A great, satisfying and very healthy snack, which will surely appeal to everyone who loves a product such as beans. This Greek appetizer for the winter will also serve you as a lifesaver if unexpected guests arrive.
Product List
- Beans - 1 kilogram.
- Carrots - 1 kilogram.
- Onions - 1 kilogram.
- Tomatoes - 1 kilogram.
- Sweet bell pepper - 1 kilogram.
- Garlic - 1 cup.
- Sugar - 1 cup.
- Vegetable oil - 0.3-0.5 liters.
- Hot pepper - 1-2 pods (can be replaced with 2 teaspoons of black pepper, if desired).
- Acetic essence (70%) - 1-2 teaspoons.
- Salt to taste.
Vegetable preparation
Beans should be pre-soaked. Best for the night, as it swells well when at least 12 hours pass.
Wash the vegetables, remove the stalks from the tomatoes, cut out the core of sweet Bulgarian and hot pepper.
Peel the garlic, onions and carrots.
When preparing vegetables, do not forget to carefully inspect them for damaged areas that need to be cut, otherwise the banks after seaming may “explode”.
So. Greek appetizer, the recipe for the preparation itself. We will try to describe in as much detail as possible!
Greek appetizer with beans. Cooking process
It is advisable to dry prepared vegetables with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Next, we proceed to their grinding.
Important note. In order not to lose too much time while you are chopping vegetables, it is better to put the beans on the fire and cook for this period to bring it to half-ready.
Tomatoes can be cut into medium or small cubes, or chopped until smooth in a food processor or using a meat grinder. As you like more.
Onions can be finely chopped into cubes or straws. Here, too, for the amateur. The taste of this dish will not change.
Carrots should be grated.
Sweet pepper can be cut into cubes, or straws.
Grind garlic and hot pepper to a mushy state. This can be done using a blender, food processor or meat grinder.
Next, we move on to the cooking process. A Greek snack for the winter is cooked for about 30 minutes, provided that you have soaked the beans for 12 hours or more.
It is very important to choose a good pan with a thick bottom so that the vegetables do not burn. If you cook on a gas stove, it is recommended to use a fire divider to more evenly heat the bottom of the dishes.
Soaked beans are mixed with chopped tomatoes and put on fire. Cook for 30-40 minutes, periodically trying beans for readiness. Other vegetables (except for garlic and hot pepper) can be stewed separately in a deep frying pan. After that, mix all the ingredients in a saucepan, add salt, vegetable oil, vinegar essence and sugar. Bring everything together to a boil and ... done!
By the way, if you don’t have a deep, large dish in which you can stew vegetables, then you can immediately mix everything in a saucepan at once, but add garlic and hot pepper at the very end, 2-3 minutes before the end of cooking.
A Greek bean appetizer will turn out to be as spicy as you add a lot of hot pepper. Here, everyone can adjust to their taste. For children, this appetizer can be made as a separate portion without any severity.
Can seaming
Since the Greek appetizer is good not only freshly prepared, but also cold, it is great for preservation for the winter.
Glass jars are preliminarily prepared as follows. Wash thoroughly with powder. It cleans better when compared to liquid. Many housewives for this purpose like to use ordinary baking soda.
Next, the banks should be sterilized. There are different options. I will describe the two most popular.
First option. Cans are put in a cold oven and calcined for 10-15 minutes over low heat. You can’t put the container in an already hot oven, since the glass from cracking the temperature can crack.
The second option. Steam sterilization. Banks are set upside down on a regular (non-electric) kettle and bring the water to a boil. Then stand for 2-3 minutes and remove. You can choose another container instead of a kettle. The main thing is that the neck is one that allows you not to fall down the bank.
In parallel, while the cans are being sterilized, it is also necessary to sterilize the iron lids. To do this, they are placed in a small saucepan (you can do it all at once) and boil for about ten minutes.
In still hot jars, a ready-made snack is laid out (it is desirable that it boils slightly). It is best to fill the containers to capacity so that there is no oxygen left, which contributes to spoilage of the product.
Closed hot jars should be hidden in a warm place. Usually they are wrapped in an old blanket or plaid. Thus, they retain heat longer, which contributes to better conditions for additional sterilization.
Storage conditions
After cooling (usually in a day), the banks are cleaned in a place of their constant storage, where the rest of the preservation is for the winter. Someone has a basement if there is a private house, and someone has a pantry if it is an ordinary apartment.
The optimum storage temperature for preservation is from 0 to 10 degrees Celsius, but not everyone has such an opportunity. Can be stored in an apartment at normal room temperature. In this case, pay more attention to sterilizing containers, inspecting vegetables for spoilage and boiling lids and related improvised products (ladle).
Options for Eating Snacks
In general, many people like this dish both in cold and in hot form. Therefore, you can use it right away, or you can arrange a salad from it . A Greek snack with beans often helps out when there is no time to cook and you need to come up with something very quickly.
And here are two types of salads using this appetizer:
- We take a package or two (depending on the number of eaters) purchased crackers, however, it is possible and home, if any. Mix in a ratio of one to two crackers and a snack of jars. Add finely chopped greens.
- Boiled pasta is mixed with appetizer in proportion to your taste, greens and a little grated cheese (preferably hard varieties) are added.