that it must salt the fruits in a short time, this is quite justified. After boiling the brine, you need to cool it and pour in the cucumbers so that the water completely covers them. Horseradish leaves are laid out on top. It should be noted that this particular ingredient has a positive effect on the crunch of cucumbers.
For those who want to visually familiarize themselves with how to make lightly salted cucumbers at home according to the classic recipe, below is the video:
Lightly salted cucumbers with squash
How many recipes for lightly salted cucumbers exist today! This is one of them. The taste of squash (they can be replaced with zucchini or zucchini) is quite neutral, but they can be combined with cucumbers both when pickling and in marinades.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers - 1 kilogram;
- squash - 1 piece (small);
- horseradish leaves - 1 piece;
- dill - several sprigs;
- bay leaf, allspice - to taste;
- garlic - 1 head.
Cucumbers are prepared as standard, cutting off the ends and pre-soaking them. Peel the squash and cut it as you like. Place a leaf of horseradish, garlic and dill on the bottom of a jar or pan. You can use the whole garlic, but it is better to cut each clove in half. First lay out the cucumbers, then the squash in pieces.
The brine is prepared hot or cold (salt is stirred in water), bay leaf and allspice are added.As soon as it is ready, the brine made in any way is poured over the vegetables so that the water covers them completely.
All you have to do is wait until they become salty and crispy. When pouring hot, you will have to wait a day, no more, sometimes 12 hours is enough. When cold - 3 days.
Of course, herbs, spices and other ingredients can be added to taste, their quantities can be changed and even replaced. Every housewife, experimenting in the kitchen, is always looking for something different. For some, bright taste or spiciness is important, while others simply do not eat spicy food.
Today we discussed how to pickle lightly salted cucumbers and revealed a few simple secrets of their preparation. All that remains is to taste it and add something of your own to the recipe you like, making this popular snack unique and inimitable.
