The season for amateur mushroom pickers and true professionals in this business begins in the middle of summer, when the first barely noticeable hats of various colors and sizes appear on the clearings among the dense grass and under the low branches of trees.
Experienced hunters for them, of course, know that the most delicious and valuable in terms of useful properties are white, chanterelles, honey mushrooms and mushrooms. Rather bright in appearance and conspicuous specimens are collected only unintentionally, confusing them with other mushrooms or cutting them off for the general appearance of a large crop. And not every housewife knows how to cook valuy. However, when the season of premium mushrooms is already ending in the forest, they are also used. After all, I really want to enjoy the autumn gifts of nature in the deep winter. And few people know that pickled valui are quite tasty and can be a worthy addition to soups and salads, as well as pies and hearty buns. And their salty version will create an excellent sauce for fish or meatballs. Therefore, today we are learning how to
pickle valui
mushrooms .
Important preparation
Important disadvantages, which do not allow the valamas to take an equal position with higher-grade mushrooms, are their specific unpleasant odor, as well as the inability to eat their legs and relatively old specimens.
By the way, these can be distinguished by the degree of flatness of the hat: in young mushrooms, it has rounded edges, while in the rest it becomes almost flat. Also, the fact is that as they age, they become completely wormy, and a cavity forms on the leg. Therefore, in order to prepare the pickled valui, we seek out and collect only young specimens. They clearly stand out against the thick green grass with their tan hat and thick white leg. They appear in July, most of them are found in mid-August, and by the end of September they disappear completely. Before starting to cook the marinated valui, they must be carefully sorted, cut and discarded, and then washed and soaked in clean cold water for three days. This will fight off the unpleasant odor and remove the bitter milky juice, which ensures their relative inedibility. For the same reason, they should never be dried.
Pickling
So, in order to prepare the pickled valui for the winter, we need 1 kg of mushrooms, already soaked and re-washed, and the ingredients for the marinade: 2 liters of pure water, 400 g of plain (non-iodized) salt, 20 peas of black allspice, 10 laurel leaves and 2 tbsp. l vinegar essence. Pre-boil the valui in slightly salted boiling water for about 20-25 minutes, then pull them out of the resulting broth, pour the marinade prepared in advance and put it on the fire again for the same time. After that, we wait for complete cooling, we put everything in sterilized jars along with the liquid and tightly cork. Such mushrooms are perfect for use in toppings of pies or cutlets, as well as in soups, vegetable stews and salads. They will well complement the taste of your dishes and make them more nutritious and nutritious.