Ukrainian Salted Herbs for Winter

Ukraine has been on my mind lately, so I could not avoid temptation when this book, Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules, crossed my path in a bookstore recently.

ISBN 978-1-68188-570-4

It had me sold on the "Fermenting, pickling, and preserving" chapter.  But the other chapters that cover breakfasts, broths, breads, vegetables, meats, and desserts also offer intriguing recipes.

They aren't all necessarily historic recipes, meaning very old.  They are cultural, with any history they contain coming from previous generations of Ukrainians making tasty food from what they could grow or otherwise obtain.  (But that is really what historical means!)  

Some are more "modern" recipes invented recently, like the "Tomato and mulberry salad" that looks so tempting:  mulberries, tomatoes, red onions, and fresh basil all brought together with an oil and vinegar dressing. (I have a mulberry tree!)

The pictures are wonderful, and the stories Ms. Hercules tells of her experiences in Ukraine make the entire book a treat to read.

My garden has an abundance of basil and chives right now, so I was drawn to the recipe on page 60, "Salted herbs for winter."  Ms. Hercules says 

[E]very summer, my grandmother would preserve fresh herbs in salt:  although they lost their vibrant color and became mildly fermented in the process, they were delicious.  ... these salted herbs would most often be used as a base for the soup of greens that is normally cooked in spring. ... My grandmother would also add the rinsed herbs to other soups and stews.

Salted herbs for winter

8 ounces herbs and greens, such as dill, parsley, green onions, sorrel, and wild garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt

4 oz basil, 4 oz chives, crushed sea salt

Finely chop all the herbs and mix them together.  Put a layer of herbs in the base of a sterilized 12-ounce jar with a lid and sprinkle over some of the salt.  Now add another layer of herbs and more salt, pressing the herbs down with your hand.  Keep alternating these layers until you run out of herbs and salt, packing them in tightly as you go.

Cover with a lid and leave at room temperature for 2-3 days (you might want to push the herbs down a little further on the second day).  Once a layer of liquid has formed at the top, move the jar to the cellar or fridge, where the salted herbs will keep for several months.

The herbs will be quite salty, so use them in small amounts as a seasoning or give them a quick rinse first.

My Notes

I mixed my herbs before finely chopping them, as you can see in the picture above.  The quantity you see is in a 14 cup container.  I estimate the unchopped herbs would measure about 9 cups.  They were weighed after rinsing.

Then I took handfuls of herbs and chopped them.  Some were very fine and some were more coarse; this did not bother me.  What I imagined was how I would feel if I were eating food with this - did I want a big piece of basil in my mouth?  Well, probably not, but I wouldn't mind the size pieces I was getting.

As finely chopped as I wanted them, on the left.  I love my ulu knife.

Once the herbs were ready, I started packing the sterilized jar.  The wooden tool (a muddler) you see below worked well for packing the herbs down, since my hand didn't fit in the jar.

The herbs and salt didn't fill the jar.  I put on the lid but I used a fermenting insert just because I had one and wanted to use it.

Assembly completed.

The jar went on the counter, the calendar was marked, and I waited.

On the second day, I pressed the herbs down as suggested.  They compacted down to about half their previous height in the jar.  I noticed they were wetter, although there was not a lot of liquid in the jar.

Day 2

They looked about the same on Day 3.  There wasn't much liquid at all, and a tiny patch of fuzzy mold showed up on the surface, which I removed.  The jar went into the refrigerator then.

The Verdict

This is a mixture of basil and chive leaves, neither of which are very juicy.  I was not surprised that the salt didn't draw out much liquid.  I thought about adding a little boiled and cooled water to the mix, but decided against it for this experiment, although I might do it later just to help preserve them.

I took a small taste.  They were definitely salty, but the basil and chive flavors were still present.  In fact, I got a sensation of mint, too, which I assume is from the basil.  It was a good burst of salty, herbal flavoring.

My first use was to put them in an omelet.  The filling was herbs, black olives, and cheddar cheese.

Close up view of the herbs.

Quantity used for a 6 egg omelet.

Plus some on top.

I cautioned my guest tasters not to put salt or pepper on the omelet before tasting it.  They agreed it did not need any more seasoning than it had.

The proportions of herbs to filling, and filling to egg wrap were right, and the combination of olives, cheese, and herbs was a good one.  The omelet was well-received, and I was happy with it.  I found the herbs to be a convenient way to season the mixture in that it was simple to take the herbs out of the jar and put them into the eggs:  most of the work had already been done.

Success!

I can see these as a condiment -- set out on the table in a small bowl with a spoon.  They could be stirred into a soup or stew as a flavor boost.  Each person could choose an amount that matches their taste preferences.

Or the herbs could be mixed with gravy or mayonnaise to act as a sauce or dressing.  How about mixing them with softened butter and spread on toast or melted over hot vegetables?  

