Pickled cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C. It is a fermented food and has active probiotic cultures to aid healthy digestion, similar to yogurt. I love adding pickled cabbage to salads or to serve it as a small dish side. For me it is the easiest serving of vegetables available.
The recipe I provide here for pickled cabbage is for small jar, simple enough to prepare in 20 minutes. It is not a project that takes hours as when my parents made it. Sure, they prepared it to last for the entire winter in almost commercial amounts!
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| Packed cabbage in a jar; lemon squeezer; shredded cabbage and carrots mix |
Pickled cabbage (Russian Sauerkraut)
Ingredients
cabbage 2 pounds
carrots, 2 small
sea salt, 20 grams (2% to the weight of vegetables) make sure salt has no additives, as they might interfere with fermentation process
3 days after
honey, 1/2 teaspoon (preferably raw)
Method
Wash cabbage head. Remove outer leaves and any damaged leaves. Using sharp knife or food processor, shred the cabbage. Shred the carrots. Mix cabbage and carrots together. Mix with salt and press with your hands to break and soften vegetables until small amount of juice is released.
Tip: Use small Mason jar to pack the cabbage using hand lemon squeezer. The recipe is enough to fill 24 ounces canning jar. Put 1 cup of cabbage and carrot mix in and press it into bottom of the jar to pack tightly. Use lemon squeezer. Continue with the same method, putting one cup of the mixture at the time till you fill the jar. There should be some juice on top. If the cabbage is relatively dry and there is no juice, cover with small amount of boiled and cooled water. Cover jar with paper towel and a rubber band and leave on counter for 3 days. After 3 days, take small amount of liquid with spoon, dissolve honey in it and return it back to jar. Place jar in refrigerator. Ready to eat after a week, best aged for 3 weeks.
For salad, my favorite combination is pickled cabbage, cooked beets, arugula and scallions, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.
For kids lunch, pack pickled cabbage as is or mix with cubes of cooked beets. Season with extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil for better vitamins absorption.
I love this idea and will definitely try it. Whenever I buy cabbage for a client, I always have leftovers so this will be perfect. I often add little bits of vinegary salads, tabbouleh etc to my salad at the Whole Foods salad bar...this would be great to use like that, as a little bit of extra punch. It would also be great tucked into a wrap. I like to take whatever odds and ends are in the fridge and wrap in a flour tortilla for a quick lunch - salad greens, cucumbers, carrots, feta cheese, bits of turkey, etc. Pickled cabbage would be great there too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Christine. Yes, it will be great in a tortilla wrap or any salad.
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