Sauerkraut
| Servings | 4 |
|---|---|
| Prep time | 5 minutes, plus a week of fermentation |
I usually end up making sauerkraut whenever I have leftover cabbage, because i hate throwing anything away.
Equipment
- A large fermentation jar, e.g. a mason jar
- A large bowl
Ingredients
- 1000g cabbage
- 3 tbsp flaky sea salt
- 0.5 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
Directions
- Clean the bowl and jar thoroughly with boiling water – it's important to make sure everything is spotless, or you will spoil your sauerkraut.
- Clean the cabbage and remove and tough or torn outer leaves, Split and remove the core. Strip and retain one of the large cabbage leaves to the side.
- Finely shred the cabbage—ideally in a food processor—then add to the large bowl. Cover with salt, then rub into the cabbage with your hands for about 5 minutes. Leave to sit for about 5 minutes, then massage the cabbage for about 5 minutes. You should end up with a bowl of salty cabbage in brine.
- Mix in the caraway and peppercorns, then transfer the cabbage along with the brine to the fermentation jar. Place the reserved cabbage leaf on top, to act as a kind of "lid" – then weigh down the cabbage as much as possible. You want all of the cabbage to be under the level of the brine. It will generate carbon dioxide as it ferments, so don't cover the jar with an airtight lid – you can cover it with some muslin or cheesecloth secured with a rubber band to keep any insects out.
- Set the jar aside and leave at room temperature for about a week – out of direct sunlight. You can continue fermenting it for up to a month for more flavour.
- When you're happy with it, transfer it to smaller clean jars and store in the fridge for up to six months.