Content
For a good housewife, the quality of the sauces and seasonings prepared is sometimes just as important as the main dishes. Indeed, with their help, you can add variety to the most modest menu. And if the sauce is prepared from fresh vegetables and herbs without heat treatment, then all useful substances are preserved in it. And this is extremely important in the winter and early spring periods, when there are fewer and fewer vitamins in the preparations. Apparently, for this reason, different types of adjika are very popular. And adjika "Twinkle", The recipes of which you can find in the article, is prepared most often without cooking... Although it should only be stored in the refrigerator or in the cellar. In rare cases, the shelf life is limited to only a month or two.
History of the dish and its varieties
Initially, adjika is a primordial Caucasian dish and is translated from the local language as “spicy salt”. A legend has survived that salt was given to shepherds for animals, so that, after eating it, they would eat grass more readily and gain weight more actively. And since in ancient times salt was a precious product, so that people would not steal it, hot pepper was added to it. But the shepherds were not at all embarrassed by this, they added a lot of spicy herbs to the spicy salt and happily used it for food. So, adjika was born, which at first was an extremely dry mixture of spices and salt.
But for the Russian taste, apparently, this seasoning turned out to be somewhat spicy and resourceful housewives came up with many varieties of it using common vegetables and spices.
Most often, in Russian adzhika recipes, tomatoes and bell peppers are used in large quantities.
Well, the most traditional, primordially Russian component of adjika is horseradish. It is the combination of horseradish, hot pepper, tomatoes and garlic that is most characteristic of the traditional Russian adzhika "Ogonyok". However, this sauce has a lot of varieties and many of them make it possible to prepare Ogonyok adjika without heat treatment while preserving all the useful properties of its components.
Recipe for adjika "Spark" with fermentation
To prepare Adjika "Ogonyok" according to this recipe you will need:
- Tomatoes - 1 kg;
- Sweet Bulgarian red pepper - 1 kg;
- Chili pepper - 0.3 kg;
- Garlic - 10 heads;
- Salt - 1 tablespoon.
All vegetables must be washed thoroughly so that no contamination remains - after all, they will not boil.
The garlic is peeled from all the husks so that white smooth cloves remain. In the tomato, the place where the fruit is attached is cut out. And in peppers, all seeds with valves and tails are removed. Then all the vegetables are cut into pieces that can easily go into a meat grinder.
All components are ground through a meat grinder, salt is added to the adjika and its amount is adjusted to taste. Everything is thoroughly mixed. Next, comes the most important stage in preparing adjika without boiling. She must ferment. To do this, it is left at room temperature for several days. At the same time, do not forget to stir it 2-3 times a day, so that gases come out easier. The container should be covered with gauze so that midges and other insects do not get inside.
Only after the end of the fermentation of adzhika, when gases stop coming out of it, can it be laid out in jars. Banks must be well rinsed and sterilized along with the lids.
From the specified amount of ingredients, about 5 half-liter jars of adjika should be obtained. You need to store the finished adjika in the refrigerator or in the cellar.
Adjika with horseradish
This version of Russian adzhika "Ogonyok" will appeal to all horseradish lovers.
Prepare the following vegetables, pay attention to their quality. Since adjika is cooked without boiling, all components included in it must be clean and fresh.
- Tomatoes (already cut and even twisted) - 1 kg or 1 liter. Typically, you will need about 1.2-1.4 fresh tomatoes for this.
- Peeled garlic - 50 grams;
- Hot pepper - 1/2 pod;
- Peeled horseradish - 100 grams;
- Salt to taste, about 2 teaspoons.
Pass all prepared vegetables through a meat grinder, add salt and mix thoroughly.
Adjika with horseradish is ready. In this form, it can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 1-2 months. To extend the shelf life, add 1 teaspoon of 9% vinegar or juice from half a lemon to the vegetable mixture.
Adjika "Ogonyok", a very tasty recipe
This adjika has a fairly rich composition, which makes it very tasty. In practice, it is no longer a sauce, but an independent snack. Take the following ingredients for cooking:
- Tomatoes - 2 kg;
- Sweet pepper - 1 kg;
- Hot pepper - 300 grams;
- Greens (parsley, dill, cilantro, basil, celery) - about 250 grams;
- Garlic - 200 grams;
- Horseradish root - 500 grams;
- Table salt and granulated sugar - 4 tablespoons each;
- Vinegar 9% - 1 tablespoon.
As in other recipes, carefully sort the vegetables and herbs, rinse and dry slightly. Then remove all unnecessary parts, and scroll the remaining vegetables and herbs through a meat grinder. Finally add sugar, salt and vinegar. Mix well again. Divide the resulting adjika into sterile jars and store everything in the refrigerator or in another cold and dark place.
Any of the above recipes allows you to get a tasty and healthy sauce at the end, which can, in the cold season, remind the spicy aroma of hot summer and improve the taste of cooked dishes.
