I finally kicked off my first fermentation project by making sauerkraut. It wasn't really on my mind but stumbled upon a funny video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snxb_PSe3Ps

and was really surprised how simple it is. So I obtained a two pack of one gallon fermentation jars on amaron. Went to the market today and got three good cabbage heads. Took a bit more than two heads to accomplish six pounds of chopped slaw in my three largest bowls. After kneading and punching it down with salt it reduced to just less than one full bowl. After I got it in the jar it was surprising how it didn't even fill it to the top.

I now have two weeks to find mason jars in my local thrift stores. I intend to give some away to friends. And got a buddy who makes brats so, I know where some of that kraut will end up.

My next project will be to mix it up a bit with some red cabbage and some super thin sliced bell peppers and maybe some crushed peppercorn.

Do you think rosemary would throw off the flavor?

http://www.omgwtflol.net/20191111_003046.jpg

Happy Veteran's Day



Daniel Traechin
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Hi Daniel

Back in rural Ontario, we had Dutch neighbours and my Mom started
making it when I was a kid. Her method was to ferment it for two
weeks in a stone crock in a fairly cool room (a pantry off the
kitchen with the door closed) and then bottle and freeze it so it
wouldn't get any stronger.

My Dutch buddy's mom made a whole barrel full which was kept in an
unheated basement close to freezing. It fermented slower but
continued to get gradually stronger so that it was very sharp by
spring.

My wife Roslind is French Canadian but grew up in northern Alberta
surrounded by Ukrainians and Mennonites. Her family made it by the
barrel as well. Once there was enough brine to do so, her dad
plunged whole cabbages into the barrel and buried them. The leaves
from sour cabbages make incredible cabbage rolls! A Ukrainian
favourite was buckwheat instead or rice with onion and bacon.

My next project will be to mix it up a bit with some red
cabbage and some super thin sliced bell peppers and maybe some
crushed peppercorn. Do you think rosemary would throw off the
flavor?

It might be interesting and worth a try. Juniper berries or caraway
seed would be more traditional, although they are usually crushed and
added later on when the kraut is being cooked.

Perhaps consider Korean kimchi for a future project!



Cheers

Jim


... Kraut so good it makes you want to invade Poland

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Re: Sauerkraut
By: JIM WELLER to DANIEL on Wed Nov 13 2019 10:43 pm

Thanks for the interesting story.

I tried kimchi in korea. Hated it. Tried it in the US, hate it. Tried it with korean friend who swears by it. Hated it,

It's fair to say I hate kimchi.

And you're one of, well, everyone, I speak to about kraut who suggests kimchi instead. sorry i'm a kraut guy.

the kichi in korea was the worst experience for me.

Daniel Traechin
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Quoting Michael Loo to Daniel <=-

adding a pint of water ...
I'd also tamp down the cabbage every few days
to make sure it remains completely covered with brine.

One fool proof way to tamp down the cabbage and keep it submerged so
long as the container has a wide enough neck is to lay a teacup
saucer or a bread and butter plate on the cabbage and weigh that
down with a clean, smooth, fist sized rock that has been previously
sterilised in the oven.



Cheers

Jim


... New Cocktail: Shipwreck... Cutty Sark on the rocks

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Quoting Daniel to Jim Weller <=-

I hate kimchi.
i'm a kraut guy.

In that case don't stick any extraneous vegetables or spices in your
kraut. Keep it pure.

The brine is full of vitamin C and other good things leached out of
the cabbage. It adds a nice punch to Bloody Marys in small amounts.

For people who find it too salty or to sour one can braise the kraut
in apple juice or cider. Very German. And of course off dry white
Rhine wine works well too to add a little sweetness to the dish.

Starting in the early 1960s, after rationing ended and their economy
started to recover from the war imported tropical fruit became
available and using pineapple juice was a big fad for a while. I've
tried that and liked it.

I learned all those tricks from my Dutch friends who of course have a
similar cuisine.


Cheers

Jim


... Kapsalon is Dutch poutine: chips, shawarma meat & Gouda.

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Re: Sauerkraut
By: JIM WELLER to DANIEL on Wed Nov 13 2019 10:43 pm

My wife Roslind is French Canadian but grew up in northern Alberta surrounded by Ukrainians and Mennonites. Her family made it by the
barrel as well. Once there was enough brine to do so, her dad
plunged whole cabbages into the barrel and buried them. The leaves
from sour cabbages make incredible cabbage rolls! A Ukrainian
favourite was buckwheat instead or rice with onion and bacon.

That sounds hella good. I was talking to a meader last week. he mentioned the same thing about the whole cabbage. Isn't that technique really only good for frmenting the outer leaves?

I could just core the cabbage, peel the leaves, then brine it for 2 weeks. Would that work? stuff them all in a gallon jar and let it do its business? I'd
iamgine it would do well with carraway,
garlic, and mustard.






Daniel Traechin
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Quoting Daniel to Jim Weller on 11-14-19 17:58 <=-

I tried kimchi in korea. Hated it. Tried it in the US, hate it. Tried
it with a korean friend who swears by it. Hated it,
It's fair to say I hate kimchi.

Not everyone will like the same things... and kimchee is one of those
things that a lot of people don't like, maybe because of the hot red
pepper that is a major component of it... :)

And you're one of, well, everyone, I speak to about kraut who suggests kimchi instead. sorry i'm a kraut guy.

They are related tastes, but it's quite true that they aren't the
same... Liking sauerkraut wouldn't necessarily mean you'd like other
things as well... :)

the kimchi in korea was the worst experience for me.

