Jewish Cook Book - Pickles & Relishes

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Pickles and Relishes
Use none but the best vinegar, and whole spices for pickling. If you boil vinegar with pickles in bell metal do not let them stand in it one moment after taken from the fire, and be sure that your kettle is well scoured before using. Keep pickles in glass, stoneware, or wooden pails. Allow a cup of sugar to every gallon of vinegar; this will not sweeten the pickles, but helps to preserve them and mellows the sharpness of the vinegar. Always have your pickles well covered with vinegar or brine.

Mother's dill pickles
Examine the cucumbers carefully, discard all that are soft at the ends, and allow them to lay in water overnight. In the morning drain, and dry them with a clean towel. Then put them in a wooden pail or jar, along with the dill, putting first a layer of dill at the bottom then a layer of cucumbers, a few whole peppers, then a layer of dill again, and so on until all are used, and last lay a clean, white cloth on top, then a plate and a stone to give it weight, so that the pickles will be kept under the brine. To a peck of cucumbers use about a cup of salt. Dissolve the salt in enough cold water to cover them. You may add one or two tablespoons of vinegar to the brine. If the cucumbers are small, and if they are kept in a warm place, they will be ready for the table in five or six days. If salt pickles have turned out to be too salty, just pour off the old brine and wash the pickles and then examine them closely, and if they are spoiled throw them away. Lay those that are sound in a clean jar and pour over them a weak solution of salt water, into which put a dash of vinegar. Always examine the pickles weekly. Take off the cloth, wash it, and remove all the scum that adheres to the pail, and lay a clean cloth over the pickles again. Do not use more than a cup of salt in the new brine, which must be thoroughly dissolved. You will find among Salads a nice recipe wherein salt pickles are used. (See "Polish Salad," or "Salad Piquant.") It is a good way to make use of pickles in winter that have become too salty for ordinary use.

Dill pickles for winter use
Take two or three dozen medium-sized cucumbers and lay them in salt water overnight. Wipe each one dry, discarding all that are soft and lay them in a wooden vessel (which is better than a stone one) along with grape leaves and green grapes, if you can get them, whole peppers, or one or two green peppers, a few bay leaves, a few pieces of whole ginger, a few cloves and a stick of horseradish sliced upon top of all. Use plenty of dill between each layer. Boil enough water to cover the pickles. Use about one pound of salt to six quarts of water, and one cup of vinegar. If you wish to keep them all winter, have your barrel closed by a cooper.

Green dill tomatoes
Select small firm green tomatoes, follow recipe for Dill Pickles, using the green tomatoes in place of the pickles.

Small dill pickles
Select pickles of from two to three inches in length and scrub well with a small brush. Pack in layers in Mason jars, a layer of pickles, a layer of dill and a few mustard seeds, placing a bay leaf and a piece of alum the size of a pea on the top of each jar.

Let one cup of vinegar, two cups of water and one tablespoon of salt come to a boil. Pour boiling hot over the pickles and seal.

Teufelsgurken (hot pickles)
Pare large, green cucumbers, cut each one lengthwise, take out the seeds with a silver spoon and then cut each piece again so as to have four pieces out of one cucumber. When all are pared salt well and let them remain in the salt for twenty-four hours or more; then dry each piece, put in layers in a stone jar with whole white and black peppercorns, small pickling onions, which have been previously pared and salted overnight, pieces of horseradish, a few bay leaves, a little fennel, caraway seeds, a few cloves of garlic (use this sparingly) and also some Spanish pepper (use very little of the latter). Have a layer of the spices at the bottom of the jar. A handful of mustard seed put on the top layer will be an improvement. Boil enough pickling vinegar to cover well. Add a cup of sugar to a gallon of vinegar, boil and pour over hot. Boil again in three days and pour over the pickles after it gets cold, and in two days pour off the vinegar and boil again and pour over the pickles hot. Boil three times altogether.

Mustard pickles
Choose small cucumbers or gherkins for this purpose. Reject all that are specked or misshapen. Wash them thoroughly; drain off all the water, and allow them to lay in a tub overnight, thickly salted. In the morning; wipe the pickles carefully. Lay them in a stone jar or a wooden bucket, in this way: Put in a layer of pickles. Cut up a few green or red peppers; put a few pieces in each layer, also a few cloves (remove the soft heads) and a tablespoon of mustard seed, and one bay leaf, no more. Then proceed in this way until the pickles are used. Then take half a pound of the very best ground mustard, tie it in a cloth loosely (use double cheese-cloth for the purpose), and lay this mustard-bag on top of the pickles. Boil enough white wine vinegar in a bell metal kettle to just cover them; add a cup of sugar for every gallon of vinegar, this does not sweeten them, but tends to preserve them and cut the sharpness of the vinegar. If the vinegar is very strong, add a cup of water to it while boiling; it should not "draw" the mouth, but be rather mild. See that the pickles are well covered with the vinegar, and pour the vinegar hot over the pickles and mustard. If the vinegar does not completely cover the pickles, boil more and add. Lay a plate on top of all to keep the pickles under the vinegar, and when cold tie up. Look them over in a few weeks, if you find any soft ones among them, boil the vinegar over again, and pour it over them hot.

