Juniper berries can enhance the aroma and flavor of many dishes and give the meat a tart flavor. They are also popular with hunters who prepare their own game. Famous culinary experts use not only the berries of this plant, but also cones and twigs.
Dried and fresh juniper berries will help to reveal the taste of fatty meat (goose and pork), poultry, fish, they can be added to any roast, for example, from beef. This seasoning is also useful for preparations for the winter. It can be found especially often in sauerkraut with garlic and pickled apples.
Berries are added to drinks: beer, jelly, kvass. At home, gin and vodka are prepared with juniper. The plants make sugar from dried berries, which serves as the basis for syrup for gingerbread and many desserts.
To enjoy the aroma of these berries and get all the useful elements contained in them, you can not prepare a complex dish, but brew tea, which is stored in the refrigerator for 2 days. To do this, pour 1 tsp of berries with 0.5 liters of boiling water and leave for 1.5 hours.
Before adding the berries of this plant to the dish, you need to know what seasonings they can be combined with. For a sophisticated aroma, marjoram, rosemary, cumin or mint are useful. Also, juniper is great for dishes with garlic, onions and celery. Ready-made seasoning can be prepared at home: crush 1 tablespoon in a mortar. juniper, dried mushrooms and coriander, 1 tsp each allspice and black pepper, and then add 1 tsp. coarse salt. This mixture works best with pork, especially chops.
It is also important to know some of the rules for using this spice. Calculate the required amount of berries, taking into account the weight of the dish. There should not be more than 6 pieces per 1 kg of any product.
