Winter Preserves: Hrenovina, Zucchini Ikra and Tushce's Tongue

Hello everyone. In this post I will be talking about winter preparations, specifically preserves. I’ll explain what I’ve made. The first thing I’m making is hrenovina. People give it different names, but we usually call it "hrenovina" or "horseradish appetizer". Here are the ingredients:

Hrenovina
Ingredients for hrenovina:

• Horseradish
• Garlic
• Tomatoes
• Salt

From the quantities I mentioned, I got 10 jars of 0.5 liters each.

Preparation:
First I cut the tomatoes into large slices. I have both store-bought tomatoes and homemade ones from the garden. Yes, technically they were bought, but directly from a woman’s garden. Some of them look cracked, but you wouldn't believe how tasty they are. I prepare them this way.

I don’t mention the exact amounts of ingredients because this is completely up to personal preference. Some people like it spicier, others less so. The traditional recipe generally calls for 100 grams of garlic and 100 grams of horseradish (wild radish) per 1 kilogram of tomatoes. However, I find this recipe too spicy. We do like spice, but not that much. I always taste and add what’s missing.

For this batch I used about 6 to 6.5 kg of tomatoes, 400 grams of horseradish and around 300 grams of garlic. I added salt, mixed everything and packed it into sterilized jars. I place the jars in a cold oven, heat it to 120°C and once it reaches the temperature, I wait for 10 more minutes.

I boil the lids and disinfect the other equipment, like the funnel and ladle, with boiling water. Everything is ready. You need to store this mixture in the refrigerator.

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Zucchini Ikra
Ingredients for zucchini ikra:

• Tomato paste: 5 tablespoons
• Carrots: 4-5 medium-sized
• Bay leaves: 2
• Black pepper: 1/3 teaspoon
• Zucchini: 6-7 medium-sized
• Vegetable oil: 7 tablespoons
• Onions: 3-4 medium-sized
• Garlic: 5 cloves
• Sugar: 4 tablespoons
• Salt: 1.5 tablespoons
• 9% vinegar: 3 tablespoons

These amounts yield 3-4 jars of 0.5 liters.
I made it with double the recipe, resulting in 7 jars. 😊

Preparation:
Now for the zucchini ikra. First, peel the zucchinis and cut them into 1x1 cm cubes. Then, add salt and mix and let the zucchinis release their water by waiting for about an hour. Meanwhile, you can prepare and chop the other vegetables.

In a pan heat oil and start sautéing the onions. While waiting for the zucchinis, they release quite a bit of water, which I strain off before adding the zucchini into a pot. I add more oil, cover the pot and cook while stirring occasionally. When the onions become translucent, I add the carrots and sauté them together. When the vegetables release water, I add a bay leaf and they continue to cook.

When the onions and carrots are soft, I add the tomato paste, garlic, salt, sugar and black pepper. Adding black pepper gives the ikra a wonderful taste. Once all the ingredients are well combined, I add vinegar and stir. This process must be done with the lid on because the mixture splatters a lot. I also leave the ladle in the pot to sterilize.

Finally I fill the sterilized jars with the ikra. The pot stays on low heat on the stove. I used different types of jars. some have screw-on lids, while others are sealed with a canning key. I close the lids tightly, flip the jars upside down and leave them on the counter until they cool completely.

And that's it. The ikra is ready. Its consistency is perfect. Not too watery, not too thick. The salt level is just right.

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Tushce's Tongue
Ingredients for Tushce's Tongue:

• Sweet peppers: 5
• 9% vinegar: 75 ml
• Hot peppers: 1-2
• Eggplants: 6-7 (total 2 kg)
• Salt: 1 tablespoon (for marinating) and 1-2 tablespoons (for eggplants)
• Tomatoes: 5 large
• Garlic: 2.5 heads
• Sugar: 0.5 cup
• Vegetable oil: 0.5 cup

These quantities yield 3 jars of 0.5 liters and 2 jars of 0.75 liters. 😊

Preparation
Next up is Tushce's Tongue. I absolutely love this recipe. It disappears incredibly fast in winter. First, I slice the eggplants into rounds and sprinkle salt over them, then mix. To peel the eggplants, I make cross cuts on their skins. After that, I place the eggplants in boiling water for about a minute, then strain them and cool them down with cold water. After waiting for 2-3 minutes, the skins come off easily.

Then I pass the garlic, peppers and tomatoes through a meat grinder. I add all the remaining ingredients to this mixture. After rinsing the eggplants with water, I place them in a pot and pour the prepared mixture over them. I cook everything for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After cooking I fill sterilized jars with the mixture and tightly seal the lids. it’s the same process that everyone is familiar with. After sealing the lids, I flip the jars upside down and leave them on the counter until they cool completely.

This dip is quite spicy. When made with two hot peppers, it creates a very fiery flavor. If you prefer less heat, you can use just one hot pepper.

That’s all for this post. I’ll be back soon with another recipe.