What to do with lingonberry? This question is asked by many lovers of the mentioned berry. It should be noted that using this product you can cook completely different dishes, including preserves, fruit drinks, sauces, pies and more.
In this article, we will tell you in detail about what to do with lingonberries. This berry is not only very tasty, but also surprisingly healthy. Thanks to benzoic acid, it is stored for a very long time in fresh form, so cooks often use it to prepare various dishes and drinks.
What to do with lingonberries: cooking recipes
Tasty and healthy lingonberry juice with honey is prepared from both fresh and frozen berries. Moreover, a drink made on the basis of such a berry can be consumed both cold and hot.
So what to do with lingonberries? Of course, delicious fruit drinks. For this we need:
- drinking water (from the tap) - about 8-10 glasses;
- frozen or fresh lingonberries - about 250-300 g;
- fresh flower or linden honey - about 50 g;
- small beet sugar - add to your taste.
The method of preparation of the drink
Before telling you how and what can be made from lingonberry, you should tell how this berry is processed. It is sorted out from garbage, and then laid out in a colander or sieve and washed thoroughly.
As soon as all excess moisture drains from the lingonberry, it is laid out in a large bowl and covered with granulated sugar. Too much sweet should not be added, as we will additionally use fresh honey.
Gently mixing the components, they are placed on the stove and include a very low fire. When granulated sugar begins to dissolve, about 8-10 glasses of drinking water are poured into a bowl.
Bringing the drink to a boil, it is boiled for 2 minutes, and then removed from the heat. After that, the fruit drink is allowed to cool completely. And only after that fresh honey is added to it.
After mixing the products, the drink is filtered through cheesecloth or a sieve directly into a decanter or a bottle. Having cooled it, fruit drink is served to the table along with a sprig of mint and crushed ice. By the way, there are also such housewives who prefer to consume lingonberry drink in a warm form.
Making delicious berry sauce for meat
About what to do with lingonberries for the winter, we will talk a little further. Now I want to introduce you a step-by-step recipe for making meat sauce. Thanks to the delicious and aromatic berry, such a dressing is unusual and moderately sweet.
What to do with fresh lingonberries and how to implement the presented recipe? For this we need the following products:
- fresh lingonberry - about 1 cup;
- beet sugar - 3 dessert spoons;
- butter - about 40 g;
- ground cinnamon - ½ small spoon;
- crushed ginger, anise, star anise - apply to your taste;
- table salt - add to taste;
- semi-sweet red wine - about 50 ml;
- ground chili pepper - 1 pinch (optional).
The process of making cranberry sauce
What to do with lingonberry? Recipes using this berry can be completely different. If you want to cook an unusual meat lunch, we suggest that you separately make fragrant sauce for it.
First you need to process the berry. She is sorted out and thoroughly washed in a sieve. Strongly shaking off the lingonberries, they spread it in a saucepan and add all the spices in turn (beet sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped ginger, star anise, anise, salt and ground chili).
Slightly chopped berries with a crush, they are left in this form for half an hour (to let the juice go). After that, add butter to the stewpan and immediately put on low heat. Bringing the components to a boil, pour semisweet red wine to them and stew without a lid for about 10 minutes (stirring regularly).
As soon as the lingonberry sauce thickens, it is removed from the heat and spread in a bowl. Serve such a tasty and healthy dressing to the table, preferably in a chilled state. Although some cooks prefer to use it while still hot.
Cooking apples and fresh lingonberry jam
Now you have a general idea of what to do with lingonberries. However, this berry is used not only for short-term meals, but also for preparations for the winter.
Lingonberry jam is very popular among modern chefs. This dessert is incredibly tasty and healthy. It is well preserved in glass jars, which are placed either in the cellar or in the refrigerator.
So what to do with lingonberries? Winter recipes may require completely different products. We decided to make jam not only from berries, but also with the addition of sweet apples. This combination of products will allow you to get the most delicious and healthy dessert.
So, to implement the recipe, we need:
- fresh lingonberry - about 3 kg;
- small beet sugar - 2.5 kg;
- large sweet apples - 5 pcs.;
- drinking water from the tap - 1 cup.
Step cooking method
What to do with lingonberries for the winter? Of course, tasty and healthy jam. First you need to process all the components.
Apples are thoroughly washed, peeled from the seed box and peel, and then cut into cubes. Also washed separately with fresh berries.
After the described actions, chopped fruits are laid out in a deep bowl, filled with water and brought to a boil. Then granulated sugar is gradually added to them and, thoroughly mixing, they are waiting for its complete dissolution. By this time, the apples should be completely softened.
Pouring fresh cranberries to the fruit, the ingredients are again brought to a boil and cooked for about 5 minutes. Over time, the finished dessert is laid out on sterilized jars, which are subsequently rolled up with lids and turned upside down. Covering the blanks with a dense blanket, they are left in this condition until the jam has completely cooled.
After a day, cowberry dessert is cleaned in the refrigerator or cellar.
It is advisable to consume such a treat with a cup of hot tea, as well as with toasted toast or biscuits.
How to make soaked lingonberries for the winter?
Soaked lingonberry is an old dish of Russian cuisine. Such a product has long been considered a delicacy and could decorate absolutely any dinner.
Properly made lingonberry in syrup is stored for about 1 year or more. This preparation is ideally combined with fish and meat dishes, as well as game and poultry. In addition, it is often added to salads and vinaigrette.
So how to make lingonberry in syrup? To do this, we may need the following ingredients:
- fresh lingonberry - 1 kg;
- granulated sugar - about 300 g;
- drinking water - 2 full glasses;
- fresh lemon zest - to your liking.
Step cooking
In fact, in the preparation of soaked lingonberries there is nothing complicated. Ripe berries are carefully sorted, washed and dried. After that, glass jars (above steam) are separately sterilized. Lingonberries are laid in them and left aside while the syrup is being prepared.
Pour 2 cups of water into a small saucepan and add lemon zest. Putting the dishes on the fire, the contents are allowed to boil for about 10 minutes. After that, the zest is taken out, and granulated sugar is added to the aromatic liquid.
After mixing the ingredients, wait until all the sweet spice is completely dissolved. After boiling the ingredients for about three minutes, they are removed from the heat and cool.
Pour fresh cranberries preferably only with cold syrup. Filling sterilized jars, they are immediately rolled up. In this form, a tasty and healthy workpiece is cleaned in a refrigerator or cellar. It is advisable to open it only after one month. During this time, the berry will be soaked in syrup, it will become more delicious and sweet.
How and with what to present to the table?
Serve soaked lingonberries to the table in different ways. Someone uses it as a dessert (along with toast, cookies, etc.), someone adds it to various pies, and someone uses it as a sauce for meat, poultry, fish, etc.
It should also be noted that some chefs use this product to decorate all kinds of cakes, cakes and other holiday treats.
To summarize
Now you know what you can do with lingonberries for the winter. There is nothing complicated in creating such blanks. You just need to purchase a berry, process it carefully and add spices. It should also be noted that most cooks do not heat lingonberries, as in the process, they lose a significant amount of useful elements. If you can’t do without cooking, it is best to do this for a small amount of time (no longer than 3-5 minutes).