The recipe for "Mother-in-law's tongue" has long been held in high esteem not only among vegetarians, but also by zealous meat-eaters, since this simple appetizer is ideally combined with almost every dish, highlighting or emphasizing its taste.
Why is the appetizer so called
It is not known who invented such a name, but there is an opinion that the dish is named because the mother-in-law is always too sharp on the tongue, doesn’t go into her pocket for a word and prick the truth for nothing. Which of the dissatisfied sons-in-law called the appetizer so bitter because of garlic is silent, but everyone agreed behind the scenes, and since then many very spicy eggplant and tomato dishes have been called that.
Classic Eggplant Recipe
“Mother-in-law's tongue” for the first time began to be prepared from this miracle vegetable, and people's love for this snack became phenomenal.
Even those who previously could not stand eggplant spirit began to speak about it in a completely different way, mentioning this particular appetizer. It is prepared simply:
- Three small fresh eggplants are cut into plates along, lightly salted and left in this form for half an hour. You may notice that the vegetable begins to secrete a darkish juice - this salt draws bitterness out of it, because of which ignorant people do not like this vegetable.
- After half an hour, thoroughly rinse the slices with water and dry them with a paper towel. Next, fry the pieces in a frying pan in a small amount of vegetable oil until a slight color change and again spread on paper to remove fat.
- Mix 100 grams of mayonnaise with a pinch of salt and 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped in a mortar with 1/3 teaspoon black pepper, you can add a pinch of red hot pepper if you like sharper snacks. Stir the mixture and spread it on each layer of eggplant.
- A small bunch of parsley is chopped very finely, and each layer of eggplant with mayonnaise sauce is sprinkled with greens.
- Two fresh meaty tomatoes cut into half rings. A piece of tomato is placed on the edge of the eggplant and folded in half (or in three parts) so that the red color of the tomato is clearly visible between the blue vegetable.
Picturesquely lay out a snack on a serving plate, you can decorate with fresh cucumbers or sprigs of dill. This recipe for "Mother-in-law's tongue" has become the basis of a series of variations of snacks.
Another option for the festive table
Almost every holiday table has a special spicy appetizer for vodka, which lovers of feasts like. Therefore, a simple recipe for "Mother-in-law's tongue" from eggplant has undergone some changes and has firmly established itself in the status of this very adored snack.
The preparation of the base (that is, the fried layers of eggplant) is the same, then a mayonnaise sauce with garlic is applied, which is sprinkled with a plentiful layer of grated cheese, and this can be a simple processed cheese, a delicate “Russian” or a delicious “Poshekhonsky”, some even tried smoked cheese , according to reviews, also not bad. Next, finely chopped parsley greens, a slice of tomato on the edge are placed on a layer of cheese, and the layer of eggplant is folded in a neat roll. It can be chopped off with a toothpick if it immediately holds its shape poorly (which is extremely rare). Next, the snack is infused for two hours in a cold place and served on the table, decorated with lettuce and vegetable slices.
With Korean carrots
Another variation based on a simple mother-in-law tongue recipe is prepared with Korean carrots in place of tomato. For cooking, the same principle is used to prepare the eggplant base, which is smeared with mayonnaise and put a little Korean carrot on it: you can buy it ready or cook it yourself. Next, the eggplant is wrapped in rolls, which are folded into dishes with a lid. An appetizer needs time for insisting, therefore it is better to make it in the evening, and in the morning it will be ready: fragrant and very tasty.
Harvesting for the winter
The recipe for "Mother-in-law's tongue" from eggplant has become so popular that resourceful lovers of winter preparations have come up with an option for preservation:
- For 0.5 kg of sweet pepper and tomato, two pods of hot pepper and 50 grams of garlic, pass through a meat grinder, add 120 grams of sugar and vegetable oil (preferably refined), one tbsp. a spoonful of salt and 80 grams of vinegar. Stir the mixture and bring to a boil over low heat.
- Cut two kilograms of eggplant into plates along and, slightly sprinkled with salt, leave for half an hour. Next, rinse the plates and transfer to a boiling vegetable mixture, boil, stirring occasionally, for half an hour.
- Sterilize the jars with boiling water and transfer the finished snack to them. Roll up with tin lids, turn over and wrap tightly with a blanket until it cools completely.
Winter preparation of zucchini
A similar principle is prepared "Mother-in-law's tongue" for the winter from zucchini. The recipe includes:
- Three kg of young and dense zucchini (without ripened seeds) cut into plates.
- Two pods of hot pepper, three heads of garlic and five pods of bell pepper scroll through a meat grinder (can be chopped with a blender), add 500 grams of tomato sauce, diluted in one glass of water, half a glass of granulated sugar and 1.5 tsp of salt.
- Put the mass on the fire and before boiling add one cup (200 grams) of vegetable oil and three tbsp. tablespoons of vinegar, you can also add a pinch of black pepper or cloves for flavor.
- When the sauce begins to boil, lower the plates of zucchini into it and simmer for no more than forty minutes, put it in sterilized jars, fill it with sauce and roll up the lids.
Be sure to wrap the blank with a blanket until the next morning.
Every day snack
The recipe for “Mother-in-law's tongue” from zucchini has its own version in the daily menu. The following ingredients are needed for cooking:
- Three young zucchini, cut into plates, fry in a pan in a small amount of vegetable oil. Before frying, it is recommended to roll the zucchini in flour - then the resulting crust will make unleavened zucchini more delicious.
- Mix one hundred grams of mayonnaise, four cloves of chopped garlic, two hundred grams of hard cheese, grated, and a pinch of black pepper. Add a small bunch of parsley, finely chopped with a sharp knife.
- Grease each plate of fried zucchini with the resulting mass. Cut fresh tomatoes into sticks (2-3 pcs.). On each layer of zucchini, put a slice of tomato and roll it, chopping them if necessary with a skewer for canapes.
Appetizer "Mother-in-law's tongue" from zucchini according to the recipe is served in lettuce leaves, into which it is wrapped immediately before serving, or folded in a slide in the form of woodpile and sprinkled with finely chopped dill.
In the world of cooking, there are several more options for this original appetizer, but all of them are based on one combination of a vegetable and spicy base in the form of a sauce or creamy paste, depending on the imagination of the cook. The most proven and best, according to reviews, are described here.