Salt pickles
(For immediate use.) Take nice, large cucumbers, wash and wipe them; lay them in a jar or wooden pail, sprinkle coarse salt over each layer, and add dill, whole peppers and grape leaves, if you have them, also a very few bay leaves. Cover with water up to the brim and lay a piece of rye bread in the jar; it will help to quicken the process of souring. Cover with a plate and put a clean, heavy stone on top of the plate, in order to keep them well covered with the brine. Set them in a warm place, say back of the kitchen stove, for the first three days. They will be ready to use in a week.

Salzgurken
Take half-grown cucumbers; lay them in water overnight, then wipe each one dry and reject all that are soft at the ends. Lay a layer of cucumbers in a new barrel or wine keg (a small vinegar barrel is best), then a layer of the following spices: Fennel, dill, bay leaves, a few whole peppers; then cover with grape and cherry leaves, and begin again with a layer of cucumbers and fill in alternate layers until all are used. Then boil enough salt and water to just cover them, test the strength of the water by laying an egg in it, if it rises the water has enough salt in it, if not, add more salt. Pour this over the cucumbers when cold. Get a cooper to tighten up the barrel, and roll it in the sun and allow it to stay there for two weeks, turning over the barrel once each day.

Delicious mustard pickles (senfgurken)
Take about two dozen large, yellow pickles, pare them with a silver knife (to prevent them from turning dark), and cut lengthwise. Now take a silver spoon and remove all the seeds and soft inner pulp. Cut into strips about as long as your finger; sprinkle salt over them, and so on, until they are all cut up, then put in a wooden pail or large china bowl overnight. At the same time take about two quarts of small pickling onions, scald them with boiling water, remove the skins, also with a silver knife, and salt the same as you did the pickles. In the morning take a clean dish towel and dry each piece and lay them in a stone jar in the following manner: First a layer of pickles then a layer of onions, and then some horseradish, sliced, between the layers; a few whole peppers, a very few bay leaves, and sprinkle mustard seed, allspice and whole cloves between each layer. Remove the soft little heads of the cloves to prevent the pickles from turning dark; cover all with the best white wine vinegar; put a double cheese-cloth filled with mustard seed on top. In two weeks pour off the vinegar carefully and boil, and let it get perfectly cold before pouring over the pickles again. You may pack them in small glass jars if you prefer.

Chow-chow
Take pickles, cauliflower, beans, little onions and a few green and red peppers. Cut all up fine, except the onions; salt well overnight, drain off next morning and put in a large jar. Now mix one gallon or more of best pickling vinegar with a pound of ground mustard (wet the mustard with cold water before using). Put in a bag the following spices: Cloves, whole peppers and mustard seed. Boil the vinegar and spices and then throw over pickles boiling. Add a tablespoon of curry powder, and when cold tie up, having previously put a cloth with mustard seed over all.

Cucumbers in oil
One hundred medium-sized cucumbers, sliced thin lengthwise, add one pint salt, let stand overnight, drain thoroughly in morning, add two pints of sliced onions, then add dressing, consisting of four tablespoons of black mustard seed, four of white mustard seed, two of celery seed, one-half pint of best olive oil, one-half pint of white vinegar. Put cucumbers and onions into this, add one teaspoon of powdered alum, dissolved in a little warm water, add enough vinegar to cover it well, let stand three weeks before using.

Sweet pickles
Soak five hundred tiny cucumbers in salt water for twenty-four hours, using one-half of a cup of salt to four quarts of water. Drain, pour hot water over them and drain very dry. Take two ounces of cloves, heads removed, four sticks cinnamon; tie these spices in a bag and heat with three pounds of brown sugar and one pint of cider vinegar slowly, nearly to the boiling-point, add the pickles and remove from the stove. Put in glass jars and cover with vinegar.

Mixed pickles
Wash one quart of large cucumbers, cut in cubes, one quart of small cucumbers left whole, one quart small silver-skinned onions, one quart small green tomatoes chopped coarse, two red peppers chopped fine, one large cauliflower broken in small pieces; pour over them a weak brine solution made of one quart of water and a cup of salt. Let stand twenty-four hours; bring to a boil in same solution, drain and make the dressing.

