My lean pickle – step by step recipe with photo

1. Wash pearl barley and fill with filtered water. Let the barley soak and stand in it for 30 minutes.

2. We throw back the barley in a colander, let all the liquid merge. We take a saucepan or a frying pan with high walls, pour in refined sunflower oil, spread barley. Fry the barley in oil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the moisture is completely evaporated.

3. Let the oil soak into the barley.

4. Now fill the barley with hot filtered water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a minimum, cover with a lid and cook until the cereal is ready – until the liquid is completely absorbed.

5. Liquid has been absorbed.

6. Barley crumbly. We take it off the fire.

7. While the barley is being cooked, we are preparing everything for the pickle.

8. We begin to prepare the pickle. Pour filtered water into a saucepan and boil potatoes in it, chopped arbitrarily until tender. I cut the potatoes into cubes.

9. To prepare the pickle, it is advisable to take a large 3-liter saucepan with a thick bottom, in which we will first simmer the vegetables, and then cook it. Pour refined sunflower oil, heat it and spread the onion, chopped arbitrarily. Gold it until soft.

10. Add grated carrots. We fry a little. From the pot where the potatoes are boiled, pour a couple of tablespoons of liquid into the vegetables. Reduce the heat to a minimum, cover with a lid and simmer the vegetables until tender. It’s 10 minutes.

11. Add chopped celery. It is better to remove the skin from it. We simmer another 5 minutes.

12. Sprinkle with sweet paprika. Can be smoked. We mix.

13. Spread finely chopped cucumbers and chopped garlic. I cook with pickled cucumbers. They are small and I will not remove the skin from them. If you have a tough skin on cucumbers, then it is better to cut it off. You can optionally grate the cucumbers on a grater. Simmer under the lid for another 5 minutes.

14. Queue of tomato paste or tomato sauce. I have Krasnodarsky tomato sauce (it is with the addition of apples). We mix.

15. Put boiled pearl barley in the dressing. You can put it in 1 glass with a capacity of 200 ml or all boiled. It depends on what consistency of soup you like. I love thick pickles.

16. Mix everything and simmer vegetables with cereals for a couple of minutes. Pour everything with liquid with ready-made potatoes, which we cooked in a separate pan. Bring everything to a boil, cover with a lid and cook the pickle on a minimum heat for another 5 minutes.

17. Now add sweet peas, dried dill seeds and bay leaf. Pour the brine to taste, bring to a boil and salt. We cook for a couple of minutes. If you don’t have dill seeds, just put dry dill. I like pickles with seeds.

18. Remove the pickle from the fire and, under the lid, let it brew a little before serving.

19. Pour on plates! It is very tasty, despite the fact that pickle is completely meat-free, that is, lean!

20. Cooking lean healthy food on the days of Great Lent!