how to make sauerkraut – Veg with Vito

Wanting to make sauerkraut but don’t know how? You are at the right place – roll up your sleeves, get your cabbage and let’s start

Hi Everyone,

For today we have such a tasty & easy recipe and it’s Sauerkraut! Next to cabbage and some salt, get those muscles ready! The process from cabbage to sauerkraut will take a minimum of 2 weeks (to make it sour enough) but can be stored for much longer – as long as it’s in a cold and dark place.

INGREDIENTS:
In this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
– 1 cabbage (but use as many as you want)
– salt (2% of the cabbage weight)
– 1 small carrot
– 1/4 of a red bell pepper
– 2-3 garlic cloves
– 1/2 tbsp of mustard seeds

The traditional Sauerkraut is just made from cabbage and salt – so go ahead if you like it just that way!

PREPARATION:
To start off let’s cut the cabbage in half, take the hearths out and then nicely shred it – by knife, mandolin, shredder, or food processor.
Once done, transfer it into a bowl and weigh the cut cabbage – now you will know how much salt you need.
We got 950g of cabbage, so 2% would be 19g of salt!

950 x 0,02 = 19

Put the salt into the bowl and leave it for 10 minutes.

Now it’s time for the thought part start squeezing the cabbage to the point that it’s not crispy anymore and that a lot of water came out – it will take at least 10 minutes.

Go ahead and cut the carrot, pepper, and garlic and then add them to the cabbage together with the mustard – mix it well together!

Fill your glass container with the cabbage and top it up with the brine that is left and now firmly pack the cabbage mixture into the container – press it together so you have at least 1 inch of water covering the cabbage.
It’s very important that the cabbage mix stays submerged under the brine (so it doesn’t go off) so use a weight to keep it down – in this case, I just used a food bag filled with some water.
Store the sauerkraut in a dark and cold place and release the air from the container 3 times a week (scum will occur on top of the liquid – just remove it).
The fermentation is complete when the bubbling stops – you can then store it in containers in the fridge and use it for up to 3 months.

You can also use a fermenting crock (vessel) that is much easier to use (a very good buy if you are planning to make sauerkraut more often) – the water seal on top allows gasses to escape but prevents anything from coming in!

As mentioned at the beginning of the post, the sauerkraut will be ready for use already in two weeks!

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Vito

For a video tutorial, check the link below:

Hi Everyone, it’s nice to have you back!

Today I am showing you how to make a famous Balkan recipe, known as the Sauerkraut roll – but in a meatless way!

It will take about an hour and a half to prepare this dish and there is some work behind it – but it’s more than worth it as you can freeze them for those busy days for a quick lunch. This is usually served with mashed potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:
– 2 medium-sized carrots
– 2 medium-sized onions
– 2 tsp of pepper
– 2x 3 tsp of salt
– 2 tsp of dried paprika
– 1 tsp of chili flakes (knock yourself out if you like it spicier)
– 3 tbsp of tomato paste
– 4 Bay leaves
– 1/2 cup of green lentils
– 1/2 cup of rice
– 1/2 cup of buckwheat
– 50g of vital gluten (gluten flour) – but you can use another binder as pea protein instead
– 1 cup of passata
– and the queen of the day 1 whole Sauerkraut!

In case you can’t find a Sour cabbage, you can always do it with bell peppers.

PREPARATION:
You can start off with washing and cooking your grains in some salt – once you bring it up to boiling lower down the heat and cook for another 10 minutes.
Now you can chop the carrots and onions into small pieces. Heat up a pan and saute them for a few minutes. Place it into a bowl – the grains should be cooked by now, so drain them and add them to the bowl and give it a good stir.
The next step is to add the following ingredients: salt, pepper, dried paprika, chili, and tomato paste and mix it all together – the final step for the filling is to add the gluten flour.
Once done, start working on your Sour cabbage by carefully pealing of the leaves – don’t worry if you break some, just give them a wash and chop them up (they will be used).
Now, cut the hard stems from the middle of the leaves (if the leaves are bigger, you can cut them into half).
It’s rolling time!! This is the tricky part: take a leaf in your hand and take some filling on the upper edge of the leaf – fold the edges and start rolling – once rolled secure them by tucking in the sides with your thumb (this is tricky and don’t expect that they will all look perfect 🙂
Take a big pot and first place all the cut Sauerkraut on the bottom, follow with the cup of passata and salt and then start placing the rolls (but it’s important to squeeze them together as much as possible, so they don’t fall apart during cooking) – top it up with water, just that you cover all the rolls!
Put a lid on top and cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes.

In case you are doing this recipe with bell peppers, cut out the stem and fill them and then put them in a pot facing up!

You are ready to serve it, Enjoy!!

Vito

For a video tutorial, check the link below: