Recipes for pickled spicy and lightly salted Georgian cucumbers for winter and snack storage

Vegetable preserves for the winter are beneficial as a source of vitamins and microelements, a flavor enhancer, and an aesthetic element on the dinner table. Georgian cuisine is known not only for its meat dishes but also for its vegetable ones. Traditionally, all recipes feature herbs, hot peppers, and garlic. Cucumbers prepared Georgian-style for the winter will be the highlight of not only an ordinary but also a festive feast.

The intricacies of preparing Georgian-style cucumbers for the winter

Caucasian dishes, including Georgian ones, are distinguished by their abundance of seasonings, including herbs, hot and sweet peppers, and garlic. The rich aroma and flavor of preserved dishes are appetizing and a delicious complement to traditional autumn and winter dishes.

Tomatoes are used in various combinations in preserves. Georgian cucumbers, prepared for the winter, are no exception. The tomato sauce, combined with aromatic ingredients, gives cucumber salads a unique, inimitable flavor. Tomatoes should be ripe and richly colored. Juicy, thin-skinned varieties are preferred.

Adjika for the filling is prepared using tomatoes, garlic, sweet and hot peppers, hops-suneli, coriander and salt.

The spiciness of the seasoning is adjusted by the amount of hot pepper. For long-term storage, use 9% vinegar. If the dish is being prepared for serving, use apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar. All preserving ingredients should be fresh, aromatic, and free of spoilage. Refined, odorless vegetable oils (sunflower or olive) are used.

How to choose and prepare cucumbers correctly

Cucumbers for pickling should be unripe, firm, elastic, undamaged, and uniformly colored. The size and diameter of the cucumbers only affect the aesthetic appearance of the preserves. This does not affect the taste.

For sliced ​​pickled cucumbers, use cucumbers 6-8 centimeters long. Smaller cucumbers have a less dense consistency. When boiled, these slices will turn into a jelly-like mass. Wash the cucumbers in a large container with fresh, clean, cold drinking water until all dust and dirt are removed. The cucumbers are sorted to ensure uniform ripeness, color, and size. The ends are trimmed off.

Appetizer recipes

Traditional cucumber preserves include pickled, salted, and fermented vegetables. In the Georgian version, cucumbers for the winter are prepared with hot spices and tomatoes. This recipe is prevalent in marinades and salads. Preserves can be prepared using hot packaging or sterilization. When hot packaging, the finished preserves are inverted and covered with a thick, warm cloth and left for 12 hours.

The classic way

Georgian pickled cucumbers differ from regular marinades in that they lack a vinegar flavor. The amount of preservative is reduced, as hot spices also have bactericidal properties, preventing the growth of microbes. For preparation, you'll need 1 kilogram of cucumbers, 800 grams of tomatoes, 100-200 grams of sweet peppers, and 2 hot peppers.

Spicy ingredients:

• garlic – 6-8 medium cloves;
• hops-suneli – 0.5-1.0 tablespoons;
• ground coriander – 1/4 teaspoon;
• ground hot red pepper – 0.5 teaspoon.

Other components:

• salt – ½ tablespoon;
• sugar – ½ tablespoon;
• vinegar – 20 milliliters;
• vegetable oil – 100 milliliters.

Marinating method:

1. Prepared cucumbers are cut into 3 mm thick slices.
2. For the dressing, cut the tomatoes into stemless pieces. Remove the seeds from the peppers, peel the garlic, and cut into wedges. Grind the vegetables in a meat grinder or blender until smooth.
3. Then add vegetable oil.
4. Add sugar, salt, hops-suneli, red pepper, coriander and mix.
5. Place the resulting mixture on low heat for 10 minutes from the moment it boils.
6. Add cucumbers and leave on heat for 5 minutes.
7. Pack into jars.
8. Cover with insulation.

After cooling, transfer to a cool place.

A spicy recipe with adjika

A tomato-garlic marinade imparts a tangy, spicy flavor to cucumbers. Cucumbers preserved in adjika sauce are appetizing, have an excellent taste, and require no sterilization.

To prepare adjika you will need the following ingredients (grams):

• tomatoes – 2000;
• sugar – 250;
• salt – 60;
• garlic – 300;
• spices - according to availability and taste (hops-suneli, ground peppercorns).

You'll need 240 and 250 milliliters of vegetable oil and vinegar, respectively. This amount of sauce is equivalent to 5 kilograms of cucumbers. Tomatoes are chopped and finely chopped. Salt, sugar, and vegetable oil are added to the tomato puree. The adjika is cooked in an enamel or stainless steel pan. Peel the garlic and press it through a garlic press. After 20 minutes, add the garlic juice to the tomato puree, add the spices, and stir.

At the final stage, add the chopped cucumbers and vinegar. Stir gently. Cook for 10 minutes from boiling to doneness. Cook the salad over low heat to prevent the juice from burning and the cucumbers from becoming too soft. The finished product is divided into 0.5-0.8 liter jars; they are covered with insulated material until the next day.

Spicy cucumbers

Cucumber salad with hot pepper is a Georgian variation of the Nezhin salad. Unlike the Russian recipe, which uses cucumber juice as a dressing, the Georgian version uses a hot tomato sauce. To prepare the sauce, take about a kilogram of tomatoes (800-900 grams), 0.5 cups each of vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, and salt (30 grams). The hot ingredients are hot pepper, khmeli-suneli, and coriander. The amount is optional. Garlic – 120-150 grams, or 4-5 medium-sized heads.

Grind the peppers and tomatoes together, add salt, sugar, and butter. Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes over low heat, covered. Add the hops-suneli, coriander, and vinegar. Boil for 2-3 minutes, then add the cucumbers and garlic.

You'll need 2 to 2.5 kilograms of cucumbers. The prepared vegetables should be cut into rings no thicker than 3 millimeters. The garlic cloves are finely chopped.The salad is kept on the fire for 10 minutes. The finished product does not require sterilization. The sealed glass jars are kept under a warm cover until completely cool before being stored permanently.

Storage conditions and shelf life

The hot packaging method requires careful sterilization of containers and lids for canned products. Unlike sterilized winter preservation, there is a risk of mold spores being retained.

The temperature in the room where the preserves will be stored should not exceed 8-10 degrees Celsius. A temperature of 20 degrees Celsius is favorable for the growth of most microorganisms. Exposure to light will destroy UV-sensitive vitamins. High humidity will cause corrosion of metal lids. Rust penetration into the canned goods will render them unfit for consumption.