These Polish Dills are fermented rather than pickled. Pickling means putting food into an acidic brine. Fermenting gives you that sour flavor without any added acid. You simply place the food into a brine with some spices and let it work it's magic.
This is the method used to make the pickles in our FoodnFlix selection this month........
I had never heard of this 2016 film before. I was surprised to see that it was filmed here in my home state Michigan, set in Detroit. I love watching films that are filled with familiar images.
This film is about a woman, Rose, who owns a deli that is famous for it's Polish Dill Pickles. The film starts off with Rose's grandson, Joey, working as a dj at a family party where everyone is going on and on about the "Best Pickles in Detroit". Rose's son, Morty, is on the outs with his mother and is sick and tired of hearing about these pickles. He and Rose are on opposite sides of the fence with him wanting to sell her pickle recipe that she refuses to share.
Joey is divorced and the father of a young girl who is preparing for her bat mitzvah when all his dj equipment is destroyed. He needs to replace this equipment before his daughter's party and approaches his uncle Morty for a loan. Uncle Morty agrees to give Joey the money he needs IF he steals his grandmother's Kosher Dill Pickle recipe.
And so starts this movie that is a fun, light hearted comedy that reminds us of what is truly important in this world. Joey learns many lessons while struggling with his conscience and his relationships.
It's not cucumber season yet in Detroit but I was able to find some mini cucumbers at the grocers that I decided to use to make Ogórki Kiszone (Kosher Polish Dill Pickles). This simple method is the one used in the movie, where the cucumbers are fermented rather than placed in an acidic brine and processed in a water bath.
You simply place your ingredients in a jar, add your brine and a weight to hold the produce under the brine and loosely cover it. I own a fermenting package that I purchased to make sauerkraut that contains glass weights and lids that allow the gases to escape. Those things aren't necessary but make life easier. You can always place one cucumber sideways at the top to hold the others down into the brine and just use a regular canning lid that is not screwed on tightly.
Once the cucumbers are placed in the brine make sure that you have a plate or bowl under the jar before placing it into the pantry or a cupboard to ferment as the liquid is meant to be able to escape as the fermenting takes place.
Check your pickles each day. The brine will turn cloudy and have bubbles. This lets you know that fermenting is taking place. After about a week you can open the jar and skim off any scum that has collected in the top.
Taste and see if you are pleased with the texture and sourness of the pickles. If so, you can now place them in the refrigerator. If you want more sourness you can return them to the cupboard for a few more days. Just be aware that the longer they ferment the softer they become.
Weather plays a big part in how long the pickles take to ferment. During the summer heat, I found one week was plenty. If you are making these when it is cooler or storing them in your basement it may take longer. The recipe also calls for bottled water. The chlorination in tap water can inhibit the fermenting process.
You can add whatever spices you want to the brine. That was what the basis of the movie was about...the spices you choose for pickles as the choices you choose for life....affect the finall product to give you the results you want.
I simply added dill, garlic and mustard seed. I saw recipes that included horseradish, bay leaf, currants, etc. You get to decide what flavors you want by the choices you make. I'm anxious for cucumber season so that I can play with different ideas.
Yield: 1 quart
Ogórki Kiszone (Kosher Polish Dill Pickles)
These Polish Dills are fermented rather than pickled. Pickling means putting food into an acidic brine. Fermenting gives you that sour flavor without any added acid. You simply place the food into a brine with some spices and let it work it's magic.
Prep time: 5 MinTotal time: 5 Min
Ingredients
- 8-10 small, thin cucumbers
- 2 T. kosher salt
- 1 sprig dill weed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 t. mustard seed
- 1 (16 oz) bottle of spring water
Instructions
- Open the bottle of water and add the salt. Close bottle and shake vigorously until salt is dissolved.
- Place the mustard seed, 1 clove of garlic and the dill weed into a sterilized quart canning jar.
- Tightly pack the cucumbers into the jar. You want them to be so tight that they won't float above the brine. If necessary, place on of the cucumbers crosswise on the top to hold them down or use a glass weight on top. Add the second clove of garlic to the jar and pour the salted water into the jar until the cucumbers are completely covered, leaving 1/4" headspace.
- Cover with a sterilized lid or with a burping cover and loosely secure with a ring. Do NOT tighten the lid down as the gases (and some liquid) need to escape.
- Place the jar into a shallow bowl and store in a dark area. Check each day on the second or third day you should notice that the brining liquid has bubbles and is turning cloudy. This means the fermenting is taking place.
- After 1 week, open your jar and remove any scum on the top surface. Taste your pickles. At this time you can refrigerate them or place them back into the cupboard for another week or two until the resulting pickles are to your taste.
- After three weeks the fermenting process is over and the pickles should be sealed tightly and refrigerated.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
242.65Fat (grams)
3.04Sat. Fat (grams)
0.62Carbs (grams)
54.73Fiber (grams)
7.73Net carbs
47.00Sugar (grams)
24.08Protein (grams)
10.67Sodium (milligrams)
7584.98Cholesterol (grams)
0.00
Beautiful! I, too, just started a fermented pickled batch for this movie. LOL. Thanks for joining in the fun.
ReplyDeleteThis recipe is perfect for the movie (72 hours)! :) You're a brave soul. My fermentation experiments with pickles have not been great.
ReplyDeleteThey turned out a little softer than I would have liked but the flavor was good.
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