Mixed Pickle Dressing.—Mix six tablespoons of mustard, one tablespoon of turmeric, one cup of flour, two cups of sugar and two quarts of vinegar. These ingredients must be thoroughly mixed and then cooked until thick. Stir in the pickles; heat thoroughly; empty into glass jars and stand away until needed.

Pickled cauliflower
Separate flowerettes of four heads of cauliflower, add one cup of salt, and let stand overnight. Place in colander, rinse with cold water and let drain. Tie one-quarter of a cup of mixed pickle spices in a thin bag and boil with two quarts of vinegar and two cups of sugar, throw in the cauliflower, boil a few minutes and pour to over flowing in wide-mouthed bottles or cans. Cork or cover and seal airtight.

Pickled beans
Remove the strings and cut one pint of wax beans into one inch pieces; wash and cook in boiling salt water (one teaspoon of salt to one quart of water), until tender, but not soft. Drain beans and save the water in which they were cooked. Reserve enough of this bean liquor to fill cans, add one-half cup of sugar and one cup of vinegar, let just cook up add the drained beans, cook all together and pour boiling hot into the cans. Seal at once. Use as a salad or sweet sour vegetable.

Pickled onions
Pour hot salt water over the onions, which should be small and perfectly white. Peel them with a silver spoon (a knife would injure their color), and let them lay in a salt brine for two days. Then drain the onions and boil enough vinegar to cover them. Throw the onions in the boiling vinegar and let them boil only a few minutes. Take from the fire and lay them in glass jars, with alternate layers of whole white peppercorns and a few cloves (removing the soft heads, which would turn the onions black), a stick of horseradish sliced, and mustard seed and dill (used sparingly). When the jars are filled heat the vinegar and add a cup of sugar to a gallon of vinegar. Cover the jars to overflowing with the vinegar, and seal while hot.

Green tomato pickle (french pickle)
Wash thoroughly a peck of green tomatoes, eight large white onions and six green-bell peppers. Remove the seeds from the peppers. Slice all the vegetables very thin. Put them in a stone jar; sprinkle a pint of salt over them, add a pint of cold water. Cover them with a napkin and let stand overnight.

In the morning put as much of the pickle as it will hold in a colander; let cold water run over; drain the vegetables a moment, then turn them from the colander into a large preserving kettle. Repeat the process till all are in the kettle. Then add a quart of cider vinegar, a half pint of tarragon vinegar, a pound of granulated sugar, a half pound of yellow mustard seeds, four bay leaves, an ounce of stick cinnamon (broken in short lengths), six whole cloves and stand the kettle over a slow fire and let the whole simmer for an hour with the cover of the kettle drawn back two inches. Stir the mixture frequently. At the end of the hour put the pickle in a stone crock or in glass jars.

Pepper mangoes
Take large green peppers; extract the seeds and core with a penknife, being careful not to break the peppers. Chop up one head of cabbage after boiling it in salt water. When cold add one cup of mustard seed, two tablespoons of grated horseradish, one nutmeg grated, one clove of garlic grated, a pinch of ground ginger, one dozen whole peppercorns, half a tablespoon of prepared mustard, one teaspoon of sugar and half a teaspoon of best salad oil. Lay the peppers in strong salt brine for three days; then drain off the brine and lay them in fresh water for twenty-four hours. Fill the peppers with the above mixture, sew or tie them up with strong thread, pack them in a large stone jar and pour scalding vinegar over them. Repeat this process three times more, at intervals of three days. Then tie up the jar and set it away in a cool, dry place for three months.

Piccalilli
Take one-half peck of green tomatoes, three red peppers, chopped; put in one cup of salt. Let stand overnight, then strain off the water. Five chopped onions, one pound of brown sugar, one-quarter ounce of allspice, and whole cloves put in a bag; one bunch of celery, one-half ounce of mustard seed. Cover with vinegar and boil three hours.

Prepared mustard
Rub together one teaspoon of sugar, saltspoon of fine salt and one tablespoon of best salad oil. Do this thoroughly. Mix two tablespoons of ground mustard with vinegar enough to thin it. Then add to the mixture of sugar, and if too thick, add a little boiling water.

Beet and horseradish relish
Take three cups of cold, boiled beets, grate and add one-half cup of grated horseradish; season with one-quarter teaspoon of pepper, one teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of sugar. Add all the vinegar the horseradish and beets will absorb, and place in covered jar or glass and it is ready for use. Will keep a long time.

Cabbage, beet and horseradish relish
Take two quarts of boiled beets chopped, two quarts of cabbage chopped, one cup of grated horseradish, mix with two cups of sugar and two teaspoons of salt, add cold vinegar to cover, and place in gallon jar.

