The presence of a variety of pickles is a characteristic feature of cuisine. Starting from the XNUMXth century, when salt ceased to be an imported luxury, vegetables began to be preserved by salting. Pickles are appetizers, but this does not mean at all that they are necessarily served with strong drinks. The main property of pickles is the excitation of appetite.
The secret of success
Lightly salted cucumbers are perhaps the most common appetizer and one of the most beloved dishes. The difference between lightly salted cucumbers and other pickles is in the short-term effect of salt.
Various spices are added to the brine for salted cucumbers: dill, cherry or currant leaf, horseradish, pepper, celery and others. This allows you to vary the taste of a regular dish. Lightly salted cucumbers can be different every time: fresh and spicy, with a garlic aroma or a spicy note of celery or bell pepper. For which light-salted cucumbers are loved.
Housewives love to cook lightly salted cucumbers, as the process does not require effort and time. Each has its own recipe, time-tested and loved by the household. The versatility of lightly salted cucumbers is that they can be consumed as an independent dish, can be served with second courses or used as part of salads or first courses.
The success of the dish depends on the choice of cucumbers. Of course, you can make lightly salted cucumbers in winter, when only a greenhouse version of vegetables is available. But the most delicious and healthy, without a doubt, cucumbers grown with their own hands on a personal plot. The quality of which is beyond doubt.
Dense, sluggish cucumbers are ideal for pickling, then success is guaranteed to you. There are many ways to prepare salted cucumbers. Here you will be offered a salting recipe using carbonated mineral water. Salted cucumbers on mineral water are prepared very quickly, simply, with a minimum amount of effort. But the result will please you, the cucumbers are very crispy.
Recipe
For cooking you will need the following ingredients:
- fresh dense cucumbers – 1 kg;
- dill umbrellas to add flavor – 5-10 pieces, if there are no umbrellas, dill greens are also suitable;
- garlic – 1 large head, fresh is also better;
- salt – 2-3 tablespoons without a slide;
- secret ingredient – carbonated mineral water – 1 liter, the more carbonated, the better. Any water can be taken. From overseas San Pellegrino or Perrier to any local water.
Prepare any container for salting. It can be a glass jar with a lid, a plastic container, an enamel pan. But it is better if the container is with a tight-fitting lid so that the gases do not evaporate. Start cooking.
- Lay half of the pre-washed dill on the bottom.
- Garlic needs to be peeled and cut into slices. Place half of the chopped garlic on top of the dill.
- We lay cucumbers on top, which must first be washed and allowed to drain. You can cut off the ends. If the cucumbers are not quite fresh or wilted, then make a cross-shaped incision from below, then the brine will better penetrate into the cucumber.
- Cover the cucumbers with the remaining dill and garlic.
- Open a bottle of highly carbonated mineral water. Dissolve the salt in it.In order not to lose gas bubbles during the stirring process, pour off about half a glass of water and dissolve the salt in it.
- Pour cucumbers with prepared brine. Close them with a lid and put them in the refrigerator for a day. If you endure, so as not to try mega crispy fragrant cucumbers before, they are an ideal addition to potatoes or barbecue.
Even in this simple recipe, variations are possible. You can leave the cucumbers at room temperature for a day, and only then place in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Try it and decide for yourself which option you like best. Video recipe:
The benefits of salted cucumbers
Everyone knows the fact that cucumbers consist of 90% water, in which ascorbic acid, iodine, potassium, magnesium and other trace elements are dissolved. In lightly salted cucumbers, all elements and vitamins are preserved, since there is no thermal effect, the pickling process was short and they contain a minimum amount of salt and no vinegar.
Lightly salted cucumbers can be eaten by people who, for health reasons, cannot eat a lot of salt. For example, hypertensive patients. Pregnant women can eat lightly salted mineral water cucumbers, in almost unlimited quantities, without fear of harming the unborn child, in addition, they help to cope with nausea and manifestations of toxicosis.
Salted cucumbers are a dietary product, 100 g contains only 12 kcal, so they can be consumed while on a diet.
Composition
Salted cucumbers have a very good composition:
- Dietary fiber that improves intestinal motility;
- Calcium;
- Sodium;
- Potassium;
- Iodine;
- Magnesium;
- Iron;
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid);
- B vitamins;
- Vitamin A;
- Vitamin E.
Here is a far from complete list of useful vitamins and minerals contained in lightly pickled cucumbers.
Conclusion
Try cooking cucumbers according to the recipe with mineral water. An element of creativity is also possible here, add other spices and get new shades of taste. The popularity of the recipe is precisely in its simplicity and always an excellent result.
