Delicious recipes for pickled, salted, and lightly salted Armenian tomatoes for the winter

Caucasian cuisine offers a wide variety of recipes to suit every taste and budget, but there are certain dishes that are universally loved. One of these is Armenian-style tomatoes for the winter. There are several recipes for this dish. We offer various options for preparing the preserves and some tips for novice cooks on choosing vegetables and storing them properly.

Which tomato varieties are best to choose?

For canning, choose firm tomato varieties with a low juice content, preferring unripe and green fruits. The shape of the fruit should be elongated, oblong, or plum-shaped, with a firm skin. This is necessary to prevent the vegetables from losing their shape under pressure and high temperatures.

The following varieties are ideal for this recipe:

• Cream;
• Laura;
• Moscow delicacy;
• Niagara;
• Pepper-shaped;
• Siberian troika.

When choosing vegetables for canning, pay attention to their appearance: they should be fresh, without damage or dents.

Correct preparation for preservation

To preserve vegetables properly, it's not enough to blindly follow the recipe's step-by-step instructions. It's important to pay attention to preparing the vegetables, sterilizing the jars, and sterilizing the ingredients:

• the products are washed under running water;
• root vegetables are peeled, peppers are seeded and stems are removed;
• Jars and lids are washed with laundry soap, particularly dirty areas are washed with soda, and sterilized.

Please note! Sterilization of the utensils used is mandatory.

Classic version

The classic method doesn't require adding vinegar—herbs and garlic aid the fermentation process. A particularly popular recipe is the Armenian woman's recipe for classic, delicious tomatoes.

To prepare the preparation you will need:

• one and a half kilograms of tomatoes;
• two and a half liters of water;
• one hundred twenty grams of salt;
• six cloves of garlic;
• a couple of hot peppers;
• a bunch of cilantro and parsley;
• a few basil leaves;
• three bay leaves.

Prepared herbs, garlic, and pepper are chopped and mixed until smooth. Tomatoes are cut lengthwise, leaving one end uncut. The spicy filling is placed into the cut. The vegetables are placed in a pre-sterilized bottle. Salt and spices are added to the water, brought to a boil, and cooled to room temperature.

Pour the cooled brine over the vegetables, securing the top layer with wooden sticks or a plastic lid. Place the bottle in a warm, dark place for three days. Store the mixture in the refrigerator or basement.

Canned in jars

To prepare Armenian-style tomatoes for the winter, you'll need vinegar, which will help preserve the preserves for a long time.

To prepare five kilograms of the dish you will need:

• three hundred grams of garlic;
• ten pieces of hot pepper;
• half a liter of water;
• three hundred and fifty grams of vinegar (apple or wine);
• a kilogram of greens.

The preparation process is similar to the previous one. Fill sterilized jars with brine and vinegar and sterilize for fifteen minutes from the moment the water boils. After sterilization, seal the jars with tin lids and place them in a warm place to cool.

A quick way to prepare without sterilization

Some people don't like the hassle of sterilizing canned food; a quick method will do for them:

• vegetables are placed in sterilized bottles, filled with boiling water and left to warm up for ten to fifteen minutes;
• at the same time, boil water with the addition of salt and spices for the marinade;
• After the specified time, remove the liquid and pour boiling brine over the vegetables, adding vinegar.

The bottles are screwed on with tin lids and placed in a warm place to cool.

Armenian Green Tomato Recipes

For this recipe you will need to prepare:

• two kilograms of green tomatoes;
• a couple of carrots and sweet peppers;
• one piece of hot pepper and a head of garlic;
• horseradish (root);
• greens (dill, parsley, cilantro);
• a liter of water;
• fifty grams of salt;
• vinegar - a couple of tablespoons.

Peeled and washed root vegetables, peppers, horseradish, and garlic are chopped and mixed with herbs. All ingredients are mixed until smooth. Tomatoes are cut crosswise and stuffed with the vegetable mixture, then placed in sterilized containers. Salt is added to boiling water and boiled for several minutes. The jars are filled with the boiling marinade, vinegar is added, and the jars are sterilized for ten minutes. After this time, the jars are covered with tin lids and sealed.

Spicy with hot pepper

To make piquant tomatoes, stuff the prepared brown tomatoes with a mixture of garlic, chili pepper, and herbs, place them in jars, and pour in the marinade (dissolve a tablespoon of salt in a liter of water, then add a tablespoon of vinegar after boiling). Sterilize the filled jars for fifteen minutes and seal.

Lightly salted with herbs and garlic

Lightly salted Armenian tomatoes are perfect for those who don't like overly salty foods. For this pickle, the tomato caps are cut off and the cores are scooped out with a spoon. The removed pulp is mixed with garlic, pepper, and herbs (finely chopped), and the filling is used to stuff the tomato cavities. The stuffed barrels are covered with the caps and placed in a container, covered with cold brine, and left for three days under pressure. The dish is stored in a cool place.

With cabbage

Armenian tomatoes are served as a standalone dish, stuffed with various vegetables.

For a dish stuffed with cabbage you will need:

• rub the shredded cabbage with salt;
• finely chop the herbs, garlic, and pepper and mix with the cabbage;
• remove the caps from the tomatoes and scoop out the pulp;
• stuff the tomatoes with the vegetable mixture and place in a bottle;
• finely chop the pulp, mix with chopped garlic and add to the filled bottle;
• fill with brine and put under pressure for 24 hours.

You will get an original spicy dish.

With paprika

The paprika recipe is prepared similarly to the previous one. The paprika is seeded and stemmed, finely chopped, and combined with herbs and garlic. The resulting mixture is stuffed into the vegetable cavities.

Stuffed with onions

To prepare, you'll need vegetable oil and sliced ​​onion rings. Fill the tomatoes as described above, place them in jars, and sprinkle with onion rings. Pour brine over the filled jars, add vinegar and vegetable oil, and sterilize for ten minutes. Seal the jars and place them in a warm place to cool.

Pickled

To obtain pickled tomatoes, the prepared product is filled with cold brine and left under pressure for three days, then lowered into the cellar to ripen.

Marinated in their own juice

Blanch and peel the tomatoes, then place them in a jar, mixed with garlic cloves, herbs, salt, and spices. Sterilize the jars for thirty minutes, add vinegar, and seal.

Proper storage of tomato preserves for the winter

Armenian-style pickled tomatoes with vinegar can be stored at room temperature for eighteen months. Pickled tomatoes should be stored at temperatures up to 8°C (46°F). Store in a dry, ventilated area, protected from direct sunlight.

Having studied the recipes, any housewife will delight her family and guests with an original dish at any time of year.