All things Pickeled in Lithuania
All the veggies available in a pickeled format-YUM!
One thing is for sure on this blog is that I don’t really seem to like to post as the events are happening-case in point is that my brother and I met up in April of this year to visit the Baltic Countries-Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. All three countries were fascinating in their own right and have many things to commend them, but one of my most favorite things about Lithuania is the heavy reliance on picketed veggies as part of their meals. Growing up my father picked hard-boiled eggs and love pickled sausages. My mother made Chow-Chow and we always make our own sauerkraut each year. She picketed beans and beats but OF COURSE she pickled zucchini. There really was not a single food item into which zucchini was not an option to add. Chocolate cake, all manner of soups, etc. I will say that one of our favorite picketed items in Lithuania was quick-pickled zucchini. We visited an amazing indoor market and sampled a large selection of their goods. Most were a quicker pickel that what my mom would ahve made. Her’s required more cooking and was more along the lines of a relish. She grinded each item with a grinder but this one is really simple to do in a food processor:
Zucchini Relish
Ingredients:
1 cup Zucchini
2 Green and 2 Red Bell Peppers
4 Cups Onions
Preparation:
Grind all of the ingredients with a course blade and mix in 1/3 cup salt. Let sit overnight. Rinse twice, removing all salt.
Mix together 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon curry powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 ½ cups white vinegar and 2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil and mi in the vegetables, simmering until they reach the level of doneness you would like for your relish-typically about 30 minutes. Let cool. Use as you would any other relish for deviled eggs, hamburgers, etc.
Cured Meats
Veggie & Fresh Produce
Smoked Fish