I'm sorry that you didn't like it... What was it about it that you
didn't like...? It does come in other forms than just cabbage-based...
My favorite one is made with daikon (Japanese radish)... I've also had
it made with cucumber...

ttyl neb

... History: a distillation of Rumour.

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Quoting Daniel to Jim Weller <=-

made it by the barrel / Once there was enough brine to do so,
her dad plunged whole cabbages into the barrel and buried them.
The leaves from sour cabbages make incredible cabbage rolls!

Isn't that technique really only good for frmenting the outer
leaves?

You need a big batch in a large container to submerge several whole
heads. And you need a long, slow ferment (therefore at low temps)
for a head of cabbage to turn sour right to the core..

I could just core the cabbage, peel the leaves, then brine it for 2
weeks. Would that work? stuff them all in a gallon jar and let it do
its business?

Perhaps. It's certainly worth a try.

One can also put sauerkraut into cabbage rolls ...

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Sarma - Croatian Cabbage Rolls
Categories: Groundmeat, Rice, Croatian, Bacon, Ham
Yield: 11 Servings

1 c Cooked rice
1 1/2 lb Ground pork
1 lb Ground ham
1/2 lb Ground beef
1 lg Onion, diced
1/8 ts Minced garlic
1 Egg
1 lg Head soured cabbage
2 qt Sauerkraut
Salt and pepper
Bacon strips
1 cn Tomato soup

To sour cabbage: Core a fresh cabbage head and place in boiling
water for 10-15 minutes, or until the leaves soften. One to two
tbsp. vinegar are added to the boiling water to sour the leaves.

Wash sauerkraut and drain. Brown onion lightly in fat. Mix with
meat, garlic, rice, seasonings and egg. Roll a generous portion of
meat mixture in each leaf. Cover bottom of large roasting pan with
sauerkraut and place cabbage rolls on top. Alternate sauerkraut
and cabbage rolls ending with sauerkraut. Pour tomato soup on top
and cover with strips of bacon. Cover with cold water almost to
top.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Yield: Approximately 22
sarmas.

This recipe from Governor and Mrs. Rudy Perpich of Minnesota

Posted by: Barry S. Marjanovich in Calgary To: soc.culture.croatia

MMMMM

Cheers

Jim


... A kid's idea on science: "Thunder is a rich source of loudness."

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Re: Sauerkraut
By: JIM WELLER to DANIEL on Thu Nov 21 2019 10:47 pm

Yeah I grew up on Sarma, with my parents being yugoslavian and all.

Your recipe brought back memories. She did mostly beef. Rarely used pork or ham in the sarma.

I didn't like it as a kid. Love it now though.
Daniel Traechin
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Quoting Daniel to Jim Weller <=-

I grew up on Sarma, with my parents being yugoslavian and all.

I am more familiar with the Polish and Ukrainian style of cabbage
rolls but have encountered Italian, Greek and Turkish ones as well
as grape leaf dolmas/dolmedes.

Here's an interesting variant:

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Alternative Golabki
Categories: Polish, Beef, Pork, Rice
Yield: 16 Servings

1 lb Tinned corned beef
1 lb Ground pork
1 c Cooked rice
3/4 c Minced onion
1 ts Freshly ground black pepper
1 ts Good Hungarian paprika
1/2 ts Ground coriander
1 ds Salt
1 Head of cabbage
28 oz Can tomato puree

Set a big kettle of water on to boil while making the filling for
the golabki.

I used a can of corned beef. If you're going to try making golabki
this way (and they're delicious, so I highly recommend doing it at
least once!) the cheap stuff works great.

Use a fork to shred the tinned corn beef, then mix it thoroughly
with the ground pork, rice, and onion. Season the meat mixture
with black pepper, Hungarian paprika, coriander and salt, mixing
well to distribute the seasonings.

(At this point, I pinched off a small lump of the mixture and
cooked it in the microwave - about a minute is all it takes - and
tasted it to check the seasonings. I suggest you do this, too,
and adjust them as you see fit.)

By now the kettle of water will be boiling. After trimming off
any outside leaves on the cabbage, plunge it into the water for a
few minutes to wilt and parcook the outer leaves. This will make
them easy to remove from the head and supple enough to wrap around
the filling. Continue plunging the cabbage into the boiling water
and peeling off leaves until you have a sufficient number of
leaves to use up the stuffing.

Stuff the cabbage leaves by taking up a lump of the filling enough
to make a small burger, and form it into an oblong shape. Wrap the
oblong in a cabbage leaf by folding the sides of the leaf up, then
rolling the rest of the golabki up in the ends of the leaf, much
the same way you'd wrap a burrito. As each is wrapped, place them
in a lasagna pan or large baking pan. Pour the tomato sauce
evenly over all the cabbage rolls. Cover tightly with aluminum
foil and bake in a 350 F oven for 45 minutes, then remove the foil
and bake for another 8 minutes to reduce and slightly brown the
sauce.

Serve hot with mashed potatoes.

Dave Sacerdote

Http://Davescupboard.Blogspot.Com

MMMMM


Cheers

Jim


... Cocktails are the quickest path to a better state of mind.

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Re: Sauerkraut
By: JIM WELLER to DANIEL on Sat Nov 23 2019 09:44 pm

I love all of it. Cabbage rolls are uniquely universal. It seems all cultures have their own version. Years of conquests and cultural sharing I think. Anyhoo, dolmas are some of my favorites.
Daniel Traechin
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