|
Pickling Spice SeasoningPickling spice seasoning is generally used in canning and cooking meats and vegetables. One common well known form of pickling is in making pickles from cucumbers. Although it is easy to find pickled meats and vegetables in supermarkets today, there are those that still enjoy this cooking art form. To pickle generally refers to brining of foods in a solution.
When pickling foods it is a good idea to leave the spices whole so that the food cooks without leaving a residue of powder from the spices in the jar after the food is added to the glass jar for storage. It is a good idea to place the spices for pickling in a cheese cloth bag for easy removal after cooking is complete. There are all sorts of foods that are pickled and combinations of spices for pickling, the combination depends on what is being pickled. A pickling solution generally consists of vinegar, pickling salt, sugar, and a variety of spices. The herbs and spices include dill as the primary the herb, although other herbs such as chives, rosemary, tarragon and thyme are often used. Spices consisting of mustard seeds, allspice, caraway, cinnamon, celery seed and peppercorns are used as a basic pickling seasoning some types of foods such as pickles. For other types of foods curry powder, nutmeg, turmeric and dried chilies may be added. One type of basic pickling seasoning is the following: Pickling Spice Recipe ¼ cup whole yellow mustard seeds 8 teaspoons whole black peppercorns 2 tablespoons dill seeds 2 tablespoons fennel seeds 2 tablespoons whole allspice 4 teaspoons whole cloves 1 tablespoon crushed bay leaves 1 broken cinnamon stick 2 teaspoon diced dried chilies (or to taste) Mix thoroughly and store in an airtight container.
For some great sections on herbs and spices some great references are: • The Spice and Herb Bible – Second Edition by Ian Hemphill with recipes by Kate Hemphill • Field Guide to Herbs & Spices by Aliza Green • Herbs & Spices – the cook’s reference by Jill Norman • The Contemporary Encyclopedia of Herbs & Spices – Seasonings For The Global Kitchen by Tony Hill • Cajun Clark’s Cookbooks
Specialty Seasoning Mixtures
|
