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White cabbage has been widely known in Our Country since the time of Kievan Rus, where it was brought from Transcaucasia in the XNUMXth century. Since then, cabbage has become one of the most beloved garden crops among the people, without which it is difficult to imagine the table of a person. In addition to the wonderful taste, as well as the versatility of use, cabbage will also help to cope with many diseases. And one of the most popular ways to harvest cabbage for the winter is to pickle or pickle it.
Fermentation and salting: is there a difference
Many housewives often confuse these two methods of harvesting vegetables or believe that they are one and the same. In fact, both methods of preservation really have much in common, and, above all, the fact that when exposed to lactic acid bacteria, lactic acid is created, which plays the role of a natural preservative, and also complements the finished product with a specific aroma and taste.
The main difference between these methods of harvesting cabbage is the presence of salt and the difference in its percentage during the fermentation process. So, for salting cabbage, the presence of salt is absolutely necessary and should be at least 6% of the total weight of the prepared products. At the same time, when sauerkraut is sauerkraut, the salt content can be only 2-3%, and in many recipes it is generally not necessary to use it. For example, back in the XNUMXth century, salt was not used for pickling cabbage, and despite this, cabbage was preserved very well, although the fermentation process itself could last from two weeks to two months.
In general, salting cabbage in the modern world is distinguished, first of all, by the speed of its manufacture. Most recipes use Vinegar and vegetable oil for pickling cabbage. Vinegar helps the fermentation process go very quickly, sometimes even in a few hours.
This is probably why salting cabbage with butter has become widespread in recent years. After all, this preparation is completely ready for use after uncorking the cans in winter, and does not need any additional seasonings and additives. While many prefer to season cooked pickled cabbage with oil, in the recipes below, it is already fermented in the presence of oil.
A quick and delicious pickled cabbage recipe
This recipe is good because the most delicious salted cabbage can be cooked quite quickly – from two to eight hours. What is also attractive about it is that if you have a small amount of kitchen utensils, as well as a refrigerator, as storage containers, then we will salt a small portion for literally several times, and then we will repeat this process every time you want to eat healthy crispy cabbage. Well, you can increase the number of ingredients several times and prepare a blank for the long winter months. True, in this case, salted cabbage will need to be sterilized, otherwise it will not be stored for long – about two to three weeks in the refrigerator.
To make a dish from one kilogram of already chopped cabbage, you will also need to cook one medium-sized carrot and 3-4 cloves of garlic.
The marinade consists of the following ingredients:
- Water – 300 ml;
- Vegetable oil -50 ml;
- Table vinegar (preferably apple or grape) – 50 ml;
- Coarse rock salt – 50 grams;
- Granulated sugar – 100 grams;
- Carnation – 3 things;
- Black pepper – 5 grains.
Cabbage must be cleaned from the upper contaminated leaves.
If the leaves have a greenish tint, they are not suitable for salting – they do not have enough natural sugars.
It is also better to peel the carrots from the thin outer skin, and peel the garlic and disassemble it into slices.
Then the cabbage must be chopped. You can use a special grater-shredder for these purposes, you can use a food processor, and if none of this is available, then an ordinary kitchen knife will help you out, but only sharply sharpened. Usually the cabbages are cut in half, the stalk is removed from them, and the remaining halves are cut into long narrow pieces. Carrots are easiest to grate on an ordinary coarse grater. Garlic is cut into thin slices.
All vegetables are placed in a large bowl and mixed thoroughly.
After that, you can start making the marinade. If you want to get salted cabbage as quickly as possible, then fill it with hot marinade brine. In this case, cabbage can be tasted immediately after cooling, after two or three hours. If you have at least a night in reserve, then it is better to pour the cooked vegetables with a mixture of boiled water at room temperature with spices, vinegar and oil. In this case, the cabbage will cook a little longer – it will acquire a rich taste and aroma in 7-8 hours.
So, to make the marinade, the amount of water required according to the recipe is brought to a boil, sugar, salt and spices dissolve in it. Then the right amount of vinegar is added, the container is removed from the fire and vegetable oil is poured into it. The prepared mixture of cabbage, carrots and garlic is poured with still hot marinade, slightly mixed, covered with a lid and left to cool at room temperature. In this case, it is not even necessary to use oppression. Crispy salted cabbage can be enjoyed in two hours.
Otherwise, all the ingredients for the marinade are mixed with boiled water, and the solution is infused for 5 minutes. Then lightly mashed vegetables are poured with marinade, you need to put a lid with oppression on top.
Cabbage should be under oppression for about 7 hours under normal room conditions, after which the vegetables are mixed again and the finished dish can be sent either immediately to the table or stored in the refrigerator.
large chunks of cabbage
For many housewives, the recipe for salting cabbage in rather large pieces with the addition of beets and various fruits and berries may seem interesting. Preparing such a cabbage is not difficult at all, and you can use it both for salads and for pies, as well as for cooking first and second courses. Everywhere she will be in demand with pleasure.
To produce a billet from a head of cabbage weighing about 3 kg, you need to take a pound of beets, 2 small horseradish roots, 3 carrots and 4-5 cloves of garlic.
The composition of the filling is quite standard – for two liters of water you need to take:
- Half a cup of granulated sugar;
- 100 grams of salt;
- 200 grams of vinegar 9%;
- 200 grams of vegetable oil;
- 6 peas of black pepper;
- 5 lavrushkas;
- 4 grains of cloves.
It is important to clean the cabbage of all contaminated and damaged leaves, both outside and inside. The heads can then be cut into pieces of any size, from fork quarters to flat rectangles.
Carrots and beets are peeled and cut into strips or small slices. Garlic must be peeled, divided into teeth and crushed with a special crusher. Horseradish is cleaned last and finely cut with a knife. If you decide to add fruits with berries, then they are well washed from contamination. Apples and plums are freed from seeds and twigs, then also cut into small pieces.
All vegetables and fruits are combined in a large container and lightly mixed. At the same time, the marinade brine is prepared. All the ingredients except oil and vinegar are added to the water and the whole thing is heated to a boil. At the time of boiling, vinegar and oil are added to the brine. After a slight boil for 3-5 minutes, hot brine is added to vegetables and fruits. From above, cabbage with vegetables and spices must be covered with a plate or lid and slightly pressed so that the brine comes out from above. Additional weight is not required.
It is advisable to keep cabbage in this form for at least a day at an optimum temperature of about + 18 + 20 ° С. After that, the dish can be eaten, or it can be stored in a cool place.
Cabbage salted with butter should add variety to your daily menu. And the speed and ease of its preparation will almost certainly make it one of your signature dishes.
