How to prepare an appetizer? TOP 6 best sauerkraut recipes. Video recipes.
Sauerkraut is a food product that is prepared by lactic acid fermentation. It is very useful: it normalizes the intestinal microflora and has a positive effect on digestion. It is used in the preparation of appetizers and side dishes. In many countries, sauerkraut is considered a national dish.
Features of cooking sauerkraut
Delicious sauerkraut will turn out if the fermentation process is kept under control all the time. To do this, use thin sticks made of wood and pierce the product with them so that carbon dioxide leaves, and optimal conditions are created for the formation of lactic acid bacteria.
Helpful hints on how to cook sauerkraut:
- The process begins in October, when the night temperature reaches zero.
- It is better to choose late varieties of vegetables so that the head of cabbage crunches a little when pressed and is dense.
- You need to give preference to whole, clean heads of cabbage, with dense leaves.
- Finely chop the cabbage for pickling. The stump must be removed before shredding. But if the plant is grown with your own hands, it makes sense to cut the stump separately and add it to the snack, it contains a lot of useful substances.
- The ideal complementary ingredient is carrots. It gives the cabbage a certain aroma and piquancy.
- With the help of cranberries, apples, lingonberries and plums, you can diversify the taste of the product.
- Beets are perfect for giving the appetizer a reddish hue and original taste.
- Sauerkraut will become dense and crispy if you sprinkle it with cool water before pickling it.
- To make the appetizer more crispy, add a little horseradish root to it.
Sauerkraut recipes: TOP-6
At first glance, everything is simple here: cut, salt, mash, place in a separate container. However, there are some rules to making sauerkraut, so be sure to check out our recipes before embarking on such a serious procedure.
A simple sauerkraut recipe
Such an appetizer is prepared quickly, without additional ingredients and any wisdom, which even a young housewife can do. You need to store it in a refrigerator in a closed jar. For those preparing a snack for the first time, a simple recipe for sauerkraut in a jar is suitable.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 19 kcal.
- Servings - 4
- Cooking time - 5 days 13 hours
Ingredients:
- Cabbage - 1 kg
- Salt - 3 tsp
- Water - 250 ml
Step by step cooking sauerkraut according to a simple recipe:
- The process of preparing sauerkraut in a jar should start with the preparation of the vegetable. Wash the head of cabbage, divide into 4 equal shares, chop each of them with a knife or blender.
- Transfer the cabbage to a large tray so that it is comfortable to mix, salt and leave for a couple of minutes. Pour the required amount of liquid into the salting and mash everything well with your hands.
- Thoroughly rinse and dry the container in which the fermentation process will take place. Move the contents inside, placing the cabbage tightly with a wooden spoon, while leaving free space.
- Cover the container and leave warm for 10 days. At first, open it every 12 hours. It must be ensured that the contents are completely immersed in the brine. If there is not enough liquid, it must be added.
The classic recipe for sauerkraut with carrots
This appetizer is very healthy. Almost everyone loves it, but not everyone is engaged in cooking on their own. How to make sauerkraut at home so that it is tasty and crispy is described in stages in the classic recipe.
Ingredients:
- Cabbage - 2 kg
- Carrots - 2 pcs.
- Salt - 2 tablespoons
Step by step preparation of sauerkraut with carrots according to the classic recipe:
- Grind the main ingredient in any usual way. Salt and mix thoroughly. Then rub with your hands until liquid appears.
- Wash, peel and cut the carrots into thin plates. Add to cabbage and stir.
- Transfer contents to a separate container and seal carefully until liquid appears. Spread not to the very top, but so that there is a little free space left for fermentation.
- Place the container in a deep bowl, since liquid may leak out during the preparation of sauerkraut according to the classic recipe. In this form, vegetables should be left for several days. Over the next day, the contents must be pierced to the very bottom several times with a long stick. This is done so that excess gases come out and with them bitterness.
- When no foam appears on the surface, then the snack is ready to eat. Then the container must be covered with a lid and placed in the refrigerator.
Sauerkraut for the winter with spices
All methods of cooking sauerkraut, of course, are based on one classic. The rest of the options only slightly diverge in nuances and differ slightly in the components used. How to make sauerkraut for the winter to make it tasty and enough for the whole family, we will tell you in the next step-by-step recipe.
Ingredients:
- Cabbage - 9 kg
- Carrots - 3 kg
- Bay leaf - 20 pcs.
- Salt - 6 tablespoons
- Pepper, cumin, dill - to taste
Step by step cooking sauerkraut for the winter with spices:
- Divide the cabbage in half, remove the stump, and chop the leaves.
