How to deliciously prepare Tsitsak pepper for the winter: the best recipes and recommendations from experienced housewives

Any housewife can surprise her family and guests with unusual and spicy pickles. For example, you can prepare a delicious pickle from hot tsitsak pepper, very popular in Georgia and Armenia.

Among the standard pickles and sauerkraut pickled tsitsak will definitely attract the attention of guests. This spicy and tasty appetizer is good both on its own and as a savory addition to main dishes, especially in the winter season.

What kind of vegetable is this

Tsitsak is a traditionally bred bitter pepper that has a bright color (usually red, green or yellow-green) and a medium-hot taste with slight notes of sweetness.. Hot spices are made from its fruits, but this variety of pepper is also good for preservation.

Like most spices, tsitsak promotes digestion and increases appetite.. Moreover, these properties, along with bitterness and “medium” pungency, are inherent not only in fresh vegetables, but are also preserved when preserved.

Tsitsak - a source of vitamin C, A and group B, contains fatty acids, oils, saccharides.

Bitter vegetable is popular in Armenian and Georgian cuisine, where it is mainly fermented or salted, and tsitsak got its name from the national Armenian dish of pickled hot pepper.

The plant came to Russia from southern latitudes, That's why for growing it Requires warmth and sunlight in mid-latitudes. Despite the sprout's resistance to light and short-term frosts, it is recommended to grow it under film or in greenhouses.

How to properly salt tsitsak at home

For pickling, it is recommended to choose yellow-green thin fruits, smooth and intact, without damage or pests.

Selected The pods are “dry” cleaned of dirt (do not wash!) and left in a warm place for 2-3 daysso that the vegetable wilts and wrinkles a little.

After which the pepper is thoroughly washed in running water and lightly dried with a towel. and make several punctures with a fork or knife so that the vegetable is better saturated with brine and does not swell during pickling.

Reference. To preserve tsitsak pepper, you do not need to peel it from the seeds or remove the stalks: the whole vegetable is fermented and salted.

In the classic version, pickling is used following ratio of ingredients:

• Tsitsak pepper - 1 kg;

Brine (brine) - done three times (a few days later):

• water - 1 liter;
• salt - 4 tbsp. l.

The washed and pierced peppers are placed in a pan and poured with the first hot brine., for which salt is simply dissolved in boiling water.

Place a lid or saucer on top and place a weightso that the pods are completely in the brine, and left in a warm place - in the sun or near a radiator - for three days.

After the time has passed, the brine is drained, replace with fresh (second brine) and leave to salt for another 5 days.

Then pepper is placed in jars, filled with new brine (third brine) and roll up. Store in a cool place: in the basement or in the refrigerator.

Pickled hot peppers for the winter: my favorite recipes

In addition to the classic recipe for salted tsitsak, there are other ways of fermenting and salting it. Let's look at the most popular recipes.

Tsitsak in oil

A traditional snack that almost every housewife in Armenia prepares. It has a pronounced pungent taste and pleasant oiliness.Suitable for rice and cereal dishes, also good as an independent snack.

Ingredients:

• Tsitsak pepper - 3 kg;
• parsley - 1 large bunch (or 2 medium sized);
• garlic - 5-6 heads;
• salt - 100 g;
• sunflower oil - 350 g;
• apple cider vinegar - 50 ml.

How to prepare fried peppers:

1. The peppers are sorted, placed in a warm place for 2-3 days, washed thoroughly, and punctures are made with a fork or knife.
2. Parsley is washed, dried and finely chopped. The garlic is peeled and finely chopped or passed through a press.
3. Chopped garlic and parsley are mixed well with salt.
4. The peppers are carefully rolled in a mixture of garlic, parsley and salt, placed in a saucepan, covered with a lid and left for a day. There is no need to add water or put it under pressure.
5. Sunflower oil is mixed with vinegar in a separate container and about half of the mixture is poured into a heated frying pan.
6. Fry the peppers in a frying pan with oil and vinegar, stirring frequently. When frying each new portion, shake the container with vinegar and oil beforehand and add it little by little to the pan, updating the mixture.
7. The fried pods are tightly packed into jars.
8. The filled jars are placed in a saucepan with slightly boiling water (about 85°C), a lid is loosely placed on the neck, sterilized for 20 minutes and closed.

The procedure for preparing “boiled” pepper:

1. The peppers are sorted, placed in a warm place for 2-3 days, washed thoroughly, and punctures are made with a fork or knife.
2. Parsley is washed, dried and finely chopped. The garlic is peeled and finely chopped or passed through a press.
3. Sunflower oil is mixed with vinegar and salt in an enamel pan and brought to a boil.
4. The prepared vegetables are placed in boiling oil, boiled for 5 to 7 minutes depending on the size of the pods (the main thing is not to overcook!) and removed with a slotted spoon.
5. Boil the greens in the same oil for 5 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon.
6. Peppers and herbs are placed tightly in jars, rolled up and placed in the refrigerator.

