Sauerkraut
Making sauerkraut is quite simple and meditative. The salty cabbage mixture you’ll be creating can handle the addition of various spices and even other vegetables or fruits, like carrots, radishes, cranberries, and apples, so feel free to get creative.
Sauerkraut is tangy, refreshing, and delicious on a hot dog or sandwich, mixed into stuffed cabbage, or stuffed into dumplings. Sauerkraut is classically paired in the German tradition with sausage and potatoes. It’s nice with a Riesling, too. But the truth is, it’s best on its own, straight from the jar. A bit of folk wisdom we picked up along the way recommends using part of the cabbage core in your kraut to keep it from making you gassy.
Serving Size
About 2 quarts sauerkraut
Ingredients
2-3 pounds green and/or purple cabbage (1 small head)
1.5 tablespoons Diamond-brand kosher salt, plus more if needed
1.5 tsp whole caraway seeds, whole black peppercorns, whole juniper berries or mustard seeds (optional)
1 large shredded carrot, apple, a handful of fresh cranberries or some sliced whole radishes (optional)
Instructions
Remove any dirty or discolored outer leaves from the cabbage and rinse the head under cold water. Using a long, sharp knife, slice off the stem of the cabbage, carefully quarter the cabbage, and remove the core.
Using a knife or a mandoline, slice the cabbage quarters into long, thin shreds, the thinner the better, placing the shreds in a large bowl as you work. Sprinkle the salt into the bowl and, using clean hands, coat the shredded cabbage with the salt, pressing down occasionally to release liquid. You’ll notice quickly that the cabbage begins to “sweat” and reduce in volume.
Mix in the spice(s) or additional vegetables of your choice (if using). Pack the cabbage and any liquid from the bowl into a wide-mouth quart-size jar (or two). Pack tightly, pushing on the cabbage forcefully with your wooden tamper to release more liquid and remove any air bubbles. The cabbage juices will rise above the cabbage. If they do not rise above right away, let the cabbage sit for about 2 hours and try pressing down again. Occasionally, depending on the cabbage, the liquid will still not rise above the cabbage, even after some time. In this case, simply mix 1 cup filtered water with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pour some of the salty water over the cabbage until it is completely submerged.
Use your fermentation weight to press down the cabbage and keep it below the brine. Screw the lid on the jar and place the jar on a dish—it might overflow!
Let the cabbage ferment at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 7 to 14 days. Each day, you’ll want to unscrew the lid briefly to “burp” the jar and release any gases inside. The longer it sits, the sourer it becomes. When the sauerkraut has reached your desired level of sourness, remove all white yeast or mold from the top of your jar, if any has appeared. Place jar in the fridge. Enjoy for up to 9 months.
Excerpted from the book THE GEFILTE MANIFESTO by Jeffrey Yoskowitz & Liz Alpern. Copyright © 2016 by Gefilte Manifesto LLC. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Lauren Volo.