Recipe: Polish Brine-Cured Dill Pickles

Nancy, I found this on the internet. It seems to be close to the one you
described in your request. I hope it is!!!

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POLISH BRINE-CURED DILL PICKLES
ogorki kiszone/kwaszone

(from POLISH HERITAGE COOKERY, by Robert & Maria Strybl)
"The classic Polish dill pickle, whose preparation goes back well over 1,000
years, is naturally cured, hence it is a far healthier alternative than any
of the pickles pickled with vinegar. It is extremely versatile, since it
produces several products in a single container: the crunchy, several-day
undercured pickles some people like, tart and tangy fully-cured pickles, and
very tart and soft overcured pickles, which are good for eating and a re-
quired ingredient in dill-pickle soup. The leftover dill-pickle juice is a
vitamin and mineral-rich beverage as is, or in combination with other ingred-
ients (see dill-pickle brine below) and can be used to give a delightful
tang to soups, sauces, and meat dishes. Above all, ogorki kiszone are so
delicious that they will quickly disappear from your counter-top crock. They
are also easy to prepare."

Wash and drain 4 lbs. roughly 4-inch, green pickling cucumbers. Cukes larger
than 6 inches are not used. If you have cucumbers of varying size, put the
large ones at bottom of jar, since they take longer to cure. The best cucum-
bers to brine-cure are those picked the same day. If yours are not, soak
them in ice cold water 2-3 hrs.

Wash, dry, scald with boiling water, and dry again large glass jar or crock
big enough to accomodate the pickles. At bottom of container, place 3 stalks
mature pickling dill (heads or seed clusters as well as stems). Stand cucum-
bers in container upright. Add 3-5 cloves garlic, several small pieces of
horseradish root, and several fruit leaves (cherry, black-currant or grape
are best!).

Bring to boil 6 c. water and 3 T. pickling salt. When cooled slightly, pour
warm solution over cucumbers. Cover with inverted plate and weight down so
cucumbers are submerged. Cover with cheesecloth and that's all there is to it.

They should be fully cured in 7-10 days. You may leave them on counter until
all are used up (and remove them with tongs, never with fingers!), or trans-
fer to fridge.

Optional: Other flavorings may include: 1 horseradish leaf, 1-2 green oak
leaves (this gives pickles a barrel-like taste), 1 bay leaf, a pinch of
mustard seeds or unground coriander, a small piece of chili pepper, a slice
of celeriac or parsley root. Do not use all these flavorings in a single
batch of pickles, but experiment on successive batches to see which combin-
ation suits you best.

Personally, we feel the basic recipe is good just as it is.

Poster's comments: I have made these on a regular basis and the recipe is
almost foolproof. The only alteration I routinely make is to add a slice of
hard/Jewish rye bread w/caraway seed on the top of the cucumbers. This
serves to provide a starch base to hasten the fermentation (you did under-
stand that these are fermented(!) pickles, I hope) and also to ensure a
reliable yeast inoculum. Depending on wild yeasts can sometimes result in a
spoiled batch, especially in warm climates. After 2-3 days, when the stuff
really looks yucky-milky (from the yeast in suspension), I put in the fridge
to slow down fermentation. Yeast will settle to bottom. Then I carefully
drain, reserving liquid, oak/grape leaves, etc. but flushing away old yeast.
You will discover the way that works best for you. I then replace liquid,
place back into fridge and allow the ferment to continue slowly. Will keep
for up to 3 weeks or more under those conditions. I do this for two reasons:
(1) I am somewhat allergic to yeast, and (2) the rinsed product is esthet-
ically more pleasing.

One final comment: Another exotic but delicious addition to the crock is a
single piece of fresh ginger root the size of a dime.