How to pickle tsitsak with corn leaves

An unusual, slightly milder taste will be given to the appetizer by celery leaves, as well as corn silk and leaves, which also have medicinal properties. Therefore, such tsitsak will not only be tasty, but also extremely healthy.

Ingredients:

• tsitsak - 1 kg;
• corn silks and leaves - optional;
• dill - 3-5 umbrellas;
• bay leaf - 3-5 pcs.;
• garlic - 5-6 cloves;
• celery leaves - optional.

Brine:

• cold water - 1 l;
• table salt - 70 g.

Cooking procedure:

1. The peppers are sorted, placed in a warm place for 2-3 days, washed thoroughly, and punctures are made with a fork or knife.
2. The remaining ingredients are washed and, if necessary, chopped (garlic, celery).
3. The ingredients are placed in a large enamel pan in the following order: half the greens (dill, corn leaves and stigmas) - on the bottom, pepper, celery leaves, garlic, bay leaf - mixed to the top, then the remaining greens.
4. Dissolve salt in cold water and pour the water into the pan. Cover with a plate or lid of a smaller diameter, on which pressure is placed so that all the pods are in the brine and do not spoil. Place the pan in a warm place for 7 days to ferment.
5. After a week, the brine will become transparent and the tsitsak can be removed from the pan and placed in jars.
6. The infused brine is boiled, poured into jars with pepper and covered with plastic lids or rolled up.

Take note:

Hot peppers cold marinated in vinegar

How to salt Tarkin pepper with cabbage quickly and tasty

How to dry hot peppers: preparation methods and storage tips

Marinated bitter pepper tsitsak in Georgian style

An easy-to-prepare, spicy pickle that always turns out tasty and is perfect as an addition to a main dish or as a stand-alone snack in the winter.

Ingredients:

• tsitsak (or other hot red pepper) - 1 kg;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• sunflower oil - 1 tbsp.;
• water - 1 tbsp.;
• salt - 2 tbsp. l.;
• sugar - 50 g;
• vinegar 9% - 50 ml.

Cooking procedure:

1. The peppers are washed and peeled in one of the following ways: either fried in oil so that the skin comes off easily, or blanched in boiling water for 1-2 minutes and peeled, or placed in a preheated oven for 4-5 minutes so that the skin softens.
2. Prepare the marinade: place water and oil over medium heat, add sugar and vinegar, bring to a boil.

2. Garlic is peeled and crushed or passed through a press.
3. Dip the peppers into the boiling marinade for 2-3 minutes, remove them and place them in jars, sprinkling each layer with garlic.
4. Fill the jars with hot marinade and place in a saucepan with slightly boiling water (about 85°C), place a lid loosely on the neck, sterilize for 15-25 minutes, close and wrap with something warm.

Hot pickled tsitsak pepper with honey for the winter

Honey added during canning slightly reduces the spiciness of the snack, but nevertheless, its taste remains quite bright and the dish is in great demand on the winter table.

Ingredients:

• Tsitsak pepper - 1 kg;
• liquid honey - 4 tbsp. l.;
• sugar - 1 tbsp;
• vinegar 9% - 500 ml.

Cooking procedure:

1. The peppers are sorted, placed in a warm place for 2-3 days, washed thoroughly, and punctures are made with a fork or knife.
2. The jars are pre-sterilized in a convenient way (in the microwave, in the oven, in a double boiler, in the dishwasher, etc.).
3. Sterilized jars are filled in the following order: liquid honey on the bottom (it is also possible to pour honey on top), then tightly compacted tsitsak pepper pods, with each layer sprinkled with sugar.
4. Vinegar is poured into the jars on top.
5. The jars are tightly closed and turned upside down for 30 minutes, after which they check for leaks. If they are absent, put them in a cool place for 2-3 months.

Thanks to the combination of honey and vinegar, there is no need to sterilize the pickling.

How to pickle bitter tsitsak peppers for the winter in a cold way

Using the cold method, you can pickle not only hot but also sweet peppers. The method does not require sterilization, and the finished product is stored under pressure in a cold place. The result is a tasty and healthy product.

Ingredients:

• pepper - 5 kg;
• bay leaf - 7-10 pcs.;
• greens (dill, parsley, celery) - to taste;
• salt - 400 g;
• drinking water - 5 l.

