Content
Each country has its own recipes for preparing cabbage preparations. In Russia and Germany it is customary to ferment it. And in Georgia this vegetable is traditionally pickled. This dish is spicy, as is customary in Georgian cuisine, so hot pepper, garlic and other spices, as well as a lot of herbs, are always added to it. The special pink color of Georgian pickled cabbage is explained by the addition of beets, usually raw or sometimes boiled. The intensity of the color depends on its quantity.
Just as every Russian family has its own favorite recipe for sauerkraut, so in Georgia, in every house it is prepared in its own way.
Nevertheless, there are general rules for preparing this dish that everyone follows.
Tips for preparing Georgian pickled cabbage
- The head of cabbage for cooking should not be very large, much less loose.
- Don't cut the vegetable too finely. Ideally, the head of cabbage is cut into several sectors and the stalk is cut out. The size of the pieces depends on the density of the head of cabbage. The tightest cabbage is cut into smaller pieces.
- Beets can be cut in any way: into rings, strips or grated.
- Garlic is usually placed in whole cloves, with the exception of large cloves - they are cut in half.
- Celery root is cut into rings. Celery greens are simply crushed by hand.
- Hot peppers are cut into two longitudinal halves. If you want a spicier dish, you can leave the seeds.
- It is better to use apple cider vinegar - it is more useful.
- The workpiece must be completely covered with brine, otherwise the product may spoil.
- Store the workpiece in the cold.
Now that we know the techniques for preparing food, let’s move on directly to the recipes.
Pickled cabbage prepared according to this recipe turns out moderately acute. It is prepared with carrots; together with a lot of sugar, carrots give it a piquant taste. This cabbage, marinated in Georgian style, is quick-cooking. After standing in the refrigerator for 24 hours, it is ready to eat.
Georgian cabbage with carrots
Ingredients for one medium-sized head of cabbage:
- 3 carrots;
- 5 small boiled beets;
- 2 large heads of garlic;
- a glass of sugar;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of fresh ground black pepper, you can replace it with peppercorns, you need 15 of it;
- 2 tbsp. spoons of coarse salt;
- a glass of 9% vinegar;
- 0.5 cups vegetable oil;
- 5 bay leaves;
- 2 liters of water.
Sprinkle the prepared cabbage squares with coarse salt and let them salt for a couple of hours. We cut cooked beets and raw carrots into strips. Place the vegetables in a large glass jar in layers:
- beets below;
- bay leaf and garlic;
- cabbage;
- carrot.
Prepare the marinade: boil water with spices, salt and sugar for 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add vinegar and vegetable oil. After 2 minutes, turn off the fire. Pour over the cabbage when the brine has cooled to a warm state.
Cabbage prepared according to the following recipe has a spicy taste, especially if you use the maximum amount of hot capsicum. Keep in mind that no sugar is added to it.
If the acidity in kale appeals to you, use apple cider vinegar to cook it up.
Spicy Georgian cabbage
Ingredients for one medium head:
- 1 beet;
- from 1 to 5 pods of hot pepper;
- head of garlic;
- a bunch of greens; the classic recipe uses celery leaves;
- liter of boiled water;
- 2 tbsp. spoons of salt.
We will cook in a 3 liter jar. We lay the products in layers: the bottom layer is fresh beets cut into strips, then the greens mashed in the hands.
It is enough to rub it a little in your hands so that it is ready to release the juice and give it to the brine.
Place the hot pepper halves and garlic on top of the greens. Repeat the layers again. Prepare a brine from water and salt and pour it into a jar.
Be sure to place a weight, for example, a small-diameter plastic bottle of water so that it fits into the neck of the jar. Keep warm for 2 to 3 days. Then we take it out into the cold.
Do not keep the cabbage warm, otherwise it will not be as crispy as required by the recipe. This Georgian cabbage can be prepared for the winter. It must be stored in the cold.
Georgian cabbage with horseradish
Horseradish added to Georgian cabbage prepared according to the following recipe gives it a special taste and smell.The greens are represented by non-traditional parsley.
Ingredients for a head of cabbage weighing 1.5 kg:
- 2 beets, horseradish root, hot pepper;
- parsley;
- head of garlic;
- 0.5 cups of vegetable oil and 9% vinegar;
- a glass of sugar;
- liter of water;
- 3 tbsp. spoons of salt.
It is more convenient to make the preparation in a jar. For this recipe, take raw beets and cut them into rings. Three horseradish on a coarse grater. Mix all the ingredients. We prepare a brine from water, salt, butter and sugar. Boil and cool, but just a little. Pour vinegar into the brine and pour it into a jar. Place the cooled product in the refrigerator.
Delicious cabbage cooked in Georgian style will be a good addition to meat dishes on a weekday. An elegant, bright appetizer will decorate the festive table. Regular consumption of this valuable vegetable will bring great health benefits and enrich the body with vitamins necessary in winter.
