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Fragrant, crispy, appetizing sauerkraut is the best snack for winter! It retains all the vitamins and trace elements, and the amount of ascorbic acid in the fermentation process even increases. Thanks to lactic acid fermentation, probiotics are formed in this product, which has the most favorable effect on digestion. What recipes of sauerkraut can be considered the most successful?
We choose cabbage for fermentation
The most suitable cabbage for fermentation is late and medium-late varieties with dense heads. Medium-late cabbage ripens by the end of summer or by the beginning of autumn, and late-by the end of October. Early varieties are not suitable because of the looseness and green color of the leaves. In addition, such cabbage is poor in sugars, which are important for normal fermentation. The later varieties are sweet and juicy, and it is important that the sauerkraut turns out crispy. Before the starter, be sure to try the cabbage and make sure that it does not taste bitter. Squeeze a few leaves — if the juice is released, then the cabbage is suitable for your purposes!
The heads should weigh at least 1 kg, because the larger the cabbage, the richer it is in vitamins and trace elements.
Carefully inspect the cabbage leaves and the stalk — there should be no spots and traces of pests on them. In this case, the stalk should not be longer than 3 cm.
Sauerkraut: secrets and subtleties
There are different recipes for sauerkraut, classic or more innovative, but the subtleties of cooking do not differ much. The main thing is to remember them while you are cooking!
Take a large salt, its amount is calculated simply — for 1 kg of cabbage you will need about 1 tbsp of salt, but you can increase or decrease its amount depending on your taste preferences. To speed up the fermentation process, sugar is also added to the cabbage-about 0.5 tsp. per 1 kg of cabbage. And do not forget about spices — bay leaf, allspice, currant leaves, dill sprigs with seeds or horseradish.
Cabbage is fermented in shredded form, in quarters, halves and even whole heads. Do not cut it too finely, otherwise it will be soft in the finished form, and we need crispy. The ideal thickness of the pieces is 5 mm. That is why many housewives do not use vegetable cutters and a food processor, but chop with a knife.
How to make cabbage tastier?
Chopped cabbage is sprinkled with salt and rubbed with hands, adding carrots, beets or pumpkin, depending on the recipe. This is necessary in order for it to give juice. It is better to knead the cabbage in small portions, otherwise it will be difficult for you.
For fermentation, a clean and boiled glass or enameled container without chips is suitable, it is better not to use aluminum dishes, otherwise the cabbage will acquire a gray hue and an unpleasant taste. Put the cabbage blanks in the container in layers and tamp them well. For freshness and piquancy, apples, cranberries, mountain ash, viburnum, lingonberries, red and black currants are added — this cabbage turns out to be especially bright and delicious.
After that, the dishes are covered with a lid with holes or clean gauze, some housewives put cabbage leaves on top and place the load so that the juice is released especially intensively. If the container is small, put it in a large bowl so that the released juice flows down there.
The optimal temperature for cooking cabbage is 19-22 °C. If it is a little warmer, the cabbage will cook faster! Usually it is ready in 2-7 days, at the same time, remove the foam daily and pierce the cabbage with a clean wooden stick to the very bottom. This is done in order to release the gas, otherwise the sauerkraut will be bitter.
As soon as the foam has stopped forming, the brine has become transparent, and the cabbage has become delicious, it is ready!
Vitamin salad
Sauerkraut with carrots according to the classic recipe — what could be tastier and easier? Cooking it is a pleasure!
Cut the cabbage as you like, and chop 2 large carrots on a coarse grater. Boil 2 liters of water, dissolve 3 tablespoons of salt in it and put it to cool.
Mash the cabbage and carrots with your hands and put them in layers in a sterile glass three-liter jar, constantly tamping. If desired, you can add cumin seeds, mustard, coriander, dill, rosemary, basil, mint leaves and chili slices to the jar. Pour the cooled brine over the vegetables to the very edge of the jar.
Let the cabbage stand for 2 days, without covering it with anything. Periodically pierce it with a long knife to the very bottom — let the resulting gas come out.
On the third day, drain all the brine completely and dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar in it. Pour the cabbage again, cover the jar with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for a day.
