Sauerkraut


Fermented veggies!!! Another must have to improve gut health. These amazing foods are rich with live, active enzymes and probiotics. The tart flavour helps to stimulate digestive acids. There are many immune-supportive acids in fermented foods. They key is to start with very small amounts in your daily diet and slowly increase.
You will need a 1.5 litre preserving jar with an airlock lid for this recipe. Make sure you wash the jar and all the utensils (spoon, bowls, shot glass) using very hot water. You'll also need some muslin cloth (cheese cloth) to bundle up the spices (I got mine from spotlight).
Make sure you weigh the cabbage and have enough! I didn't do this the first time and had to find a smaller jar so the 'shot glass weight' would touch the top of the mixture and the lid of the jar to keep the mixture submerged. Get your massage hands ready because 10 minutes massaging cabbage feels like a LONG time, it is amazing how much juice the cabbage releases! While it is fermenting it needs to be stored in a dark place thats not too hot or cold, I put it at the back of one of my kitchen cupboards that hardly gets opened. The longer you leave the kraut to ferment the stronger the taste.

Ingredients

1 star anise
1 teaspoon whole cloves
600g cabbage (finely shredded)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (or 3 teaspoons if not using vegetable starter culture)
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 tablespoons of juniper berries (can be found in the dried herb section)
1 small handful of dill (roughly chopped or dried if you can't find fresh)
1/2 a sachet of vegetable starter culture (optional - use extra salt instead)

Method


1. Place the star anise and cloves in a small piece of muslin, tie into a bundle and place aside for later.

2. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage. Choose one of the outer leaves, wash well and set side to put on top of the sauerkraut mix in the jar.

3. Place the finely shredded cabbage in a large glass bowl. Sprinkle over the salt, caraway, juniper and dill. Massage the cabbage for 10minutes to release all it's juices.

4. Dissolve the starter (if you're using it) in water according to packet instructions. Add to the cabbage mix with the bag of spices and mix well.

5. Fill the jar with the cabbage mix, pressing down well with a spoon to remove any air pockets. Leave 2 cm of room free at the top. The cabbage should be completely submerged in its juices, add more water if needed.

6. Get the clean cabbage leaf and fold it up and and place it on top of the cabbage mixture, then add the shot glass as a weight to keep everything submerged.

7. Close the lid. Wrap a tea towel around the side of the jar to block out any light. Store in a dark place at 16-23℃ for 8-15 days (add another 5 days if not using the starter culture).

8. Chill before eating. Once you have opened the sauerkraut it will last up to 2 months in the fridge. Unopened it will keep up to 9months in the fridge.

Enjoy x

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