Among the numerous preparations of cabbage, pickled dishes clearly occupy a leading position in the modern world. And all thanks to the speed of execution of these dishes, judge for yourself, you can taste fully prepared cabbage already a day after its manufacture. Of course, it cannot be compared with sauerkraut, which only takes several weeks to ferment well, and according to some recipes, even more than a month. Many people also like the taste of pickled cabbage – spicy, spicy or, conversely, sweet and sour or even sickly sweet. Of course, thanks to various combinations of sugar and acetic acid, you can get a whole palette of flavors, which is much more difficult to do in the process of ordinary sauerkraut.
Well, pickled cabbage with beetroot, in general, has been a hit for many seasons in a row. After all, beetroot, that is, beets, colors the finished dish in a fabulously beautiful raspberry shade. And thanks to the different ways of cutting cabbage, you can even more diversify the range of ready-made snacks you get.
Cabbage “Petal”
Despite the fact that now in almost any store you can find jars with this popular preparation, it is much more pleasant and healthy to cook delicious pickled cabbage with beetroot with your own hands. By the way, and at a price it will cost you all this much cheaper, especially if you have your own vegetable garden available.
Indeed, cabbage leaves, colored with beetroot juice, resemble the petals of some fantastic flower. If you arrange them beautifully on a dish, then this appetizer can become an inimitable decoration of your holiday table.
And to cook it is not at all difficult, you just need to find:
- Cabbage – 2 kg;
- Carrots – 2 pc;
- Beets – 1 pc;
- Garlic – 4-5 cloves.
The prepared head of cabbage is freed from the upper leaves and cut into two or three or even four parts, so that it is then convenient to cut out the stalk area from it. After that, each piece of cabbage is cut into another 5-6 portion pieces.
Beets and carrots can be chopped into strips, but many people cut these vegetables into slices or sticks – later such large pieces can be separately enjoyed marinated.
Garlic is peeled, divided into slices and each slice is cut into 3-4 more parts.
This recipe for pickled cabbage involves laying vegetables in layers and it is more convenient to do this in a wide enameled pan. However, if you can arrange the vegetables neatly in layers in a glass jar, then nothing should prevent you from doing this.
At the very bottom, spices are laid in the form of garlic, allspice and black peppercorns in an amount of about 10 pieces and several laurels. Then several pieces of cabbage are placed, carrots are placed on top, then beets, then again cabbage and so on. At the very top should be a layer of beets. Vegetables are slightly tamped when stacked, but not much.
The marinade is prepared in the most traditional way: in a liter of water, 70 grams of salt and 100-150 grams of sugar are heated to a boil. After boiling, 100 grams of vinegar is poured into the marinade.
If you are in a hurry to try the cooked cabbage as soon as possible, you can pour hot marinade over the layered vegetables. But according to the recipe, it is better to cool it first and only then pour it. The process will be slow, but the taste of the finished cabbage will be much richer and richer. Leave the dish at room temperature for 2-3 days, and then it is recommended to put it in a cool place. Already on the third day, cabbage can be tasted, although it will acquire a real rich taste in about a week.
Georgian recipe
Recently, the recipe for pickled cabbage using Gurian or Georgian beets has become very popular. In general, in essence, it is not much different from the same cabbage, only in that it uses a much larger number of additives. First of all, it is a variety of aromatic herbs and spices. The Georgian recipe is also spicy due to the introduction of hot peppers into the ingredients.
For the same amount of vegetables as in the first recipe, you need to add from 1 to 3 pods of hot chili peppers. It is usually washed, cleaned of seed chambers and cut into slices or strips. Some even add whole pepper pods to the marinade without removing the seeds, but in this case, the cabbage may be too spicy for the taste unusual for pepper.
Of the herbs, one small bunch of celery, parsley, cilantro, basil, tarragon and thyme is most often used. If you don’t find an herb, don’t worry – you can either do without it altogether, or use it as a dried spice.
From spices, an additional few pieces of cloves, a teaspoon of coriander seeds and the same amount of cumin are used.
Otherwise, the technological process for making cabbage in Georgian is no different from the above recipe. Another thing is that Georgians rarely use table vinegar. They usually just ferment all the layered, seasoned vegetables with warm brine. And after 5 days, cabbage prepared in this way can be tasted.
If you want to cook pickled cabbage according to this recipe, then you can use any natural vinegar: apple or grape.
mediterranean recipe
Among the many recipes for pickled cabbage with beets, I would especially like to highlight this one, which originates from the Mediterranean countries and is distinguished by a special, spicy aroma and unique taste, thanks to the many interesting ingredients used in it. Fans of everything unusual should definitely try it, especially since all the ingredients for it are quite easy to find.
Cabbage, carrots, beets and garlic are taken in the same quantities as indicated in the above recipe. But then the fun begins – you will need to additionally find:
- Juniper berries (you can use dry, from a pharmacy) – 5 pieces;
- Sweet bell pepper – 2 pieces, it is good if they are of different colors, for example, red and yellow;
- Ground hot pepper – half a teaspoon;
- Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon;
- Carnation – 4-5 pieces;
- Nutmeg and cumin – half a teaspoon each;
- Allspice, black pepper and bay leaf – according to the first recipe.
Carrots and beets are cut in any arbitrary shape to your liking, garlic is crushed with a crusher. Peppers of both varieties are cut into small rings.
All vegetables are carefully mixed together in a large separate container and then laid out in jars. All spices are mixed separately. At the bottom of the jars, you first need to put a mixture of spices, and then just lay the vegetables tightly.
The marinade differs only in the use of olive oil, traditional for the Mediterranean countries. For 1 liter of water, take 1 glass of oil, half a glass of apple cider vinegar, 100 g of sugar and 60 g of purified sea salt. All this, except for vinegar, is heated to a boil and boiled for 5-7 minutes. After that, vinegar is added and all vegetables are poured with hot marinade. Banks are covered with plastic lids and left at room temperature for a couple of days. Then the workpiece must be transferred to the cold.
If you have never cooked pickled cabbage with beets, be sure to try these recipes. But even if you already know this dish, then you will surely find something new for yourself in the above recipes. And they will give you an incentive to self-improvement in cooking.
