During the years of “perestroika”, an overseas product, called Uncle Ben's sauce, appeared on store shelves. Widely publicized (and advertising at the time was also a novelty and attracted particular attention), the sauce became a kind of legend: jokes were written about him and everyone dreamed of trying it, even though the prices for it “bit”, and the salary was delayed . And then inventive housewives came up with a domestic version of the famous sauce - homemade salad “Ankl Bens”. The original product, which gave it a name, still stands on the shelves, but is no longer in high demand, and the Ankle Bens home-made salad is made from zucchini for the winter to this day.
Cooking Secrets
The popularity of Ankle Bens homemade salad is not just a tribute to its name. The main thing is the delicate taste of the product, which can have a variety of shades, as well as the taste of its overseas prototype. In order to cook at home an immaculate “Ankl Bens” salad of zucchini for the winter, you need to know a few secrets.
- Sauce plays an important role in the Ankle Bens salad. Its taste and aroma largely depend on the bouquet of used seasonings. To obtain a product with high organoleptic qualities, the ratio of spices and seasonings specified in recipes must be carefully observed.
- A quality salad is made only from quality products. When selecting products for the “Ankl Bens” zucchini, give preference to freshly ripened, intact and not overgrown vegetables.
- A beautiful salad will look like if slices of vegetables cut into it are about the same shape. Usually cut or cubes, or cubes (squares).
- Salad will be well kept if vegetables have been thoroughly washed for it, jars and lids are sterilized.
The most convenient way is to lay out the “Ankl Bens” salad from zucchini in a container from 0.5 to 1 l, but you can also use other size cans.
“Ankl Bens” of squash with garlic and tomatoes
Composition (4, 5 l):
- zucchini - 2 kg;
- Bulgarian pepper - 1 kg;
- tomatoes - 2, 5 kg;
- garlic - 0, 2 kg;
- vegetable oil - 0, 2 l;
- table vinegar (9 percent) - 50 ml;
- salt - 40 g;
- sugar - 0, 2 kg.
Method of preparation:
- Prepare the vegetables, zucchini and garlic, peel, remove the seeds from the pepper, remove the seals from the tomatoes in the region of the stalks.
- Cut the tomatoes into regular slices and mince.
- Cut courgettes into small cubes and put them in a cauldron.
- Mix tomato paste with salt and sugar, vegetable oil.
- Fill the squash with tomato paste and set on fire.
- Simmer on low heat, not forgetting to stir, half an hour.
- Cut pepper into small squares.
- Add pepper to zucchini and stew for another quarter of an hour.
- Crush garlic cloves with a special press.
- Add garlic to vegetables, pour in vinegar.
- After extinguishing for another 5 minutes, remove the salad pan from the stove and place it over the sterilized jars.
- Roll the cans with metal lids using a special key, turn them over and leave to cool. There is no need to cover with anything, as the vegetables have undergone sufficient heat treatment.
After the cans have cooled down, all that remains is to put them in the closet. This salad resembles a thick sauce with pieces of vegetables - zucchini and pepper. It has a pronounced garlic taste and aroma, refers to spicy snacks.
Sweet and sour “Ankle Bens” from zucchini
Composition (6 liters):
- zucchini - 2 kg;
- tomatoes - 1 kg;
- onions - 1 kg;
- Bulgarian pepper - 0, 7 kg;
- carrots - 0, 6 kg;
- Krasnodar sauce - 0, 25 l;
- vegetable oil - 0, 25 l;
- citric acid - 5 g;
- table vinegar (9 percent) - 70 ml;
- salt - 80 g;
- curry seasoning - 10 g;
- sugar - 0, 2 kg;
- water - 0, 6 l.
Method of preparation:
- Wash and peel the vegetables, remove the seed from the zucchini and pepper. Tomatoes blanch 2 minutes in boiling water, remove the skin from them.
- Cut onion and pepper into thin strips, squash - in small bars. Tomatoes can be cut into small pieces of any shape. Rub carrots using a large-sided grater side.
- Boil water, dilute the sauce, add salt, sugar, curry, pour in the oil, stir everything and boil for 5 minutes.
- Dip zucchini in tomato sauce, simmer them for 10 minutes.
- Add the Bulgarian pepper, onions and carrots, stew with them for another 15 minutes.
- Put the tomatoes and cook the snack until it has a thick enough consistency (like sauce).
- Add citric acid and vinegar, boil for a couple of minutes and spread on prepared jars.
- Hermetically close the jars and after cooling down, put them in the closet for the winter.
Thick sweet-and-sour salad prepared according to this recipe is suitable for all dishes: fish, vegetable, meat. It is especially good to serve it to poultry dishes.
Spicy “Ankle Bens” zucchini with sweet-sour taste
Composition (4 liters):
- zucchini - 1 kg;
- Bulgarian pepper - 0, 7 kg;
- onions - 0, 4 kg;
- tomatoes - 1 kg;
- garlic - 1 head;
- hot peppers - 3-4 pcs .;
- vegetable oil - 150 ml;
- sugar - 100 g;
- salt - 40 g;
- curry - 10 g;
- Table vinegar (9%) - 50 ml.
Method of preparation:
- Wash vegetables, dry.
- Cut the zucchini into thin sticks or cubes.
- Make cross-shaped cuts on tomatoes. Dip in boiling water, after 2 minutes, remove with a skimmer and transfer to a container with cool water. Remove from the water and clean. Pulp cut into cubes.
- Remove the husks from the bulbs, cut them into thin half rings.
- Cut the sweet and hot pepper in half lengthwise, take out the seeds, cut the flesh into thin straws.
- In a saucepan, mix the oil, vinegar, salt, sugar and curry. Bring to a boil.
- Dip zucchini in marinade, cook for 10 minutes.
- Add pepper and onion, cook as much again.
- Add tomatoes. Cook for another 10 minutes, add crushed garlic.
- Extinguish a few more minutes and remove from heat.
- Spread them over the cans, roll them up. Leave to cool upside down.
Salad has an unusual taste: sweet-sour and spicy at the same time. Well suited to meat dishes and poultry meat.
“Ankl Bens” from zucchini with tomato paste
Composition (4, 5 l):
- zucchini - 2 kg;
- onions - 1 kg;
- Bulgarian pepper - 0, 5 kg;
- garlic - 5 cloves;
- water - 1 l;
- tomato paste - 0, 2 kg;
- sugar - 0, 25 kg;
- table vinegar (9 percent) - 60 ml;
- salt - 20 g;
- vegetable oil - 0, 25 l.
Method of preparation:
- Wash, peel vegetables, cut into pieces of the same shape.
- Mix the butter, salt, sugar, pasta and water, bringing the mixture to a boil.
- Dip zucchini in the sauce and cook for 10 minutes after boiling.
- Add the remaining vegetables, except garlic, cook for another 10 minutes.
- Pass garlic through a press, mix with vinegar and pour this mixture into the salad. Stir and boil for another 10 minutes.
- Spread the prepared salad over the prepared jars, seal them and turn them over to cool.
The taste of this salad can be called traditional. It is suitable for any dishes, including vegetarian.
Salad of zucchini “Ankl Bens” can be eaten as an independent snack or served with other dishes as a sauce.