Pickled beets
Take two pounds of cold, boiled beets, slice, place in crock in layers, sprinkle with one teaspoon of salt, one-eighth teaspoon of pepper, one teaspoon of brown sugar, one teaspoon of caraway seed, if you like, and cover with one pint of vinegar.

Cold, hard-boiled eggs may be placed in the vinegar, and sliced over the beets for decorations. The eggs will be red.

Pickled red cabbage (Hungarian style)
Select a medium-size, very hard head of red cabbage. Remove the outer leaves and cut the stalk off close to the head. Then cut the cabbage in quarters and take out the heart close to the leaves.

With a very sharp, thin-bladed knife cut the cabbage in shreds as fine as possible.

After the cabbage is all finely cut let cold water run over it through a colander; put the cabbage in a big kitchen bowl or a stone-crock in layers about two inches thick.

Over each layer place two or three thin slices of red onions, and sprinkle about four generous tablespoons of salt. Repeat this process till all the sliced cabbage is in the jar or bowl. Let the last layer be one of salt.

Pour a pint of cold water over this. Cover it with a plate that fits closely and lay a weight of some sort on the plate and stand the bowl in a cool place overnight.

In the morning pour the cabbage, brine and all, in a large colander to drain; let the cold water from the tap run over it for about five minutes; then return the cabbage to the receptacle in which it was salted.

A stone-crock is really the best, as the cabbage will keep in it all winter. In a kettle or saucepan over the fire add a pint of good cider vinegar, a gill of tarragon vinegar, a half pint of cold water, a half pound of granulated sugar, four bay leaves, a level tablespoon of allspice, a teaspoon of peppercorns and three ounces of stick cinnamon broken in half-inch pieces.

Let this all boil one minute and while boiling hot pour it over the cabbage in the jar; place the plate which should be of porcelain, over it; then put the cover of the jar on and let this stand for twenty-four hours. Then pour off the vinegar, heat it again till it just boils, pour it over the cabbage, cover it and put it in a cool place. It will keep in perfect condition all winter, and is one of the most delicious relishes known.

Sauerkraut
Line the bottom and sides of a clean barrel or keg with cabbage leaves. Cut into fine shreds one or two dozen large heads of white, crisp cabbage. Do this on a large slaw-cutter. Now begin to pack: First put in a layer of cabbage, say about four inches deep, and press down firmly and sprinkle with about four tablespoons of salt. Put one or two tart apples, cut up fine, between each layer, or some Malaga grapes (which will impart a fine flavor to the kraut). When four layers have been put in, pound with a wooden beetle until the cabbage is quite compact and then add more cabbage, and so on until all has been salted, always pounding down each layer. Last, cover with cabbage leaves, then a clean cloth, a well-fitting board, and a heavy stone, to act as weight on top of all. It is now ready to set away in a cool cellar to ferment. In two weeks examine, remove the scum, if any; wash the cloth, board and stone, wash also the sides of the keg or jar, and place all back again. This must be done weekly.

Corn relish
Boil nine ears of corn and cut from cob; chop fine large head of cabbage and salt it; chop six green peppers; two tablespoons of white mustard-seed, three pints of vinegar, one cup of granulated sugar, two tablespoons of turmeric, two tablespoons of cornstarch, and one tablespoon of dry mustard. Dissolve cornstarch and mustard in the vinegar; put on to thicken. Strain salt-water from the cabbage. Mix all the ingredients and stir in pot of vinegar. Let all get very hot and seal in pint jars. This is fine as a pickle with cold meats.

Mushroom catsup
Wash and look over one pint of mushrooms carefully, put them in an earthen jar with alternate layers of salt. Let stand for twenty-four hours in a comparatively warm place; put through a fruit press and add one-fourth ounce of green ginger root cut in small pieces. Measure the mushroom liquor; to one pint of liquor add one-half ounce of peppercorn and simmer for forty minutes; then add one-fourth ounce of allspice and of cloves and one blade of mace and boil for fifteen minutes. Take from fire and cool. Strain through a cloth, bottle and seal.

Tomato catsup
Cut eight quarts of tomatoes in pieces and stew them until soft; press through a sieve to remove the skins and seeds; add one head of garlic or one-half onion, one-half tablespoon of black pepper, one-quarter teaspoon of red pepper, one-half ounce whole cloves, three-quarters of a cup of salt and one of cider vinegar; mix thoroughly and boil about three hours or until reduced one-half. Bottle without straining, then seal.

Tomato sauce (chili)
Forty-five large tomatoes, skin and cut into pieces, twenty green peppers, twenty red peppers, six onions, all cut fine, two tablespoons of salt, six small cups of vinegar, two cups of sugar. Mix all together and boil two hours, then add one tablespoon each of ginger, cloves, cinnamon and allspice, and boil up once. Bottle and seal at once.