Cooking procedure:

1. The greens are washed, peeled and cut.
2. Prepared and cut peppers are placed in a large container (barrel, pan, etc.) and sprinkled with chopped herbs.
3. Water is boiled with salt, if necessary, filtered through cheesecloth and cooled.
4. Fill a container with pepper with cold brine, cover it with a plate or lid and put pressure on it.
5. Leave the container at room temperature for 12 days, after which the peppers and herbs are placed in jars, filled with brine, covered with a nylon lid and placed in the refrigerator.

A savory winter appetizer made from tsitsak peppers and herbs

A spicy appetizer made from peppers generously sprinkled with pickled herbs will not leave “spicy” lovers indifferent. Good both as an independent snack and as a side dish for vegetable and meat dishes.

Ingredients:

• tsitsak - 6 kg;
• vegetable oil - 1 l;
• vinegar 9% - 750 ml;
• salt - 0.75 tbsp;
• sugar - 1 tbsp;
• garlic - 300 g;
• parsley - 2 large bunches;
• dill - 2 large bunches.

Cooking procedure:

1. The peppers are sorted, placed in a warm place for 2-3 days, washed, and punctured with a fork or knife.
2. The greens are washed, peeled and chopped. The garlic is peeled and passed through a press.
3. Mix the vinegar with the oil in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
4. Place garlic and herbs into a boiling solution and boil for 2-4 minutes.
5. Then put the tsitsak into the solution, mix well (preferably by shaking) and boil for 5-8 minutes.
6. Peppers and herbs are placed in jars, filled with brine and placed in a saucepan with low boiling water (about 85°C), a lid is loosely placed on the neck, sterilized for 10-15 minutes, closed and placed in a cold place.

Salty tsitsak with Georgian herbs

One of the main dishes of Georgian cuisine. The pickling turns out aromatic and spicy. Good as a side dish.

Ingredients:

• tsitsak - 3 kg;
• garlic - 6 heads;
• dill and parsley - 1 bunch each;
• cold water - 5 l;
• mixture of spices of Georgian cuisine - to taste;
• salt - 200 gr.

Cooking procedure:

1. The peppers are sorted, placed in a warm place for 2-3 days, washed thoroughly, and punctures are made with a fork or knife.
2. The greens are washed, peeled and chopped. The garlic is peeled and passed through a press.
3. Salt is dissolved in cold water.
4. Place greens, garlic and pepper in a large saucepan, pour cold brine, put pressure on top and leave for 3-5 days.
5. The jars are pre-sterilized in a convenient way (in the microwave, in the oven, in a double boiler, in the dishwasher, etc.).
6. The pepper is taken out, squeezed out and placed in jars (without greens).
7. Prepare a new brine and fill the jars to the very neck, close the lids and put them in the refrigerator.
8. For long-term storage, jars of pepper are sterilized for 15 minutes in boiling water.

Armenian garlic tsitsak according to a special recipe

This pepper is served together with traditional aromatic couscous, added to soups, especially borscht, used in salads, and served with potato dishes, stewed meats and vegetables. Tsitsak turns out aromatic, spicy, tasty without excessive bitterness.

Ingredients:

• tsitsak - 6 kg;
• garlic - 10 heads;
• dill - 1 bunch (or pods with seeds);
• water - 10 l;
• vegetable oil - 50 ml;
• coarse salt - 2 cups.

Cooking procedure:

1. The peppers are sorted, placed in a warm place for 2-3 days, washed, and pierced.
2. The greens are washed, peeled and chopped. The garlic is peeled and passed through a press.
3. Place the greens and garlic on the bottom of a large saucepan, add oil and cold water.
4. Place the peppers in the same container, cover the pan with gauze and place under pressure for 14 days at room temperature.
5. The jars are pre-sterilized in a convenient way (in the microwave, in the oven, in a double boiler, in the dishwasher, etc.).
6. Peppers and herbs are taken out of the pan, washed and placed in layers (pepper, garlic) in sterilized jars.
7. Jars with vegetables, but without brine, are placed in a saucepan with gently boiling boiling water (about 85°C), a lid is loosely placed on the neck, and sterilized for 10-15 minutes.
8. They prepare a new brine, fill the jars, roll them up with metal lids and wrap them in something warm.

Tips and tricks for cooking and preserving

Long-term storage conditions for pepper are standard: store the blanks in a cool, dark place, protect from direct sunlight.

Products that are planned to be consumed in the near future, can be stored in the refrigerator under nylon covers for 2-5 weeks.

Conclusion

Tsitsak is the basis of many interesting and extremely tasty dishes. Each housewife can choose a recipe suitable for her family: with butter or with herbs, fried or boiled, soft with honey or light with celery - any preparation of tsitsak pepper will delight gourmets and give sunny, burning warmth on cold winter evenings.