Dry Brined Pickles Sausai Sdyti Agurkai Lithuania Recipes

DRY BRINE TURKEY

Steps:

• Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Season the inside and outside of turkey with kosher salt, focusing on the breast and thighs. Place turkey, breast-side up, in the roasting pan and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate turkey for about 2 days.
• Flip turkey breast-side down, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 1 more day.
• Remove plastic wrap and place turkey on a rack over a baking sheet the night before you plan to roast. Allow turkey to air-dry in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
• Bring turkey to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours; pat dry with paper towels. Season turkey with black pepper and place onion and celery in the cavity.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place turkey, breast-side down, in a roasting pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven until skin is golden, about 30 minutes. Remove turkey from oven and flip to breast-side up. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C); continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 2 hours.
• Transfer turkey to a large platter and loosely tent with aluminum foil; allow turkey to rest about 30 minutes before carving.

FERMENTED OR BRINED PICKLES

Steps:

• Wash cucumbers carefully. Use only freshly harvested, slightly immature pickling variety.
• Weigh cucumbers.
• Dissolve salt in water to make brine.
• Put in a clean pickling container and cover with brine. (Cucumbers may be added during the first day or two of curing process if enough brine is added to cover them and if salt is added in definite amounts to maintain a 10% brine.
• Weight cucumbers under brine.
• Store in a cool dark place.
• Next day, add 1 cup salt for each 5 pounds of cucumbers. This is necessary to maintain a 10% brine solution. Salt must be added on top of plate or clean cloth (and not directly on the cucumbers) for even distribution throughout the brine.
• Remove scum when it forms on top of brine. The scum will destroy the acidity of the brine and result in spoilage of the product, if left on.
• At the end of the week, and for 4 or 5 succeeding weeks, add 1/4 cup salt for each 5 pounds of cucumbers. Add in the same manner as step 6.
• Fermentation resulting in bubble formation should continue about 4 weeks. Test for bubbles by tapping container on the side with your hand. As a second test, cut a cucumber in half; if it is the same color throughout and has no noticeable rings or white spots, fermentation is complete.
• Cucumbers may be kept in this 10% brine solution--no additional salt is added after they are cured--until made into pickles. The best temperature for brining cucumbers is about 70 to 75.

VAISIU PYRAGAS -- FRUIT BREAD (LITHUANIA)

Steps:

• In a large bowl whisk together yeast, JUST 1/2 cup of the sugar, milk, JUST 3 cups of the flour & salt, combining until smooth, then cover & let stand for 1 hour.
• After the 1 hour, add the 4 ounces of melted butter, eggs, another 1/2 cup of sugar & the remaining flour, & knead until smooth & elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Add chopped fruits, raisins & nuts & knead until well incorporated, then cover & let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• In a small container, mix 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon & set aside, then grease two large loaf pans.
• Divide dough in half &, on a lightly floured surface, roll each half, one at a time, into a rectangle about 12 inches by 16 inches.
• Spread each half with melted butter & the sugar/cinnamon mixture, then roll the dough up lengthwise & tuck in the ends before placing them in the prepared loaf pans.
• Cover pans with greased plastic wrap & let rise until doubled.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F & bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F & bake 50 minutes longer.
• Turn loaves out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• If desired, the loaves can be served plain, dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with a vanilla icing.

POTATO CEPELINAI

Steps:

• For the potatoes:.
• Put the grated potatoes into a large piece of fine-mesh cheesecloth or smooth kitchen towel, grabbing corners together to form a pouch. Wring the towel over a bowl, straining the excess liquid from the grated potatoes through the cloth, squeezing firmly with your hands until the potatoes are as dry as possible. Put the potatoes into a mixing bowl. Reserve the liquid. Let the starch settle to the bottom of the bowl of liquid, then pour the liquid off; add the starch back to the potatoes. Mash the boiled potatoes or run them through a ricer, and then add to the grated ones. Add the eggs and a dash of salt and knead well.
• For the meat:.
• Combine the beef, pork, salt, pepper and garlic in a bowl. Mix well with your hands. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
• For cooking the cepelinai:.
• Bring a large wide pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, roll about 1-cupful of the potato mixture into a ball with your hands. Gently flatten it into a 1/2-inch-thick round patty. Place 1/4 cup of the meat mixture into the center of the potatoes. Cup your hands together to seal the potato into a football shape, gently forming into an oval. Repeat forming more cepelinais with the remaining potato and meat mixtures.
• Gently slip the cepelinai into the boiling water, allowing the water to return to a boil before the next dumpling is added. Do not overcrowd the cepelinai in the pot. Stir carefully and occasionally. Boil until the dumplings are translucent and the meat is cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the dumplings using a slotted spoon, drain and place on a heated platter.
• For the bacon sauce:.
• Cook the bacon and onions in a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the onions are lightly browned. Pour off some of the excess fat. For richer gravy, stir the sour cream carefully into the bacon-onion mixture. Blend well but do not boil. You can also serve the sour cream on the side. Spoon the bacon and onions over the cepelinais and serve.

BRINED GARLIC DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Wash cucumbers in cold water then dry on rack or wipe dry.
• Place half the pickle spices, garlic and a layer of dill in a 5 gallon crock or jar.
• Fill the container with cucumbers to within 3-4 inches from top.
• Place a layer of dill and remaining spices and garlic on top of cucumbers.
• Thoroughly mix the vinegar, salt and water and pour over the cucumbers.
• Cover with a heavy plate (weigh it down with a jar of water) so that the cucumbers stay under the brine.
• Cover loosely with a towel.
• Keep pickles at room temperature and remove scum daily when it forms, (3-5 days).
• Do not stir pickles but make sure they are always covered with brine.
• If necessary make additional brine using original recipe.
• In about 3 weeks the cucumbers should be olive green and have a desirable flavor.
• Any white spots will disappear in processing.
• Strain the brine before using as it is preferred for the added flavor.
• Pack pickles firmly into clean, hot quart jars.
• Add several pieces of dill and a clove or two of garlic to each jar, then cover with boiling brine to 1/2 inch from top.
• Adjust lids and process 15 minutes in water bath, beginning the time as soon as the jars are in the actively boiling water.
• Cloudiness of brine is typical when the original brine is used as the covering liquid.