Cabbage pickling - general principles and methods
Many housewives do not see the difference between pickling and sauerkraut. Indeed, these two processes are similar. The only difference is that when salting vegetables in the recipe put more salt than ferment, and the process of salting occurs faster, in about three to five days. At that time, as sauerkraut should be well fermented, which takes up to two weeks. Excess salt slows down the fermentation process, so there is less lactic acid in pickles than in pickled vegetables. Acid and salt in salted cabbage, kill more microorganisms and putrefactive bacteria, so it is stored longer. The amount of salt does not affect the deterioration of taste. Pickled cabbage turns crispy, with a delicate and pleasant sweet-sour taste.
Cabbage pickling - food preparation
For salting take white taut cabbages of late varieties, without damage. Forks are cleaned from the upper leaves, usually they are more sluggish and have a greenish tint. Then cut into thin straws. Now there are many devices for the mechanical grinding of vegetables. So you can chop the cabbage with a vegetable cutter, special grater, in a food processor or with an ordinary knife. Before shredding, the knife must be sharpened well - and the process will go faster and the straw will be finer. The spices that will be used for pickling, you must sort out, remove the rotten and spoiled leaves and twigs and rinse.
Cabbage pickling - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Cabbage pickling with dill grains
Such a cabbage with a soft-sour taste will be pleasant to crunch under hot fried potatoes in winter cold evenings. Cabbage must be chopped into thin and long strips, similar to spaghetti.
Ingredients: cabbage - 2 medium-sized heads of cabbage, 3 carrots, salt - 2 tablespoons with a slide, 1 tbsp. l dry dill grains
Method of preparation
Cabbage cut into two unequal parts - with the stalk and without, and chop. You can put a half fork on the edge or put it flat on the table, as you like. It is not necessary to chop the stalk and the area around it with coarse fibers. Fold the cutting in a wide dish to make it convenient to interfere - a basin, or a large saucepan, add salt and mash well. So that salt does not corrode the skin of the hands, and for hygiene purposes, it is better to wear disposable gloves (or plastic bags). Add dill seeds, grated carrots, mix.
Top load and put cabbage on the balcony or other cool place, but not in the refrigerator. The role of cargo at home is usually performed by an inverted flat plate, on which a small weight, bottle or jar of water is placed. In our case, we need a three-liter can filled with 2/3 of water.
The fermentation process has already begun, so twice a day, the contents of the pan must be freed from the gases accumulated at the bottom of the dishes, otherwise the cabbage will turn out with a bitter aftertaste. For this, the load is removed, the mass is stirred with a spoon, left for a couple of minutes and the pressure is returned to the place. Three days later, the cabbage is laid out in a smaller container and put in a refrigerator or cellar, if there is one.
Recipe 2: Cauliflower Pickling
It so happened that when it comes to sourdough or pickling cabbage, it means mostly white. But this recipe for cauliflower, it is also suitable for salting and it turns out no less, if not more tasty than the traditional white cabbage. To make the dish look more beautiful, it is better to chop a carrot grated on a Korean carrot. This condition is not mandatory, it is a recommendation. Cabbage should choose a dense, white color. Yellowish inflorescences indicate that the cabbage is slightly overripe, and not quite suitable for salting. That is not the best way affect the appearance and taste of the finished dish.
Ingredients: cauliflower - 2 forks, carrots - 0.5 kg, 5-6 grains of garlic, black peppercorns, 4-5 bay leaves. For brine - for one liter of water: 1st. spoon of salt with a slide, incomplete (no slide), a tablespoon of sugar.
Method of preparation
Prepare the brine, why stir the salt in water with sugar, boil and cool.
Disassemble the forks into large florets and blanch for a minute and a half, i.e. dip this time in boiling water. It is not necessary to hold for a long time, otherwise the cabbage will turn out not crispy, but cotton. Then inflorescences should be cooled under water and put in layers in a dish for salting. Lay layers of grated carrots, chopped garlic, pepper, a couple of bay leaves. The first and last layers are carrots. Cabbage pour brine and set the load. Leave it warm (in the kitchen) for a day or two, then transfer to the balcony. Cabbage salted after 4-5 days. She put in jars that put in the fridge.
Recipe 3: Pickling cabbage with beets
Such a cabbage is not only very tasty and crispy, but also looks elegant on the plate and on the table. After all, she differs from her pale-faced sister in a beautiful crimson color.
Ingredients: 2 large forks of cabbage - 4 kg, 2-3 beets, whole head of garlic, 1-2 horseradish roots. For brine to 2 liters of water: 100g of salt, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 4 bay leaves, 2 stuff of cloves and 10 black peas.
Method of preparation
Boil the water, put there all the ingredients for the brine, cool.
Cabbage cut arbitrarily, at its discretion - thin straw or large chunks, do not forget to remove the stalk. Chop garlic and horseradish root - grated or minced, cut beets into small cubes. Cabbage, wipe hands strongly and mix with horseradish and garlic, then put it in a dish for salting, sprinkle with beetroot cubes. Pour the beet-cabbage mass with brine, set the pressure on the top and leave for fermentation. Once or twice a day it is necessary to stir the cabbage to remove accumulated gas bubbles. After two or three days the cabbage is ready. They put it in cans and put them in a cold place - a cellar, a cellar or a refrigerator.
Cabbage pickling - useful tips from experienced chefs
- For high-quality pickling cabbage, you need to choose the right salt. Use only coarse rock salt, iodized or Extra (finely ground) is not suitable.
- During fermentation, the pickle should completely cover the cabbage. If the brine is not enough, the weight of the load must be increased (add water to the jar or put more weight on the weight).
- To make the cabbage juicy and crispy, it is recommended to salt it on the growing moon.
