From mid-summer to almost late autumn, in the clearing of mixed forests, birch groves and on roadsides, lovers of the "quiet hunt" collect white mushrooms, popularly referred to as the white thunderfish (in the Volga region they are also sometimes called volzhanka). They are eaten only in salt form, and some gourmets prefer them even to breasts. Before cooking white mushrooms, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the rules of salting and only then with recipes.
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Rules for salting white whites
The rules for salting the whites are similar to the rules for pickling such mushrooms - mushrooms, milkwort, saffron mushrooms, etc. Nevertheless, a reminder of them will not be superfluous, because we are talking about mushrooms - products that must be carefully prepared to avoid poisoning and dangerous diseases.
The rules are as follows:
- do not use legs for salting;
- Do not salt overripe, flabby and not fresh enough mushrooms;
- gently (so as not to break fragile hats) and thoroughly rinse the whites under running water, removing debris and dirt;
- Soak the washed mushrooms for several hours in cold water.
Soaking the whites is necessary in order to remove a specific strong smell and pungent bitter taste, which gives the milky juice to the mushrooms. Some housewives pour boiling water over the mushrooms.
When all the rules are followed and precisely followed, you can proceed directly to the salting of the whites. There are two ways - cold and hot.
Cold way of salting the whites
Ingredients:
- freshly prepared whites - 10 kg;
- non-iodized rock salt - 400 g;
- garlic - 1 head;
- dill seeds - 50-100 g;
- horseradish root - 10 cm with a diameter of 15-20 cm;
- allspice - 20-30 peas;
- bay leaf - 5-10 pcs.
Attention! - soaking the whites prepared for salting in a cold way should be increased to 1-2 days, while changing the water every day 2-3 times. Otherwise, and in finished form, the mushrooms will be bitter.
Prepare the spices. Divide the garlic into slices, peel and chop. Rinse the horseradish root, remove the skin thinly and cut it too (you can lengthwise). Allspice and dill seeds can be slightly sweated in a mortar to maximize their flavor. Combine all the spices in a bowl with salt.
At the bottom of the container prepared in advance (pots, tubs, jars), pour a little spicy-salt mixture and lay the first row of prepared ones, i.e. washed and soaked, whites. Stack mushrooms with their hats down. Sprinkle the first row with salt and spices and lay the second row on it, then the third, fourth and all subsequent ones, not forgetting to sprinkle the layers with a spicy-salt mixture. Cover the last row with gauze, put a wooden circle and a load (stone, jar of water, etc.). Place a bowl of mushrooms in a cool place. The whites will be ready in a month and a half.
A hot way to pickle whites
This method is a little more complicated than the first, but after it the mushrooms turn out to be strong, do not crumble, they are stored longer and you can eat them without fear. True, such an aroma as with cold salting is not to be expected.
Filled washed and soaked whites with a weak salt brine (50 g of salt per liter of water), put on a strong fire. As it boils, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring and removing the foam. Rinse the boiled mushrooms under running water and drop them in a colander to make the glass water. Then transfer them to prepared dishes - a pan or a jar, sprinkling with spices and fragrant herbs. Boil the brine at the rate of 200 salt per 1 liter of water and pour the whites so that they are completely covered with brine. Mushrooms salted in this way are considered ready after 20-25 days.
In conclusion. There is a public opinion that whites, like mushrooms, saffron mushrooms, milkwort, do not need spices and aromatic herbs for salting, which can tone, distort or completely destroy the mushrooms' own taste. But, as they say, this is a matter of individual gastronomic preferences, everyone salt the whites as he thinks is right, in accordance with his taste.
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How to make quick salted mushrooms for the winter