Anja's mustard pickles with white balsamic vinegar, cooked

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 large salad cucumbers or braised cucumbers, each approx. 2 kg
• 1 ½ tbsp salt
• 500 ml balsamic vinegar, white
• 500 ml water
• 65 g sugar, about 5 tbsp
• 15 g salt, about 3 tsp
• 50 g spice mix, cucumber spice

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 12 hours 50 minutes

refreshingly sour, but not too sour

Peel the cucumbers, halve them lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds and soft flesh with a tablespoon. Cut the cucumbers into approximately 3 x 6 cm pieces, place them in a large bowl, and toss with 1.5 tablespoons of salt. Let everything stand, covered, for about 12 hours. Drain the cucumber water, briefly rinse the cucumber pieces with cold water, and drain well in a sieve. In the meantime, prepare the stock: Heat all stock ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes. Allow the stock to cool to lukewarm. Sterilize the Weck jars or other preserving jars in the oven at 120°C for 10 minutes. Boil the glass lids in a saucepan for 10 minutes. Clean the rubber bands thoroughly and place them in hot water. Layer the cucumber pieces in a slightly cooled jar, nudging the jar a few times to settle the cucumber pieces. Fill the jars to just under 1 cm below the rim. Using a ladle, pour the stock over the cucumbers. They should be completely covered, but there must be a little space left at the rim. Close the jars with the rubber ring, lid, and clamps. Prepare all jars. Fill the preserving machine with water so that the tallest jar is at least 3/4 submerged. Boil for 20 minutes at 90 degrees Celsius. Remove the jars from the machine using the lifter, place them on a damp cloth, and cover with another cloth. Allow to cool completely before removing the clamps. Check that the jars are all closed. The cucumbers will keep for 12 months when cooked this way. If a jar is open, thoroughly clean the rim and rubber ring and boil again. Alternatively, use the contents within a few days. Variations: You can add onions and dill to the cucumbers. My cucumber seasoning already contains chili peppers, but you can also add 4 small chili peppers. Tip: The stock from the cucumbers can also be used for a salad dressing later; strain out the spices to do this. If you don’t have any cucumber seasoning on hand, you can also use the following alternative: – 5 bay leaves, chopped – 4 tbsp mustard seeds – 4 small chili peppers, dried and chopped – 4 tbsp cloves – 1 tsp fennel seeds – 1 tbsp peppercorns