Cabbage turns out juicy, elastic, crispy! Brine, rich in vitamins and trace elements, can be drunk as a healthy drink for digestion and immunity.
With cranberry sourness
The recipe for sauerkraut with cranberries is even simpler than the previous one, so even an inexperienced hostess will be able to prepare this delicious snack.
Chop or cut into pieces 2.5 kg of dense late cabbage, add 1.5 tablespoons of sea salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mash the cabbage well with your hands so that it lets out the juice. Add 120 g of cranberries, mix and put the cabbage in a sterile container, glass or enameled. By the way, in the old days cabbage was fermented in wooden barrels, so it always turned out delicious, crispy, fragrant and was stored for a very long time. Interestingly, during fermentation, cabbage is enriched with acetic and lactic acid, which fight bacteria and improve the intestinal microflora.
Let the snack wander for 2-3 days, periodically pierce the cabbage with a stick, releasing gas, then put it in jars, cover with sterile nylon lids and put it in the cellar or on the loggia.
Antonovka fragrance
You probably didn’t know the recipe for sauerkraut with apples, but it’s also quite interesting. Apples are usually added to cabbage not only to improve the taste, but also to increase the vitamin value. For this snack, take sweet and sour antonovka-it is perfectly combined with the taste of cabbage.
Chop a cabbage head weighing about 1 kg, and cut 1 apple into thin slices or small cubes. Add 1 tsp of sugar and 0.5 tbsp of salt to the cabbage, mash it with your hands, let it lie for half an hour and mash it well again. However, do not overdo it, because the “crushed” cabbage will become too sluggish. If desired, add a little cumin or other spices.
Mix the cabbage with the apples, put it in a bowl scalded with boiling water, and place a flat plate with a yoke on top. Let the snack stand in the heat for 3-4 days, releasing the juice. The main thing is not to forget to periodically pierce the cabbage to the very bottom with a knife or a wooden stick. And of course, remove the foam.
Place the finished cabbage in sterile jars, close with sterile lids and put it in the cold. From this delicious preparation, you can make a winter salad or a filling for pies. With this diet, you are not afraid of any winter colds!
Quickly
If you do not like to mess around in the kitchen for a long time, you will like the recipe for instant sauerkraut. This snack is good if you know that guests will come tomorrow, and you have a ball rolling in the refrigerator. Or simply there is no time to cook… The simplicity of cooking is captivating!
Cut a cabbage head weighing 1.5 kg into large pieces-slices or cubes. Grate carrots weighing about 300 g on a coarse grater, and cut 4 cloves of garlic in half.
Now put the pieces of cabbage in a saucepan in layers, sprinkling each with carrots and garlic.
Put a saucepan with 1.5 liters of water on the fire, pour 5 tablespoons of sugar and 4 tablespoons of salt into it. As soon as the water boils, pour in 1.5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and stir well. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables in a saucepan so that it completely covers them, put an inverted flat plate on top and put a pressure, for example, a three-liter jar of water. After a day, the snack is ready, and you can eat it immediately with boiled potatoes and black bread!
Three in one
Sauerkraut with beetroot and horseradish is practically a salad ready to eat, but you will have to tinker with it a little. But the result will please, because three healthy vegetables in one dish increase its vitamin value.
It remains to figure out how to saute cabbage with horseradish. Yes, it’s very simple! Cut a cabbage stalk weighing 1.5 kg, and cut the leaves into large pieces. Grate 30 g of horseradish and chop 30 g of garlic. cut 100 g of beetroot into thin cubes. Prepare the container for the future cabbage and beet salad and pour boiling water over it.
Prepare a brine from 1 liter of water, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of salt and, when it cools, pour it over the vegetables. Cover the dishes with a lid and leave for 4 days, removing the foam and periodically piercing the cabbage with a knife. Transfer the finished sauerkraut to jars and put it in the cold.
This spectacular snack of bright purple color will decorate even a festive table. And how much use it is! Cabbage with beetroot and horseradish improves the functioning of the intestines, strengthens teeth and gums, lowers cholesterol and treats blood vessels. Eat sauerkraut in winter, and you will always be healthy!
On our website you will find many step-by-step recipes with sauerkraut with photos and a detailed description. They will decorate your winter diet, improve your health and mood, give strength and energy!