Though one may associate pickled cabbage with Germany, it's also quite popular in the Alto Adige (which is ethnically Germanic), and common in a great swath that extends across Friuli Venezia Giulia and down into the Balkans. While one can buy perfectly good commercially prepared sauerkraut, with time and patience one can also make it at home.
Preparation:
I have found several old Italian sauerkraut recipes, which are -- frankly -- cursory. They mostly run like this:
Thinly slice the cabbage and put the slices in a ceramic jar or wooden tub, salting the layers and sprinkling them with coriander seeds and juniper berries (my note: go easy on the latter because juniper berries are quite flavorful). When all is used up cover the container with a wooden disk that will fit into its mouth, set a weight on it, and let the cabbage sit in a dark place for a month, during which time it will ferment. When the month is up, it will be ready for use.
As I said, this is cursory. To begin with, how much are we talking about?
A wooden tub implies quite a bit, and if you want to make a lot, you will find quantities below. However, an observation, first: Wooden containers can leak, and you therefore may be better off with a large, open-mouthed ceramic, terracotta, or non-reactive plastic vessel equipped with a lid that will fit into the mouth of the vessel. Got the vessel? You'll need:
Line the bottom of your vessel with a half-inch (1 cm) layer of salt. Cover the salt with a layer of cabbage leaves, and cover the cabbage leaves with a three-finger-thick layer of sliced cabbage.
Cover the cabbage with a half inch of salt and some of the mixed spices, and repeat, interlayering sliced cabbage and spiced salt until all is used up, finishing with a layer of flat cabbage leaves and a layer of salt, which should be a bit thicker than the bottom layer was.
Cover the salt with a lid whose diameter is such that it will just fit into the mouth of the vessel, and set a 10-pound (about 5 k) weight on it. Rather than a lid, some people suggest a large, clean heavy duty plastic bag partially filled with water, which will spread from one side of the vessel to the other, forming an effective seal. If you use the bag, there will be no need for a weight.
Put the vessel on a tray with raised edges in a cool, but not too cold place that's also dark, and let it sit for 2 months, occasionally removing the excess brine that will well up. At the end of two months, your sauerkraut will be ready.
When using your sauerkraut, remove the amount you need, rinse it well, and recover the rest, setting the lid atop it to keep the sauerkraut completely immersed.
Another option would be to transfer the sauerkraut to sterilized mason jars, topping the jars off with brine made by dissolving 4 teaspoons of salt in a liter of water (or 1 teaspoon per cup). Seal the jars and keep them in a cool dark place.
A few observations:
Salt acts as a preservative, and you do not want to use too little, or the sauerkraut will go bad. If you are making a small batch, calculate 30 grams (1 1/2 tablespoons) salt per kilo of cabbage, which translates to about 3 teaspoons per pound.
If you see white spots atop the brine when the cabbage stops fermenting, simply skim them off.
Finally, the acidity? The bacteria present on the cabbage leaves ferment the sugars contained in the leaves, producing lactic acid.
This too much? Jennifer McGavin, About's Guide to German cooking, has an excellent recipe for making Sauerkraut in a Mason Jar.
- Cabbage
- Juniper berries
- Coriander seeds
- Coarse sea salt
Thinly slice the cabbage and put the slices in a ceramic jar or wooden tub, salting the layers and sprinkling them with coriander seeds and juniper berries (my note: go easy on the latter because juniper berries are quite flavorful). When all is used up cover the container with a wooden disk that will fit into its mouth, set a weight on it, and let the cabbage sit in a dark place for a month, during which time it will ferment. When the month is up, it will be ready for use.
As I said, this is cursory. To begin with, how much are we talking about?
A wooden tub implies quite a bit, and if you want to make a lot, you will find quantities below. However, an observation, first: Wooden containers can leak, and you therefore may be better off with a large, open-mouthed ceramic, terracotta, or non-reactive plastic vessel equipped with a lid that will fit into the mouth of the vessel. Got the vessel? You'll need:
- 10 k (22 pounds) green cabbage, cored and finely sliced, plus the outer leaves of another cabbage
- A couple of kilos (several pounds) of coarse-grained non-iodized pickling salt: Don't expect to use it all, but you do want to have enough
- 2 handfuls, about 3/4 cup crushed juniper berries
- 2 handfuls, about 3/4 cup caraway seeds
- 2 handfuls, about 3/4 cup peppercorns
- 10 dried bay leaves, crumbled
Line the bottom of your vessel with a half-inch (1 cm) layer of salt. Cover the salt with a layer of cabbage leaves, and cover the cabbage leaves with a three-finger-thick layer of sliced cabbage.
Cover the cabbage with a half inch of salt and some of the mixed spices, and repeat, interlayering sliced cabbage and spiced salt until all is used up, finishing with a layer of flat cabbage leaves and a layer of salt, which should be a bit thicker than the bottom layer was.
Cover the salt with a lid whose diameter is such that it will just fit into the mouth of the vessel, and set a 10-pound (about 5 k) weight on it. Rather than a lid, some people suggest a large, clean heavy duty plastic bag partially filled with water, which will spread from one side of the vessel to the other, forming an effective seal. If you use the bag, there will be no need for a weight.
Put the vessel on a tray with raised edges in a cool, but not too cold place that's also dark, and let it sit for 2 months, occasionally removing the excess brine that will well up. At the end of two months, your sauerkraut will be ready.
When using your sauerkraut, remove the amount you need, rinse it well, and recover the rest, setting the lid atop it to keep the sauerkraut completely immersed.
Another option would be to transfer the sauerkraut to sterilized mason jars, topping the jars off with brine made by dissolving 4 teaspoons of salt in a liter of water (or 1 teaspoon per cup). Seal the jars and keep them in a cool dark place.
A few observations:
Salt acts as a preservative, and you do not want to use too little, or the sauerkraut will go bad. If you are making a small batch, calculate 30 grams (1 1/2 tablespoons) salt per kilo of cabbage, which translates to about 3 teaspoons per pound.
If you see white spots atop the brine when the cabbage stops fermenting, simply skim them off.
Finally, the acidity? The bacteria present on the cabbage leaves ferment the sugars contained in the leaves, producing lactic acid.
This too much? Jennifer McGavin, About's Guide to German cooking, has an excellent recipe for making Sauerkraut in a Mason Jar.
