As the temperatures drop and the days get shorter, there's nothing quite like warming up with a hearty meal. Winter is the perfect time to indulge in comfort food, and there are so many delicious options to choose from. From creamy soups and stews, to roasted meats and vegetables, to indulgent desserts, there's something for every taste and appetite. Whether you're looking for a quick and easy meal to throw together on a weeknight, or a show-stopping dish to impress your guests, these winter food ideas are sure to hit the spot. So bundle up, and get ready to enjoy some of the best food the season has to offer!
Today I’ll share with you my simple, yet very delicious recipe for seasonal pickled vegetables. So, let’s begin with some simple guidelines:
The first step, of course is to get the vegetables ready. I decided to pick some carrots, purple cabbage and some cauliflower. Of course, you can experiment and add some red bell peppers or other vegetables to your taste. The recipe wouldn’t change much, because the preparation is the same.
So, let’s rinse the vegetables, peel the carrots and chop the cabbage in relatively bigger pieces. I try to break by hand the cauliflower, because chopping it with knife will result in many small particles. We don’t want a soup after all!
When the ingredients are prepared, I put them in a big pot, or a container and add a lot of sea salt. Don’t bother about adding too much salt, because it’s not used for seasoning. This salt will be rinsed later. It’s main purpose is to sterilize the vegetables and remove any bacteria and microbes that naturally live in the ingredients.
When all of the vegetables are placed into the container and salted, you add fresh water. All the ingredients should be covered with water. Most of the salt will dissipate and water will eventually bring it inside the tiny spaces between the cabbage leaves and cauliflower grains.
Now you will let the vegetables rest for at least 2 hours. You can clean your working surfaces and maybe enjoy watching a Christmas movie? I usually prepare these before having dinner and when we are ready with the meal, I proceed with the following steps.
Now you will need to rinse again the vegetables and make sure there’s no salt left on them. When all the water is removed, I start to arrange the ingredients with a container, which is about 4-5 liters. If they don’t fit, you can have a little container to put inside the remains. Make sure you leave a bit of head room, because the fermentation will usually raise the level of the water.
The allspice grains have to be added. I use about 10-15 grains, which is totally enough to season all this quantity. If you go with bigger vegetable bill, you can increase the quantity of allspice accordingly. The other ingredient that has to be added is some salt. You have to be more careful about the salt added in this step, but don’t worry. If you miss the right amount of salt, you can later fix this. I also add about 10-15 grams of sugar, just in order to help the fermentation. All of the sugar will be fermented when you leave the pickled vegetables to “cook”.
The last thing to do, before leaving the vegetables to rest for about a week is to fill the container with fresh water. Make sure to cover all of the ingredients, to prevent oxidation and changing their color.
You now have to leave the container in room temperature. The magic will happen on its own.
After a day or two you have to see the signs of fermentation. There will be some small bubbles between the vegetables. This is a great sign. It means that everything is going up to the plan. And when you use this kind of purple cabbage, it will colorize the other vegetables too. Vivid colors make the final product look very interesting!
I tend to taste the vegetables every day, after the second and the third day. Now it’s time to fix the amount of salt to fit your tastes. If you find the vegetables not salty enough, you just add a bit more salt. On the other side, if they seem too salty, you pour away some of the water and add fresh water. It’s easy and it will probably take you 2-3 adjustments to make it perfect for your palate.
After one week has passed, you have to bring the container in a colder room, or outside, if the outside temperatures are below 10 degrees centigrade. Your pickled veggies will be totally ready as soon as they cook down. And now there’s the final step…
Take some vegetables out, arrange them in a plate and enjoy! The combination of them with some home brewed alcohol cannot bring you more joy. Living in Bulgaria, I tend to enjoy them with some Rakia. Vodka will fit perfectly too!
And don’t worry, as soon as the vegetables are kept cool, they will be perfectly tasting for more than a month.
It is this simple to bring the winter tastes into your dinner.
Be happy and enjoy this magical natural flavors! See you soon!