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The greens of dill, which appeared on the European territory of Russia in the X century, over the past centuries has become one of the most favorite spices. The carved fragrant foliage of the umbellate plant is indispensable in salads of fresh vegetables, marinades and pickles, potato and cereal dishes. Torn off the garden dill - this is a great additive to meat, fish and poultry.
But what to do in the cold season, when a beautiful, but sometimes tasteless greens can be found only in stores? To keep for a long time the fresh greens in a conventional refrigerator is problematic. After a couple of days it turns yellow, loses its appearance and smell, withers. Therefore, there are indispensable such recipes for the preparation of dill for the winter, where the foliage and stems of the plant are frozen, dried, salted or marinated.
On the proceeds will come made in the home conditions of dill for the winter. Fortunately, there are many ways to preserve the taste, aroma and useful properties of dill grown on their beds.
How to freeze dill at home?
Under the influence of low temperatures in the green of dill, all processes of vital activity stop, which helps to conserve all active substances in leaves and stems, aroma and taste. The technology of freezing is simple and does not require any long-term pretreatment of dill.
Before freezing dill in the freezer, vegetable raw materials:
- washed;
- carefully dried by dabbing with a towel or a towel;
- free from coarse parts of the plant;
- cut;
- dispensed according to the containers or bags intended for freezing;
- is placed in the freezer for long-term storage and subsequent use.
Since the greens are thawing quickly, but do not tolerate re-freezing, it is better to choose small containers for storage. You can freeze dill by tightly wrapping small bundles of spicy grass with food film. And to simplify the use of frozen raw materials, many housewives began to prepare for winter at home dill ice cubes, enclosing one portion of spicy greens for cooking the first dish or adding to garnish.
Chopped leaves are laid out in ice forms, poured a small amount of boiled water and sent to the freezer. When the ice freezes, the cubes are transferred to bags and, if necessary, removed from the freezer.
For fish lovers and rice dishes, another recipe for fennel preparation for the winter is appropriate. The washed greens are ground in a blender, add a little lemon juice and pepper to the resulting mashed potatoes, and the resulting seasoning is poured into ice form after stirring. In this case, the addition of water, most often, is not required, and the resulting ice has a rich taste, which is transmitted to ready-made dishes.
Dill in vegetable oil
Vegetable oils, covering the greens, prevent access to it of oxygen, do not allow to develop pathogenic microbes and mold fungi, so at home to prepare dill for the winter can be in the vegetable oil.
The easiest way is to grind clean greens, spread it over glass containers and pour with sunflower or olive oil. It is important that in the thickness of the green no air bubbles remain, and the oil is covered with dill. Banks tightly closed and stored in a dark, cool place. Use the same product you can for salad dressing, boiled potatoes and pasta.
If desired, the recipe for dill preparation for the winter can be complicated by adding lemon peel, black pepper, and parsley to the peel.
Pesto sauce from fresh dill
On the basis of fragrant dill, not only such an original dressing, but also a vitamin pesto sauce is prepared.
For 150-200 grams of fresh dill take:
- 3 peeled garlic cloves;
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt;
- 1/4 cup of peeled pine nuts;
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper;
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest;
- 1/4 cup olive oil.
All the ingredients are crushed thoroughly in a blender, mixed, spread over small cans and closed after sterilization. Such a homemade dill preparation will decorate dishes from red and white sea fish, risotto and pasta, and can also serve as a dressing for vegetable, potato and mushroom soups-mashed potatoes.
If you do not have pine nuts at hand, they will be replaced perfectly with walnut kernels, almonds or even peanuts.
Oil with spicy greens of dill for the winter
Another good help in winter is dill oil, at home it can be done in several ways. Olive or sunflower oil can be used instead of water when frozen in the freezer of dill cube. Such a billet is extremely convenient to use, preserves all the aromatic and flavoring properties of greenery and does not take much time to prepare.
Instead of olive you can take melted butter. In this case, the cubes will give a fresh aroma of summer to the potato and add to it a magnificent creamy taste.
The oil helps keep the fennel fresh for winter. Greens for a few months of storage does not lose any color, no smell, no taste.
Likewise, such cubes are good for serving portioned baked fish, preparing sandwiches and other dishes. The photo shows the ingredients for cooking snack butter with dill greens, lemon zest and garlic. All the vegetable components are ground and added to the softened oil, after which they are mixed and spread on the food film.
The resulting product is formed as a bar and frozen. Often such mixtures are injected with a little salt, pepper and other spices to their own taste and needs. And dill in the harvest for the winter remains, as fresh. Homemade dill oil with slices of sweet pepper and pickled capers will be a good addition to crispy toast, potatoes or boiled rice.
But the famous etheric dill oil at home can not be cooked. But on the dried greenery and seeds of the plant, olive or other vegetable oil can be insisted. Dry dill sprigs and seeds are poured with oil, tightly closed with a lid and put on for 7-10 days in a dark place. As a result, the oil will acquire a delicate aroma, which will necessarily be transferred to the cooking dishes.
Dry vegetable raw material in this case is most preferable, since it does not contain moisture, it quickly gives out aromatic substances and can not cause sourness or development of mold.
How to dry dill at home?
Drying is the most popular way of harvesting. But the herbs of spicy grasses are extremely tender, When overheated dill quickly turns yellow and loses all its dignity. This is important to remember, and when you are going to dry the dill at home, choose a suitable place for this aired place away from the sun's rays and heating devices.
Before you dry the dill greenery at home, wash it, soak it with a napkin and cut it, along with removing stiff stems and umbrellas. Pallets with grass or dried beams need to be protected from insects and wind. To do this, it is easier to use gauze or other lightweight cloth that allows air to pass through.
If dill is dried in specialized dryers, choose the most sparing temperature regimes, and spread the greens in a thin even layer.
How to salt dill in cans for the winter?
You can salt the dill with a brine or a dry method. Before you can salt dill for the winter in cans, the foliage is washed. On a kilogram of shredded greenery take 200 grams of salt, vegetable raw materials are laid in glass containers, pour salt, rammed and make a new layer of secluded leaves. When the pot is filled, it is closed with wax paper and exposed to the cold.
Prepared for the winter on this recipe, dill does not lose flavor until 2-3 months and can serve as a seasoning for almost any dish.
For the best return of the juice and obtaining a very fragrant seasoning in the chopped dill greenery, you can add lemon juice and grind the raw material with salt.
Dill in marinade
Dill greens and young parts of the stems after shredding are poured with marinade with the addition of vegetable oil, sterilized and covered with tightly ground lids. For a kilo of fresh greens take:
- 300 grams of water;
- 3 tablespoons of 6 percent vinegar;
- 30 grams of table salt;
- 50 grams of vegetable oil.
Pepper, bay leaf and other spices are added to taste. This fennel preparation for winter at home is stored in a cellar or cellar environment and can be used as an independent snack or a spicy additive to dishes from meat, mushrooms and vegetables.
