I have fully recovered from my overwhelming feelings of failure where sauerkraut is concerned. This was delicious. There did not seem to be much change from day 1 to a week in besides a quite nice dairy like tangy smell but, once I removed the sauerkraut from the container, the smell was much more intense and I could see that a proper fermentation process had taken place.
I rinsed it several times to remove extra salinity before cooking it with juniper berries, coriander, bay, chopped double smoked slab bacon and a nice Alsatian Riesling. Later in the day I reheated it (sauerkraut always tastes best when it has been cooked before) and added potatoes, various sausages and a Kentucky legend ham to the mix. I served it with horseradish and mustard on the sides for those who wanted one or the other and I have to say that we all ate more than we ever thought we could.
For those of you who might want to attempt it at home, sauerkraut is surprisingly easy to make in small quantities.
8 cups finely shredded cabbage, outer leaves removed and set aside ( I did this by hand but those of you who own a food processor, now is the time to get it out and use it!)
1 1/2 Tbsps salt
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
Wash your hands well. Place the shredded cabbage and the salt in a large bowl. Go sit in front of the television and watch something mindless for 10 to 15 minutes while you massage the salt into the cabbage. About 5 minutes in, the cabbage will start to release some liquid.
When your massaging time is up and the cabbage is very wet and no longer crisp, return the bowl to the kitchen and stir in the caraway seeds.
Place the cabbage in a large container - glass works best. I just used a large flower vase. Make sure that you wash the container well before use as this will contribute to the clean environment needed for proper fermentation. I washed mine well with dish soap and hot water, poured boiling water into the vase and over the sides and let it sit for a few minutes before draining it and drying with a clean dish towel. This seemed to work as I had no mold or scum as mentioned in many of the reference recipes that I read before beginning this process.
Really pack the cabbage in. Every few handfuls of cabbage, I used my muddler to tamp it all down - a potato masher would work just as well. Once all the cabbage is in the container, pour all of the liquid that accumulated while you were massaging it over the top.
Cover the cabbage with the cabbage leaves that you set aside and weigh the cabbage down. I used several cans which I wrapped in foil and then in plastic wrap before using but some recipes that I looked at suggested a smaller container filled with marbles or pebbles. Cover the top of the container with a piece of cheesecloth or a thin breathable tea towel to keep dust out.
The next 24 hours are when you will actually have interaction with the sauerkraut. After that it is fairly self sufficient...Every few hours during the first 24 hours remove the weight and press down on the cabbage to help it release even more liquid. Then replace the weight and cloth and go about your business.
After 24 hours check the level of the liquid in the container. If the liquid has risen to the top of the cabbage you are good to go. If not, dilute 1 teaspoon of salt in one cup of water and add enough to the cabbage so that the cabbage is submerged.
Set aside in your pantry or on your kitchen counter if, like me, you keep your kitchen cool. You want a consistent temperature of between 65 and 70 degrees.
Various recipes that I referred to online said that the sauerkraut would be ready after 3 days but I left mine for 10 and, quite frankly, were I to make this again, would leave it longer for a more pronounced fermentation. The best thing to do is to start tasting it at 3 days and refrigerate it once you are happy with the taste to stop further fermentation.
Discard the weights and the cabbage leaf cover first!
Then do as mentioned above and you will have this for dinner:
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