They are much more interesting than using the same herbs but dried.  I want to try different herb blends.

We say "Salad" and They said "Sallat"

It is the beginning of June so summer is near and spring has had a chance to settle in and make the yard beautiful with greenery and flowers.  My work has finally slowed down so I have time to play in that yard!

I found myself restless and dissatisfied with the ideas I was getting for this blog post.  I wanted something with vegetables.  I wanted to use some of the plants in my garden.  And I wanted it to be the same but different.  I know, I know!  How do you meet all those requirements?

I spent this morning working in my herb garden, trimming and mulching and weeding.  I thought about how, during the Elizabethan period, fresh herbs were often a part of a good "sallat,", what we today call a salad.  Could I put together a fun and different Elizabethan-style sallat and enjoy it?

My feelings were mixed.  What I put into salads is usually lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons, raisins or dried cranberries, and chunks of cheese.  Sometimes other items as they happen to be in my kitchen.  This is a tasty mix and I have no complaints with it.

However, fresh herbs can have strong flavors to taste buds not accustomed to them.  Tomatoes and cranberries were out as they are New World foods.  While croutons might have been used, I couldn't recall any references to them so I would leave them out.  What else could I add that would be appropriate to the period and still appealing?

I turned to one of my favorite books, The English Housewife by Gervase Markham, edited by Michael R. Best.

ISBN 0-7735-1103-2

The preface states this book "is the most comprehensive, the most practical, and the most readable of the many books of instruction written for women in the early seventeenth century."

In Chapter II he starts off describing the knowledge a wife must have of herbs:  how to grow them, the best times to harvest them, when to save the seeds, and, of course, how to cook with them.  His first receipt (recipe) is "Of sallats.  Simple sallats."

First then to speak of sallats, there be some simple, and some compounded; some only to furnish out the table, and some both for use and adornation.  ...  chives, scallions, radish roots, boiled carrots, skirrets, and turnips, with such like served up simply; also, all young lettuce, cabbage lettuce, purslane, and divers other herbs which may be served simply without anything but a little vinegar, sallat oil, and sugar;

He mentions, in his compounded sallat sections, ingredients like red sage, mint, violets, marigolds, spinach, blanched almonds, raisins, capers, olives, figs, currants, thinly sliced and peeled oranges and lemons, and pickled cucumbers.  I was pretty sure I could pull a variety of these ingredients together to make a sallat.

I collected small quantities of various herbs and flowers from my garden:  oregano, lavender, thyme, lemon verbena, rosemary, mint, violas, basil, and sage. (It is important to know that your plants are free from bug sprays and other toxins.)

They were rinsed with water and, as they drained, I assembled the "main" sallat. I used

spring mix (a blend of spinach and baby lettuces)
a shallot, peeled and sliced paper thin
a fresh cucumber, peeled and sliced
carrots, chopped and microwaved for about a minute to cook them to tender
dried currants
dried figs, thinly sliced
pickled pearl onions, chopped
pitted Kalamata olives that had been marinated in herbs and Cabernet wine, sliced
pickled capers

Lovely, isn't it?

I kept the quantities of these ingredients low (expect for the spring mix base) because I didn't want too much competition for flavors but I wanted a variety.

The herb leaves were stripped off the stems and either cut into slivers or chopped.  The lavender flowers were stripped and left whole. I put them into individual bowls so my guest taster and I could sprinkle them onto our individual sallats and judge their impact.  There were only four viola flowers so I placed them as decoration on top of the main sallat.

We scooped some of the main into our bowls then added whatever combination of herbs we wanted to try.  This was a great idea because it inspired us to have several bowlfuls each in order to sample the whole variety.  I think I had four servings.  We dressed our sallats with a balsamic vinaigrette.  We both tried eating a viola flower by itself.

The Verdict

We both concluded that the violas were pretty but didn't have much flavor.  I thought the lavender flowers were too strong and bitter to eat raw but I did start getting accustomed to their flavor.  My guest taster thought they were fine from the beginning.

A treat for the eye

We both liked all the herbs although some were strong and needed some getting used to.  My favorites were basil (no surprise there), thyme, and mint and they were the ones I kept going back to.  The sage was okay but I thought it needed to be chopped into smaller pieces.  The lemon verbena was strong and I kept thinking I didn't like it.  Eventually I liked it.

My guest taster's favorites were oregano, sage, basil, rosemary, and thyme.  He described their impact as "little bursts of flavor", which he liked very much.  He said he would love to have any of them again, including the bright flavor of the lemon verbena.

Success!  I am not doubtful any more about using fresh herbs in my sallats.  I know to keep their pieces small so to get those bursts without overwhelming the other flavors.

I served the sallat with chicken thighs baked in an Italian dressing coating and with an herb stuffing side dish.  Was this too much herb flavoring in one meal?  Not at all.  The flavors complemented each other and made for a very tasty dinner.