- Cut the carrots into thin plates using a grater.
- Mix vegetables, season with seasonings and salt. Squeeze firmly, so that the cabbage releases the liquid.
- Place the resulting mass in a deep container. It is better to use an enamel pot for this. You can use a wooden pusher to pack your vegetables tighter.
- To make the appetizer even tastier and crisper in the end, according to the step-by-step recipe for sauerkraut, press it on top with a clean stone.
- In this form, it should stand for a couple of days, during which it should be pierced along the entire length with a wooden stick or knife.
- You can try the snack after the allotted time. The cooking process depends on the mass of influencing factors. This is the amount of salt thrown in, and the intensity of the spin, as well as the air temperature in the room. Sometimes the appetizer is ready in a couple of days, and sometimes it takes 4 days for full fermentation.
- Ready sauerkraut is laid out in jars, covered with lids and put into a refrigerator or cellar.
Instant pickled cabbage in brine
Quick sauerkraut is prepared in brine in a simple and easy way. For this starter, you can take both an early and a late vegetable variety. The taste is amazing anyway. Instant sauerkraut is appropriate both at the everyday table and at the solemn one.
Ingredients:
- Cabbage - 2 kg
- Carrots - 2 pcs.
- Water - 8 tbsp.
- Salt - 2 tablespoons
- Sugar - 4 tablespoons
Step by step preparation of instant sauerkraut in brine:
- You need to start by preparing the brine. Take in water, add salt and sugar. Boil and cool.
- At this time, grind the vegetables. Place them in a deep bowl and stir well.
- Place the cabbage and carrots in the jar, leaving space for the prepared brine. Then pour it inside. Put the starter culture in a deep tray and leave for a day.
- After the allotted time, pierce the appetizer several times. So bitterness and gases will go away. These steps must be repeated throughout the entire preparation, about a couple of days. Close the jar and place in the refrigerator.
Sauerkraut with cranberries
Thanks to the addition of cranberries, the appetizer turns out to be more useful. The berry will enrich it with B vitamins, iodine, potassium and magnesium. In addition, cranberries contain a large amount of vitamin PP, which significantly increases the usefulness of the snack. How to cook sauerkraut with cranberries is described below.
Ingredients:
- Cabbage - 8 kg
- Carrots - 3 kg
- Cranberries - 600 g
- Salt - 5 tablespoons
Step by step preparation of sauerkraut with cranberries:
- You will need a large bucket for cooking. Carrots need to be washed, peeled and grated with a coarse grater. You can also do this using a food processor. Chop the cabbage.
- Rinse the selected container thoroughly and place the top cabbage leaves in it, which can protect the bottom layer of the snack from harmful microbes.
- Combine 1/3 of the vegetables in a large bowl. Stir, salt and crush with your hands until the contents begin to exude liquid. Place the resulting mass in a prepared container and press down well. Put 200 grams of berries on top.
- Combine another 1/3 of the vegetables and put in a bucket. Sprinkle with berries.
- Mash the rest of the vegetables and transfer to the contents. Sprinkle with cranberries on top.
- Cover the mass with a wide saucer and place the oppression. Do not touch for 48 hours.
- When the gases stop escaping, the snack can be placed in the refrigerator.
Sauerkraut with beets
For those who prefer non-standard flavors, the recipe for sauerkraut with beets is an excellent choice. And so that the appetizer is not only tasty, but also spicy, we recommend adding a little hot pepper.
Ingredients:
- Cabbage - 6 kg
- Beets - 1 kg
- Garlic - 5 pcs.
- Water - 6 l
- Salt - 6 tablespoons
- Pepper to taste
Step by step preparation of sauerkraut with beets:
- Divide the main ingredient into 6 equal segments. Do this so that the stump holding the leaves remains with each piece. Peel the garlic, but do not chop it.
- Chop the beets in any usual way. Grind, use a food processor, or chop with a knife into cubes.
- Place vegetables in a separate deep container in layers. First, cabbage, then chopped beets, chives and a little pepper.
- Pour water into a saucepan, boil and dilute with salt, until the latter is completely dissolved. Then add the liquid to the laid out vegetables. Place a light press on top of the container so that the cabbage and beets are in the brine.
- Cover with gauze and leave salting for 5 days in a warm room. Remove the press daily and poke through the contents using a knife or long wooden sticks. After the allotted time, transfer the snack to the cellar or refrigerator for a period of 10 days.
- If this is a snack for the winter, drain the brine. And then pour over to another, not so salty and move to a cold place. If sauerkraut is going to be eaten right away, the brine need not be drained.
