Squash is not as popular among gardeners as zucchini or eggplant. In vain, because despite the direct relationship with these vegetables, they have a denser and more aromatic flesh, they are stored longer, and they look quite decorative, which is necessary in a salad or in a jar for the winter.
Useful properties of squash
In addition to external beauty and unusual shape, these vegetables have a huge set of beneficial properties and qualities. Make a squash salad, and you will immediately see vitamin B, C, E, calcium and potassium, cobalt and iron, zinc and molybdenum, as well as other “inhabitants” of the periodic table for the human body.
The beneficial substances contained in green squash allow you to prevent the formation of blood clots and regulate the functioning of the heart muscle. But in orange vegetables, a large amount of lutein is stored, which has a very positive effect on the human immune system.
It has been proven that squash contains the optimum combination of water and alkaline components. This makes the vegetable extremely useful for those who suffer from diseases of the kidneys, liver, heart, as well as people who suffer from hypertension or atherosclerosis.
Squash salad and nutritionists will advise. One hundred grams of vegetable contains only nineteen kilocalories, which makes it an ideal side dish. And due to the content of a large amount of fiber, the feeling of fullness after its use remains much longer, which helps weight loss.
A huge number of dishes can be prepared from squash. But this is a seasonal vegetable, so housewives always try to preserve the benefits contained in it for a long time. How? Of course, experimenting and preparing various recipes for squash salads for the winter.
Spicy Chili Salad
For lovers of savory snacks, we offer you to prepare a very fragrant and surprisingly tasty salad of squash for the winter with garlic and chili. For cooking you will need:
- two kilograms of vegetables;
- three hot hot peppers;
- four large onions;
- aromatic heads of garlic in the amount of four to five pieces;
- bay leaves and a few peas of allspice;
- one and a half liters of water;
- three tablespoons of sugar;
- a teaspoon of salt;
- half a glass of vinegar 9%.
The last four ingredients go to the preparation of the marinade, which will be filled with squash salad. You will also need a deep pan with a thick bottom, a knife, a cutting board for cutting vegetables, a large mixing bowl, glass jars (sterilized), lids (preferably metal, not nylon).
Let's start cooking
Since the squash has a rather dense and rough skin, you should get rid of it carefully and with a well-sharpened knife. Cutting off the skin, we cut the vegetables into small cubes. Hot chili peppers get rid of seeds and divide into small segments or strips. Onions are also recommended to be cut into long feathers, so they will look more effective in jars, and they will give the squash salad more flavor and aroma. Then mix everything thoroughly.
We proceed to the preparation of the fill. Pour sugar and salt into boiling water. As soon as it boils, pour vinegar into it and immediately turn off the fire so that the acid does not go into steam. We sterilize the jars and add prepared vegetables to them. It remains to fill everything with marinade and close the lids. Today we have chosen for you the most convenient and quick recipes with photos. Squash and salad for the winter of them do not need to be sterilized. They will be perfectly stored in your pantry anyway. Although such a delicious snack is unlikely to last too long.
Squash salad with herbs and tomatoes
Mistresses praise the salad recipe, which includes tomatoes, fragrant greens and beautiful multi-colored bell peppers.
To prepare the dish you will need the following ingredients:
- two kilograms of squash;
- three large tomatoes;
- four bell peppers (it is better to choose vegetables of different colors: yellow, red, green, orange);
- two tablespoons of granulated sugar;
- a pair of onions;
- head of garlic;
- a tablespoon of salt;
- 100 g of vegetable oil;
- vinegar 9% - 60 ml;
- parsley greens;
- dill.
How to cook?
Peel onions, cut into strips (feathers). We clean and remove the seeds from the bell pepper, and the tomatoes with tiny cubes. Remove the skin from the squash and cut them arbitrarily, but not very large. Garlic can be minced with a crush or blender. This squash salad is prepared without sterilization, which significantly saves time in the kitchen.
We place all the vegetables in a deep container, where it will be convenient to mix them together. Pour sugar, pour vegetable oil, put salt and pepper. It remains only to chop coarsely greens and add it to the future salad.
We leave the dish for several hours so that the vegetables release juices. Then we put the container on the fire, and cook the salad for two hours. At the end, add the right amount of vinegar. If preparation of blanks does not cost you without sterilization, and you worry that the jars "will not stand up" in the winter, then for such housewives we add: it is necessary to sterilize jars with salad within 25 minutes after boiling water.
Lids can be closed with any, but it is better to give preference to metal or tin. We turn the banks over, wrap them up and leave them to rest for 12 hours.
Korean squash
We suggest you to prepare another spicy and very unusual taste of squash salad for the winter. We all selected simple recipes, so even a novice housewife will cope with them. For harvesting you will need the following ingredients:
- 3 kg squash;
- one onion head;
- large carrots - two pieces;
- garlic (chopped - 100 g);
- five pieces of sweet bell pepper (preferably multi-colored);
- two tablespoons of salt;
- two bags of spices for cooking carrots in Korean;
- ¾ cup: vinegar (9%), sugar, vegetable oil.
Cooking
So that the salad looked spectacular, and the vegetables did not lose the set of vitamins that are present in them, they are all cut into large long strips. The only exception is garlic, which will need to be crushed using a meat grinder, grater or crush. We put all the prepared ingredients in a deep bowl or basin, mix with each other using our hands.
It remains to add bulk and liquid ingredients: salt, vegetable oil, pepper, granulated sugar, vinegar, seasoning. Leave the salad for half an hour to achieve greater juiciness. Now we shift the vegetables into the pan and put it on the stove. As soon as the mass begins to boil, reduce the heat and cook for 25 minutes. This salad is prepared from squash for the winter without sterilization.
We spread the vegetables in a jar with a spoon (remember, they are well washed with soda). We close the lids and leave to cool. It is not necessary to turn them over. Once the salad has cooled, you can move the cans in the refrigerator or cellar. According to the reviews of the hostesses, such an appetizer does not need to wait several months, like many others. This salad is ready to eat just a day after preparation.
Squash salad with garlic and herbs
If you are looking for a simple and easy, but tasty and spicy recipe for squash for the winter, we recommend that you pay attention to the salad with garlic and herbs. The cooking method is simple, and a small amount of ingredients can significantly save time on their preparation.
You will need the following products:
- two large squash (approximately 800-1000 g each);
- three to four cloves of garlic;
- a lot of greens (two or three bunches of parsley, dill or cilantro);
- table salt - 25 g;
- sunflower oil - 100 g;
- 40 g of vinegar 9%;
- sugar - 10-20 g.
Cooking process
To make it convenient to clean squash, it is recommended to cut them in half beforehand. Cut the skin, take out the seeds and cut the vegetables into small cubes or plates. Onions, so that he gave more taste and aroma, we recommend cutting into half rings. The garlic in this recipe does not grate and does not crush, it must be crushed onto rather large plates. Sprinkle vegetables with salt and sugar, then pour oil.
Over low heat, lettuce should simmer for half an hour. Do not forget to stir the vegetables, because they are prone to burning. Watch the temperature. Too much fire - stick to the bottom of the pan, too slow - will cook indefinitely. After checking the squash for softness and making sure that they are almost ready, add the chopped greens in large pieces and pour the vinegar. The fire can be turned off.
Try to quickly put the salad in banks. Do not let it cool. You can close them with any covers. But to wrap "in a fur coat" is mandatory. After twelve hours of "rest" you can remove the banks for permanent storage in the cold, for example, in the cellar.