Russian malosolnije ogurtsy.
We already gave you some tips and tricks to get rid of your hangover. But every country has its own traditional dishes to make the process go faster. We like to give you a taste of the international anti-hangover cuisine. In this episode we will tell you how to make your own Russian malosolnije ogurtsy, or dill pickles in brine.
It’s needless to say that Russians in general are quite good drinkers. The stories, legends and myths about their heroic performances with the vodka bottle are countless. Still usually they manage to get up in the morning and go to work, no matter how many toasts they gave the night before. So what’s their secret? Maybe it’s the malosolnije ogurtsy, the typical salted dill pickles Russians eat to get rid of their hangovers. It’s said to have a hundred percent success rate. Well it’s sour, salty, spicy and moist, so why not?! And they form a nice addition to the vodka too.
The process of preparing the pickles is not done overnight. However, if you make a lot, you can save them for a very long time. Be sure to make quite a stock, so you shouldn’t have to pick your ‘hangover moments’ too careful. Now making this dish is harder than it may seem, so read all the steps well.
Ingredients:
8 kilo of fresh cucumbers (preferably around 3 to 4 centimeters long)
3,8 liters of apple cider vinegar
3,8 liters of water
3 kilo’s of sugar
625 gram of canning salt (it’s also possible to use sea salt)
onions
garlic
dill
dried red peppers (these last four are variable since you can make different versions. Very strong garlic flavor or more spicy for example)
Preparation:
First wash the cucumbers and lay them out on the table. Do the same with the jars you’re gonna save them in. They need to be extremely clean. Meanwhile take a large kettle and poor in the vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Cook it on a medium high heat and stir till the sugar and salt are totally absorbed in the liquid. Bring this mix to it’s boiling point and than put out the fire. This liquid is your brine, but first let it cool to room temperature.
Now it’s time to stuff the jars with your ingredients. A mix could be one red pepper, a clove of garlic, 1/4th (small) onion and a stalk of dill. But you can change the combination to your own flavor with for example more garlic or more peppers.
After this you put in the cucumbers till the jar is full. Fill it up the jars with the (cooled down) brine till the lower part of the rim.
Close the jars and place them in a pan filled with water. Now heat up the water, but don’t let it boil. Boiling will make the pickles go soft instead of crunchy. After 30 minutes take the jars out of the hot water and let them cool down. Just leave them a night and they’re ready. Keep the jars at room temperature for an ultimate taste.
Now these pickles are also very good together with vodka. In case of a hangover many Russians just drink the brine that’s left in the jar.
Micky Bumbar
Lords of the Drinks 