How can you cook sauerkraut deliciously in slices in different ways

Sauerkraut retains its taste and vitamin composition due to lactic acid, which is formed during the fermentation process. The head of cabbage is cut into pieces so that the cabbage is evenly saturated with brine or marinade. Prepare a dish in any convenient container - glass jars, wooden barrels or enamel pots.

Let's consider in detail the popular recipes for sauerkraut, learn the nuances and features of cooking.

Choosing cabbage for harvesting

Cabbage should have white, soft and juicy leaves... Housewives choose early or mid-season varieties and hybrids for fermentation: Slava, Gribovskaya, Volgogradskaya 1, Kaporal. Late varieties are not suitable for fermentation - they have a low sugar content and a bitter taste. It is recommended to squeeze the head of cabbage for testing - it should crunch slightly. There should be no cracks or dark spots on the head.

Preparation for cooking

The top layer of leaves is removed from the cabbage and the stalk is removed. Then cut into pieces of different sizes, depending on the recipe. Shred the vegetable in different ways:

1. With a long and sharp knife with a non-slip handle, the head of cabbage is cut into 4 parts, each is placed sideways and chopped.
2. Shred on a special grater, plastic or wood.

Chop the vegetable quickly and easily with a food processor. Most devices come with a special shredder attachment, and after 20 seconds, housewives get perfectly smooth sliced ​​cabbage.

Choice of containers

It is convenient to store snacks in glass jars in the refrigerator - it takes up little space. For cooking, use cans of different sizes. They should be solid, without chips. Before cooking, the jars are washed with a soda solution and wiped dry, the lids are scalded with boiling water.

Enamel bucket or saucepan is suitable for pickling cabbage in the country... This is a convenient way to prepare a healthy and tasty snack for a large family. It is important to inspect the surface of the dishes: there should be no chips or scratches on the enamel, otherwise the dish will quickly deteriorate.

Another suitable option for sourdough outside the city is wooden barrels or tubs. Cookware made of natural wood impregnates vegetables with a tart taste and rich woody aroma. Before cooking, the barrel is steamed with a soda solution and rinsed with cool clean water. This protects the container from mold, mildew and rot, and prevents unpleasant odors.

How to cook sliced ​​sauerkraut correctly

The dish is prepared in late summer or early autumn, when early and middle varieties ripen in the garden.

what required for cooking:

• 2 kg of cabbage;
• 200 g carrots;
• 60 g sugar;
• 60 g of salt;
• 20 g ground black pepper.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Wash the carrots and cut into cubes no more than 5 cm thick.
2. Peel the head of cabbage from the upper leaves, remove the stump and cut the cabbage into 6 parts, and then each into 4 parts.
3. Transfer vegetables to a deep container, cover with salt, sugar and black pepper.
4. Gently mix the workpiece with your hands so that each piece of the vegetable mixture is saturated with spices.
5. Put under oppression for two days in a dark place. On the third day, remove the load and re-mix the vegetables with your hands. Leave it on for another day.
6. Arrange in jars or put in a tight food bag and place in the refrigerator. It is recommended to eat the product within a month.

Recipe variations

In addition to the classic recipe, methods of pickling in Georgian and Bulgarian, with honey and garlic, are popular. The dishes are colorful and nutritious.

Spicy cabbage in chunks

The spiciness of the dish is adjusted to your taste. An appetizer is served with meat dishes - it is harmoniously combined with beef, lamb, chicken. The workpiece is stored for up to seven months.

what required for cooking:

• 600 g of cabbage;
• 150 g carrots;
• 50 g parsley;
• 70 g dill;
• 1 pod of red hot pepper;
• 40 g of black ground pepper;
• 4 allspice peas;
• 5 cloves of garlic;
• 15 ml vinegar 9%;
• 1 liter of water;
• 70 g of rock salt;
• 50 g of sugar.

Cooking technology:

1. Prepare the marinade: pour salt and sugar into the water, stir and boil.
2. Rinse all the ingredients, chop the carrots on a coarse grater, cut the cabbage into squares.
3. Coarsely chop the parsley and dill, mix with vegetables and chopped hot peppers, add allspice and black pepper. Put the cloves of garlic last.
4. Tamp the workpiece into a clean jar, pour marinade and vinegar and remove to a warm place. In a day, the product is ready for use.

Other ways to cook cabbage for the winter:

Sauerkraut with horseradish and carrots is tasty and simple

The best recipes for sauerkraut with horseradish and beets

The best sauerkraut recipes without salt and sugar

In Georgian

Before serving, a Georgian snack is sprinkled with sugar or seasoned with fragrant vegetable oil. This cabbage is used as an ingredient in a salad of prunes and herbs.

what required for cooking:

• 1.8 kg of cabbage;
• 400 g of beets;
• 1 pod of red pepper;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 1 bunch of green celery
• 8 black peppercorns;
• 2 liters of water;
• 100 g apple cider vinegar;
• 90 g sugar;
• 75 g of salt.

How to cook:

1. Pour water and apple cider vinegar into a saucepan, add sugar and salt. Stir and boil.
2. Rinse the beets, peel and cut into thin slices. Rinse and chop the garlic and celery leaves. Peel the red hot peppers and cut into rings.
3. Remove the leaves from the cabbage and cut the head of cabbage into large pieces. Put beets on the bottom of a clean jar, then cabbage, garlic and red pepper.
4. Add celery and black pepper between layers. The top layer should be beetroot.
5. Pour with brine, cover with clean gauze and put under load for 4 days. Keep refrigerated.

