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“Bread and cabbage will not allow evil” - that’s what people said. In winter, these products saved people from starvation. Fortunately, we are no longer in danger of starvation. Nevertheless, cabbage, especially sauerkraut, still remains an important part of the menu throughout the long winter.
There are many pickling recipes; everyone can choose any of them to suit their taste, from classics to truly exotic ones. But almost all of them contain carrots. It enriches the fermentation with sugars and vitamins, gives it a pleasant color and taste.
How many carrots do you need for pickling?
In the classic recipe, the weight of carrots is approximately 10% of the weight of cabbage heads. But everyone has their own taste. Some will put it less, others will do without it altogether. Each option has the right to exist. There are regions where it is customary to add so many carrots to the cabbage that the fermentation turns orange. In any case, this vegetable should be fresh, juicy, and contain a considerable amount of sugars. Only such carrots will produce a product of the highest quality.
Fermentation in own juice
This is a classic Sauerkraut with carrots. Many people know its recipe; it is prepared quickly and simply.
Ingredients:
- already peeled cabbage heads – 5 kg;
- carrots – 0.5 kg;
- salt – 100 g.
The cooking process is surprisingly simple. Heads of cabbage, cut vertically into pieces, are cut into thin strips.
We grate or cut the peeled carrots in a convenient way. Some people like thin sticks, while others cut it into slices. Place our slices in a wide and deep bowl, sprinkle with salt, and mix. If you want it to give juice faster and ferment, you should grind it thoroughly so that this very juice stands out. For lovers of a crispy product, it is enough to simply mix the future fermentation well. In both cases, the further action is the same: filling the container for fermentation and compacting each layer. You can do this simply with your fist. A wooden masher, which our mothers used to make delicious mashed potatoes, is very good for these purposes. Now they use a different kitchen utensil for this.
The well-mashed cabbage mixture is covered with a cabbage leaf or lid and pressed down with a weight. In the old days, a special stone was used for this, but we can get by with any suitable container of water. After about a day, the released juice will completely cover the fermentation.
It happens that fermentation does not release enough juice to cover it completely. Either the cabbage has been lying around for a long time, or it was not picked on the right day, for example, when the moon is in the sign of Leo. The cabbage should be helped, otherwise the fermentation will slow down and its top layer will begin to deteriorate. Lightly add salt to the water and pour it into the fermentation container to correct the situation.
On the second day of fermentation, bubbles appear, which become more and more numerous.This is a signal that it is time to remove the foam and pierce the fermented product to the bottom. If the gases are not released from the cabbage, it will become very bitter. This should be done at least a couple of times a day until the foaming stops. The foam on the cabbage contains microorganisms that can easily ruin all the housewife’s work and quickly ruin the finished product.
After about five days, you can transfer the finished product into jars, or you can leave it in the container in which it was fermented, but be sure to put it in a cold place so that it does not peroxidize.
Sauerkraut is an international product, but each country and even each region has its own traditions of preparing it. This is how unusual it is prepared in Kuban.
Kuban sauerkraut
To prepare it, take:
- cabbage heads - as many as needed to fill the bowl;
- carrots - 1/10 of the weight of heads of cabbage;
- a glass of salt dissolved in 3 liters of water.
To give our preparation some spice, season it with allspice, peas and bay leaves.
Finely chop the cabbage, three or cut the carrots. Mix. Prepare a solution of salt in water. It needs to be completely dissolved. Take a handful of cabbage mixture and dip it in salted water. Lay out in layers, compacting well and seasoning each layer with spices. When the dishes are full, cover the fermentation with a lid and place the load. You need to pierce such cabbage and remove the foam already on the second day, and a delicious dish is ready on the third day.It should be stored, like any sauerkraut, in a cool place.
German sauerkraut
In Germany, sauerkraut is also a national dish. They cut it into very thin strips and ferment it until it stops, so the cabbage turns out to be very sour. How to cook sauerkraut with carrots in German?
In addition to the usual ingredients, apples and juniper berries are always added to it, giving a light resinous taste. Prepare this cabbage, and your menu will always have a classic German dish - sausages with sauerkraut.
Ingredients:
- 6 kg of prepared cabbage heads;
- 4 medium sized carrots;
- 4 tbsp. spoons without top of salt;
- 6 tbsp. spoons of cumin;
- 6 apples;
- juniper berries – 1 cup.
We cut this vegetable very thinly, the cabbage will not be crispy, but, cooked in German, it should not be like that. Carrots in three usual ways. The cumin will have to be fried. The pan must be dry. Mash the spice well. Core the apples and cut into thin slices. Grind the cabbage and carrot mixture, adding salt. Mix with the rest of the ingredients and put it where we will ferment.
You will have to wander under the load of fermentation for three days. During this time, you will have to pierce it several times to the very bottom. We store it in the cold. For fresh consumption, this fermentation is a little sour, but the cabbage soup and stewed cabbage turn out beyond all praise.
Conclusion
There are a lot of dishes that can be prepared from this tasty preparation. It is especially good for those who fast. Shchi, solyanka, zrazy and pies with sauerkraut allow you to diversify the menu and treat yourself to delicious dishes even on a lean diet.
Unfortunately, German SOUR cabbage is not sauerkraut, because... sour it with vinegar. The Germans put vinegar everywhere.