Pickled Cucumbers with Lovage and Chili
Crisp pickled cucumbers where the usual dill-and-garlic duo is joined by lovage, with its warm celery-like aroma, and a few chili pods for heat. Lovage is a tall, celery-scented herb common in Ukrainian gardens; if you can’t find it, celery leaf or a little tarragon comes closest. Soaking the cucumbers in cold water for 3 to 4 hours isn’t a formality but the key to crunch: they take on moisture and won’t go hollow inside.
The double pour, first boiling water and, half an hour later, hot brine, heats both the jars and the cucumbers, so the batch keeps reliably without a boiling-water bath. Apple cider vinegar makes a softer brine than plain white vinegar.
The details that decide it
- Choose small, bumpy cucumbers; they stay crisper than smooth ones.
- Trimming both ends noticeably speeds up the pickling.
- Keep jars and lids scrupulously clean, since the smallest contamination can ruin the whole batch.
The cucumbers are ready in two weeks. Store them somewhere cool and dark.
Part of Ukrainian cuisine — 464 more recipes in the section.
You might also like
Ingredients
Instructions
Soak the cucumbers in cold water for 3-4 hours.
For the marinade, pour the water into a pot, bring to a boil, add the salt, sugar, vinegar, and bay leaves, and boil for 5 minutes.
Pack the cucumbers tightly against one another into sterilized jars along with the herbs, chili, and peeled garlic cloves. Pour boiling water from a kettle over the cucumbers, let stand for half an hour, then drain the water.
Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers, seal with sterilized lids, and store in a dark, cool place. After a couple of weeks the jars are ready to open.
Tip: if you trim the cucumbers on both ends, they will pickle much faster. The finished cucumbers change color from light green to dark.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.