With garlic and beets

No vinegar is used in the preparation, so the dish can be consumed by young children and people with sensitive stomachs. The appetizer is added to borscht - no need to spend time and effort preparing all vegetables separately. The soup turns out to be aromatic, with a rich sweet and sour taste.

what required for cooking:

• 400 g of cabbage;
• 5 cloves of garlic;
• 1 beet;
• 1 liter of water;
• 40 g black pepper;
• 70 g salt;
• 3 bay leaves.

Sourdough technology:

1. Rinse and dry all ingredients. Peel the cabbage with beets and chop coarsely.
2. Lay beets, cabbage and peeled garlic cloves in a clean and sterile jar.
3. Prepare the brine: mix water with black pepper and salt, boil and pour into a jar. Add bay leaves.
4. Cover with a nylon lid and leave at room temperature for three weeks.
5. Refrigerate after preparation.

In Bulgarian

This bright and colorful dish will appeal to all lovers of sweet and sour taste. Peppers for pickling are chosen red or yellow - they give the appetizer a crunch and a delicate aroma.

what required for cooking:

• 1 kg of cabbage;
• 3 bell peppers;
• 120 g celery root;
• 250 g carrots;
• 100 g leeks;
• 100 g of onions;
• 1 apple;
• 20 g of coarse salt;
• 10 g of juniper berries;
• 5 g of caraway seeds.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse all the ingredients, coarsely chop cabbage, carrots and celery into a deep plate.
2. Cut apples without a core into large pieces.Peel the bell pepper from the stalk and seeds and cut into strips. Cut the leek and onion into rings.
3. Mix the above ingredients, add salt, caraway seeds and juniper berries. Lightly wrinkle with your hands, cover with a napkin and leave at room temperature for a week.
4. Transfer to clean and sterile jars, refrigerate.

To preserve the appetizer for a long time, jars of cabbage are pasteurized for half an hour over medium heat. Then they are closed with clean iron lids and put into the cellar for storage.

Read also:

Pickled eggplant stuffed with carrots and garlic

Recipes for preserving watermelons with mustard for the winter

With cranberries and honey

Cranberries saturate the snack with vitamin C, honey gives a pleasant sweet taste. The vibrant red berries turn a common dish into a mouth-watering holiday salad.

Ingredient List:

• 1 kg of cabbage;
• 50 g cranberries;
• 20 ml of honey;
• 1 carrot;
• 30 g salt;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 5 black peppercorns.

How to cook:

1. Coarsely chop the cabbage. Rinse the carrots, peel and grate.
2. Stir and add salt and honey. Put black pepper and bay leaf on the bottom of a clean saucepan, put cabbage and carrots on top. Sprinkle with clean cranberries.
3. Place under load for 3 days. Store in jars or in a bag in the refrigerator.

Terms and conditions of storage

It is not recommended to store sauerkraut at sub-zero temperatures, the optimal indicator is 0 ° С. Subzero temperatures lead to the destruction of useful properties. The storage area should be dark. It is recommended to monitor the brine level - the cabbage should be in the liquid. Constant movement from cold to warm and vice versa negatively affects the taste and composition of cabbage.

Attention! In city apartments, the workpiece is stored in the refrigerator or on the balcony (in the winter season), in private houses - in cellars or basements. The maximum shelf life under all conditions is one year. The humidity level in the room must be at least 70%.

Tips from experienced housewives

Experienced housewives give advice and share the secrets of cooking sauerkraut, thanks to which the appetizer is juicy and stored for a long time:

1. During fermentation, the cabbage is pierced with a wooden spatula so that gas bubbles come out and the fermentation process is correct.
2. Sugar, honey and lingonberry protect the dish from premature spoilage and mold. They act as natural preservatives.
3. For fermentation, coarse salt is used, since the fine salt slowly dissolves and does not soak the ingredients.
4. If mold has formed on the surface, carefully remove it with a clean spoon and discard it. Then add 1 tsp. mustard powder and mix. Mustard powder does not affect the taste and aroma.
5. For long-term storage, sauerkraut is frozen in the freezer. Later it is used as an ingredient for soups or salads.

Reviews

Homemade recipes for the winter are loved by many chefs and gardeners. They share tips and feedback with each other.

Galina, Luga: “I always add carrots and garlic to pickled dishes. I take a small cabbage, cut each head of cabbage into 6-8 parts. Serve chilled, sprinkle with fresh herbs. I store it in my home basement in liter jars ".

Alexander, Chelyabinsk: “For the third year in a row I have been souring Bulgarian cabbage. It turns out very tasty. I take yellow pepper, cut into rings. From spices and herbs I add cumin, salt, black pepper, bay leaf. For fermentation I use enameled buckets or basins ".

Maria, Saratov: “I tried to make Georgian cabbage - noticed mold in a month. I decided to cook a classic recipe, it turned out well. I added garlic and onions, a little black and red pepper. I like to eat with Borodino bread, it's very tasty ".

Conclusion

How to ferment cabbage in a jar for the winter? It's simple - take healthy small heads of cabbage, carrots, clean water and coarse salt. Coarsely chopped cabbage is stored longer, always crunchy.To add spice, add cranberries and honey, for a pungent taste - garlic, red, black or allspice. For starter culture, use glass jars, buckets or pots, wooden tubs. The workpiece is served on the table as an independent dish or as an addition to the main one. Store in a refrigerator, cellar or basement.