Compote is a delicious drink that has always been honored at any home holiday. Today we will talk about the classic recipe with gooseberries and mint and its variation - the Mojito drink.
Almost any housewife who has a summer cottage has rolled compote for the winter at least once in her life. Today we will learn how to make an unusual compote called "Mojito".
Of course, it is unlikely that it will be possible to prepare an alcoholic cocktail from berries, however, visually the drink is very similar to its namesake.
Ingredients for making Gooseberry Mojito
Cooking compote is considered one of the easiest preserves in the world. With just 30 minutes of your time, you can quickly make a good tasty drink with little to no effort.
In order to prepare an interesting drink, we need the following ingredients:
- gooseberries (preferably unripe) - 900 g;
- granulated sugar - 750 g;
- fresh bunch of mint leaves;
- lemon balm leaves;
- boiling water in the amount of 9 liters.
Let's take a look at the step-by-step preparation of gooseberry compote.
- Step-by-step cooking begins with the processing of gooseberries. The fruits are cleaned of stalks, leaves and branches, washed in cold running water. After that, the berries must be dried on a waffle towel.
- Melissa and mint leaves are washed in cold water and cut into small pieces.
- Prepared ingredients are placed in 3-liter jars (pre-sterilized). Gooseberries are spread in a thin, even layer. Its amount should not exceed 1/3 of the can. Mint and lemon balm leaves are added in small amounts. For one can, 1-2 tablespoons of the herbal mixture will be enough.
- Pour a mixture of gooseberries and herbs with boiling water under the very lid, leaving only 2-3 cm to the edge. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
- After the specified time, the water is poured into a saucepan and sugar is added to it. Boil the syrup over low heat for 2 minutes.
- The resulting sweet concentrate is poured into cans.
- The cans are rolled up with tin lids and turned over. Housewives use a special trick - they wrap hot cans in a warm blanket to prevent bloating. The original drink is ready.
Store homemade "Mojito" in a cool place. From this amount of ingredients, 3 three-liter cans of drink are obtained.
Recipe variations
- There are many variations of the recipe. No less famous is the recipe called "Tarhun". Tarragon sprigs and citric acid are added instead of peppermint. The taste of the resulting drink differs little from the taste of the drink of the same name.
- Any berries can be added to gooseberry compote. It can be raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, black currants. The taste and color of the drink will vary depending on the composition, but its benefits will be undeniably great.
- There are recipes in which mashed apples and plums are added to the compote. The drink becomes cloudy and begins to look like pulpy juice.
The benefits of gooseberry compote
Making gooseberry blanks, not many housewives know that the berry is a source of a huge amount of vitamins and micro- and macroelements. Gooseberry contains B vitamins, tocopherol acetate, ascorbic acid, vitamin PP and folic acid. Among the macro- and microelements, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, iron and selenium can be distinguished.
For a long time, the addition of gooseberries to dishes was equated with immunotherapy. The benefits of berries are clinically proven. Eating a handful of berries a day helps to cope with colds and infectious diseases. The vitamins that make up the gooseberry strengthen the immune system and prevent the development of cancer.
Vitamin PP is able to normalize hormones and strengthen the walls of blood vessels. The constant use of gooseberries prevents the development of thrombosis and prevents the development of heart attacks and strokes.
A high concentration of ascorbic acid enhances fat metabolism, so gooseberry compote can be used as a powerful fat burning agent.
Mint, which is part of the drink, has a slight antispasmodic effect. Thanks to this, light compote will help get rid of headaches and relieve stomach pains.
Gooseberry, lemon balm and mint compote has a slight soothing effect. Taking it at night can help avoid insomnia and unwanted nighttime awakenings.
Nutritional value of gooseberry compote
The calorie content of gooseberries usually does not exceed 44 kcal per 100 grams of berries. When sugar is added, the calorie content can increase to 50-60 kcal per 100 ml of the drink. This nutritional value is equal to the calorie content of regular juice, therefore it is not critical.
Contraindications to the use of compote "Mojito"
Drinking a delicious drink can bring not only benefits, but also harm. Gooseberry compote is not recommended for pregnant women because of the antispasmodic effect of mint, which can provoke premature birth and miscarriage.
The use of the drink is contraindicated for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Namely, those suffering from gastric ulcer and gastritis. The high content of vitamin C, which is part of the gooseberry, is contraindicated in people with high acidity.
