How to prepare cilantro for the winter at home, the best recipes

In summer, you can feast on fresh herbs every day. But what to do if you want to cook dishes with aromatic herbs all year round. For example, you can organize the preparation of cilantro for the winter at home.

Features of harvesting cilantro for the winter

All spices contain a large amount of vitamins and other useful substances, but, unfortunately, only fresh. To prepare coriander for the winter and at the same time preserve most of the nutrients, you need to do it right.

Cutting fresh herbs is recommended on a dry sunny day. If you cut coriander in the rain, the greens will not last long, even if they are well dried. But it is not recommended to collect coriander even in the heat. It is best to cut the herb early in the morning when the dew dries up a little.

Product selection rules

The cilantro greens should be cut before flowering, when it is still young and juicy. If this moment is missed, the spice will taste bitter. Cut the coriander when the stems reach a height of 10-13 centimeters.

Succulent, bright green plants are suitable for harvesting for the winter. There should be no leaves yellowed or eaten by insects. Only such a spicy herb will make delicious preparations for the winter.

Preparation of containers

There are many ways to harvest herbs for the winter, so storage containers may vary. Most often, plastic bags or glass jars are used. Before placing the workpiece in the container, they should be thoroughly rinsed and dried.

How to keep cilantro for the winter?

In order to preserve any greens for the winter, they are most often chopped and put into the freezer. But there are other best recipes to help preserve cilantro for the winter.

Drying greens

You can prepare coriander by simply drying it. The herb is dried naturally or in the oven.

Naturally

A common way to prepare cilantro for the winter is to dry it. The greens are chopped, laid out on the newspaper. Dry cilantro in a dark and well-ventilated area. It is necessary that the coriander is well dried and free-flowing. This usually takes several days. But it is better to overdry the workpiece than not to dry it. If it is not completely dried, it will quickly become moldy. It is advisable to store the dried spice in glass jars away from sunlight.

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In the oven

The second drying method is in the oven. This usually takes several hours. The coriander is finely chopped.The oven is heated to 70 degrees. The workpiece is transferred to a baking sheet and put into the oven. You need to dry cilantro at a temperature of 50 degrees. The workpiece is checked regularly. The finished dried cilantro should be free-flowing. When drying in the oven, you need to constantly watch the herbs and do not miss the moment when they are ready.

Freezing cilantro

The easiest option to prepare any greens for the winter, not only cilantro, is to freeze in the freezer. When properly frozen, most of the nutrients in the greens are retained.

In the package

Cilantro is thoroughly washed in running water and laid out on a newspaper or towel so that the water dries on the greenery. Then it is finely chopped and put into plastic bags. The blanks are put into the freezer. You need to take out cilantro for cooking only after it is completely frozen.

In vegetable oil

For this recipe, the coriander is also washed and dried, then finely chopped. It is better to freeze the spice in an ice mold. So it will be more convenient to get it and you will not have to defrost the entire workpiece. Chopped greens are poured with sunflower or olive oil, then poured into molds. Put it in the freezer. It is good to fry various dishes on such a blank. Coriander gives an unusual aroma to the oil.

In butter

Melt the butter, wash the herbs, dry and finely chop. Pour it into oil and pour it into a special dish or dish. You can also use ice cube trays.

Cilantro chutney with garlic and nuts

Ingredients for making chutney sauce:

• 100 g of shelled walnuts;
• 40 ml vinegar;
• a bunch of fresh cilantro and dill;
• a few cloves of garlic;
• add salt to taste.

How to cook:

1. Grind the nuts in a blender along with cilantro, dill and garlic.
2. Season with salt and vinegar.
3. To stir thoroughly.

Chimichurri sauce

What you need to make the sauce:

• fresh oregano;
• cilantro;
• parsley;
• basil;
• olive oil;
• vinegar;
• lime juice;
• sugar;
• garlic.

How to make chimichurri:

1. Chop greens and garlic in a blender.
2. Add sugar, salt, vinegar and lime juice.
3. To stir thoroughly.
4. You should get a homogeneous thick mixture. The sauce is perfect for meat dishes and poultry.

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Snack oil with cilantro and vegetables

Melt the butter. Chop the cilantro. You can use peppers, onions, lemon zest, and other spices to taste to make the butter. Pour the vegetable and spice mixture with oil and place in the freezer to freeze.

Cilantro marinated

An unusual recipe for cilantro for the winter - in a marinade.

How to pickle a spice for the winter:

• First you need to prepare the marinade. To do this, bring water (350 ml) to a boil, add salt and pour in 1 tbsp. l. vinegar.
• Wash the coriander, chop and transfer to jars (you need to leave some space).
• Pour the marinade into jars, it should completely cover the greens.
• Let the jars cool, then add 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.

Banks must be sterilized for 20 minutes, allowed to cool and then removed to the cellar.

Salting greens

Salting cilantro in jars is easy.

How to salt spicy herbs in a jar:

• Rinse coriander in water, dry and chop.
• For 1 kg of spice, 250 g of ordinary table salt is required.
• Rinse and dry the jars before laying, lay out cilantro and salt in layers.
• Each layer must be pressed so that the greens give juice.

When the jar is full, cover it with a lid and put it in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. You can also put the workpiece in the cellar.

Canning

What is required for conservation:

• cilantro;
• 2-3 cloves of garlic;
• 1-3 st. l. any oil;
• salt.

Workpiece preparation process:

• Rinse greens, chop.
• Peel the garlic and chop it in a blender.
• Sterilize the cans before laying the blank, pre-lubricate with oil.
• Mix cilantro with salt and garlic.
• Transfer the workpiece to jars, cover with metal lids.
• Roll up the banks.

The finished preservation should be stored in a cool place. It can be a refrigerator, cellar or loggia (if it is not insulated). This blank is suitable both for preparing various dishes and for dressing salads.

Storage in oil

Another way to keep the spice aromatic throughout the winter is to use sunflower or olive oil.

Workpiece preparation process:

• Rinse cilantro thoroughly, allow to dry a little and chop finely.
• Pour in oil and stir to form a homogeneous mass.
• Sterilize the banks, then transfer the blank into them.
• The top layer of oil should be about 1 cm.
• Close the lids and roll up.

Store the finished cilantro in your basement or refrigerator. It can be used to dress a variety of salads.